Ability Focus Occupational Therapy

10/07/2024

10/07/2024

🥹 Last week was our final week with the incredible Taya steering the ship! In her role as our Admin Assistant, Tay set the scene for everyone who walked through our front door, and was the heartbeat of our organisation.. we honestly wouldn’t be who we are without Taya’s contribution to our team, and the huge impact she has had on our children and their families.. Sticker time just isn’t the same without her!

💜We wish Tay all the very best in her next adventure on a whirlwind overseas trip, then onto university study.

12/06/2024

🥰 Maddy (OT) is off to continue her OT journey in a different field of paediatrics – we wish her all the very best in her new role and are hugely grateful for the difference she has made to the lives of her AFOT families during her time as part of our team.

10/06/2024

💭 Miriam (OT) kicked off this peer mentoring session with an awesome team problem solving challenge – the aim of the game being create a marble run that keeps the marble on their journey for the longest!

The results were… interesting, with varying levels of success😅, but more importantly we worked together, shared lots of laughs and demonstrated the many OT skills that kids & adults use every day without even knowing it!

✅After we recovered from our team challenge, our OTs shared their real-world experiences of using developmental milestone checklists to assess and measure a child’s development - within their natural contexts at home, school and in the community.

29/05/2024

🧑‍🎓Wowee congratulations Mr Eli! Eli & his family have been attending intensive OT intervention over the past 4 months, with amazing progress during that time. Maddy (OT) has been supporting Eli with his goals so he can be more confidently engaged at school, with his peers and family through:

🟢gross motor development such as balance and coordination

🔵fine motor skills including bilateral coordination and hand strength

🟣identifying and regulating his emotions using sensory-based strategies

A huge effort from Eli and his family, we are all so proud 😊

03/05/2024

A warm welcome to the wonderful Elise! Elise has joined our team of Occupational Therapists and is already bringing such warmth and engagement to our families and the rest of our team. Give Elise a hi-five if you see her in the clinic!

Elise completed her Occupational Therapy degree at the University of Newcastle in 2023, with clinical paediatric, mental health and stroke rehabilitation placements both rurally and locally. Elise …

30/04/2024

😍 What a day!! Last week our team enjoyed some special time out for our 2024 Team Values Day. The theme for this year was Relax, Reconnect & Reflect.

🔴It was an opportunity to reconnect with our AFOT core values of Integrity, Strong Relationships, Lifelong Learning & Accountability.

🟣We reflected on what each of these values mean to us individually & as a team, & how we see them materialise in our work with families

🔵We relaxed with a mindfulness clay creation activity (as you can imagine, some absolute masterpieces were produced)

🟢We reconnected through some seriously wacky team building games (shout out to Games Master Sarah's Marshmallow Articulate & Rhiannon’s scavenger hunt 😂)

It was also super special to have Alyce Svensk (Director, Sensational Start OT) visit us for a mini-workshop reflecting our own learning styles to help us grow within our profession

We are so blessed to have such a diverse and passionate team!

29/04/2024

🥹 Our clinic feels a little different today, with the notable absence of our Sarah!....
💙Last week we farewelled our Clinical Team Leader who has been many things to us over the past 7 years.. skilled and passionate OT, Games Master and Christmas Wizard…
💚But most importantly an irreplaceable source of guidance, inspiration and acceptance. Sarah has been an incredible role model to so many of the children and families we work with, as well as each of us as colleagues and friends...
💜We wish Sarah nothing but the best in her next chapter... we'll do our best to keep the puns alive without her 😉

19/04/2024

📣Want to be part of a supportive & motivating workplace?
🙋‍♂️If this is you, click the link below for details, and contact tim@abilityfocusot.com.au or (02) 40481420 to apply.

https://www.abilityfocus.com.au/join-our-team/

What it's like to work with us:
"A part of something greater" - Jess (OT)
"Caring & empowering team" - Lewis (OT)
"Flexible & collaborative workplace" - Tiarna (OTA)

16/04/2024

👨‍🎓After 12 months of regular OT intervention, Lucian & his family have decided they've reached their OT goals & are ready to take on the world!.. Lucian has been working with his OT Maddy to....

🟣better understand & regulate his emotions using sensory-based strategies, so Lucian can feel more comfortable & confident at school....

🔵increase finger & hand strength to engage in age-appropriate fine motor activities like cutting, colouring & writing...

🟢We are so proud of Lucian and the dedication of his family.

03/04/2024

🤩The AFOT team were so proud of Zayd today as he showed off his touch-typing skills with us! Mim (OT) & Zayd have been working together on Zayd’s goals to increase his ability to locate letters on a keyboard (whilst looking at the screen), as well as improving Zayd’s core strength and postural endurance when seated at a desk.
⌨️The ability to touch-type (sensing where letters are located without looking at the keyboard) is an important skill… it frees up our cognitive energy and motor planning so we can focus on writing content….
👸Like Zayd’s awesome story of the dragon and the princess!

28/03/2024

Well, we may or may not have eaten too much chocolate ALREADY after our team egg hunt in the clinic today (can you spot the sneaky AFOT Easter Bunny?)... Our clinic will be closed Friday 29/03 and Monday 01/04. Have a fantastic Easter long weekend!