Integrate OT

10/04/2026

🌳✨ Happy Nature Play Week

When children play outdoors, they are not just having fun. They are:
🌱 Strengthening balance, coordination & core strength
🌱 Expanding imagination and problem-solving
🌱 Building resilience and confidence

💚 Nature is the best playground, and every stick, stone, and splash of water is an opportunity for growth.

10/04/2026

I wanted to share something a little personal, and please feel free to scroll past if it’s not your thing.

My daughter Amelie has been quietly developing a beautiful little art page, centred around her love of animals and nature. Recently, she has started creating artwork to raise money for endangered animals and local dog shelters, which has been really meaningful for her.

As someone who spends so much time supporting children to connect with their passions and sense of purpose, it’s been pretty special to watch this unfold from the side.

I know many of the families in this space share a love of nature and animals, so I thought some of you might genuinely enjoy seeing her work. Or may like a print for your nearest and dearest!

She has just started collaborating with some incredible organisations so I will be posting updates on her journey through her page.

Absolutely no expectations at all just sharing something that is bringing her a lot of joy and connection.

If you’d like to have a look, you can find her here: https://www.instagram.com/amelie.grace.art/

55 Followers, 1 Following, 16 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Amelie_Grace_Art (.grace.art)

09/04/2026

07/04/2026

What’s one strategy (big or small) that’s helped your child feel more regulated lately?
☀️ Connection before redirection - co-regulation through empathy is always so powerful for my kids.

03/04/2026

As conversations around reform continue from NDIS changes to the rollout of Thriving Kids, it’s easy to get caught in the noise of funding, eligibility, and what comes next.

But beneath all of that… the child hasn’t changed.

What they need is still beautifully simple, and profoundly important:

🌱 to feel safe and seen
🌱 to be understood before they’re supported
🌱 support success through meaningful relationships and adjustments to thrive

Children develop in moments of:
💛 shared joy
💛 co-regulation
💛 being met exactly where they are (with neuro affirming adjustments in place)

Approaches like DIR/Floortime gently remind us that progress isn’t something we push, it’s something we build, together.

So while systems shift and pathways evolve, perhaps this is the grounding we return to:

🌀 Stay curious about your child
🌿 Stay connected, even in uncertainty
💛 Stay anchored in the relationship over outcomes

Because long after policies change, what endures is how a child felt in the presence of those who supported them.

And that is where the real work, and the real impact lives.

02/04/2026

Northern Beaches DIR 101. Very grateful for a weekend of connection and shared learning!

Over the weekend, close to 30 practitioners came together on the Northern Beaches for the DIR 101 (2-day certified training).

There’s something really powerful about being in a room with others who are curious, reflective, and deeply committed to understanding children through a relationship-based, neuroaffirming lens.

Across the two days, we explored regulation, connection, affect, and the developmental capacities but more than that, we shared stories, perspectives, and moments of genuine connection.

These spaces always remind me that DIR is not just a framework we learn it’s something we feel, experience, and grow into together.

Thank you to everyone who showed up with openness and curiosity. It was a privilege to learn alongside you. 🌿

Please reach out if you would like to organise a DIR 101 for your team or community.

01/04/2026

🌱 World Autism Understanding Day - April 2 🌱
At Integrate OT, we believe autism isn’t something to “fix”. It’s a different way of being. On this day (and throughout Autism Month), we commit to:

✅ Deepening empathy and understanding
✅ Honouring neurodiversity
✅ Sharing strategies that support connection, emotional regulation, and growth in natural, child-led ways

Join us this April as we share resources, stories, and insights into supporting children and families with respect and care. 💚

31/03/2026

This term has been full. My eyes are looking tired!

Two DIR 101 trainings, continued growth of Integrate OT, and the exciting addition of Gemma Lacey (OTA) to the team. We have also been exploring the growing interest in social groups, and what this could look like in a way that feels genuinely aligned with connection and development.

Alongside this, on a more personal note, we have had some emotional moments with family members in and out of the hospital, and the ongoing, ever-evolving role of supporting my own children through different ventures and social and emotional stages.

It is at times like this, when life feels particularly full, that I find myself reflecting most on the idea of capacity.

Not just how much we can hold, but how we recognise when we are at capacity, how we advocate for ourselves, and how we make intentional space for what nourishes us.

For me, that continues to come back to my family, time in nature, my dog Albert, and noticing the quiet beauty of connection in everyday moments... and in the lives of the families I have the privilege to walk alongside.

Always grateful for the highs and the messy bits- as this is a gentle reminder that growth is dynamic, in all its forms, and asks us to stay connected to ourselves and to what matters most.

30/03/2026

29/03/2026

Small moments of connection create big developmental change.

26/03/2026

Love this. Thank you Em

26/03/2026

🌿 Supporting Children Through Change

There’s a lot happening right now in the world of early childhood supports, with NDIS reforms and the rollout of Thriving Kids beginning to shape how families access services.

For many families, this can feel uncertain.
For some, it may bring new opportunities.

What remains constant is this:
🌱 Children grow best through safe, connected relationships
🌱 Development is dynamic, not linear
🌱 Regulation comes before learning

The DIR framework sits quietly and steadily within this space, offering a way to understand your child beyond labels, funding models, or systems.

It reminds us to focus on:
💛 connection before correction
🌀 following your child’s lead while gently supporting growth
🌿 building strong foundations in regulation, engagement, and shared meaning

As systems evolve, our role remains the same to see the child in front of us, to listen deeply, and to support development in a way that feels respectful, neuroaffirming, and sustainable.