Sensory SMART OT

06/01/2026

The First Signs of Dysregulation We Often Miss.

Most families only recognise dysregulation once it explodes.

But long before the meltdown, the nervous system whispers.

It looks like:
 • pulling away
 • sudden irritability
 • excessive silliness
 • refusal over small things

These aren’t attitude problems.
They’re early warning signs.

When we respond here, gently, early, without consequence, we often prevent the bigger emotional crash later.

Nothing about this requires perfection. 
Just noticing.

Comment “noticed” if this reframed something for you.
And save this for the next hard day.

05/01/2026

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”

For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.

Relief — because it explains why progress doesn’t always show up neatly in a one-hour session.
Guilt — because it can feel like everything then falls on you.

Here’s the reframe:
Regulation isn’t built through perfect strategies or getting it right every time.

It’s built in ordinary moments of safety and connection.
At the kitchen bench.
In the car.
At bedtime.

Those moments aren’t setbacks.
They’re the work.

If this eased even a little pressure for you, save it 🤍
And share it with a parent who needs the reminder.

05/01/2026

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”

For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.

Relief — because it explains why progress doesn’t always show up neatly in a one-hour session.
Guilt — because it can feel like everything then falls on you.

Here’s the reframe:
Regulation isn’t built through perfect strategies or getting it right every time.

It’s built in ordinary moments of safety and connection.
At the kitchen bench.
In the car.
At bedtime.

Those moments aren’t setbacks.
They’re the work.

If this eased even a little pressure for you, save it 🤍
And share it with a parent who needs the reminder.

31/12/2025

January doesn’t need a reset.
It needs regulation.

After a big December, many children start the year with tired nervous systems — not a lack of routine or motivation.

If your child is more sensitive, reactive, or clingy right now, nothing is wrong.
Their body is asking for safety before structure.

Soft starts.
Lower demands.
Connection first.

Everything else can wait.

✨ Save this for January
✨ Share with a parent who needs permission to go gently

24/12/2025

At Christmas, we are reminded that the greatest gift is not found under the tree, but in the love and hope Jesus brings to the world.

Wishing our SSOT families a calm, meaningful, and joy-filled Christmas 🤍

23/12/2025

🎄🎄🎄
We would like to take a moment to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.

And as you take time to celebrate with family and friends, may it be a truly wonderful time together.

Thank you for all your support this and we look forward to seeing you again 2026!

Love from the Sensory Smart OT Team!
🎄🎄🎄

18/12/2025

Supervision works best when your nervous system feels safe enough to reflect, integrate, and learn.

If you arrive already overwhelmed or in protection mode, it’s harder to access the depth supervision is designed to support. Preparing your nervous system beforehand isn’t about “calming down” — it’s about creating the conditions for meaningful clinical reflection and growth.

Supervision enquiries for 2026 are now open.

For paediatric OT supervision across students, graduates, and experienced clinicians, head to the link in bio to register your interest.

17/12/2025

Best feeling ever!!! I signed off on my last FCAx for 2025 today.

Yay - holidays are just around the corner
🎄🎄🎄

17/12/2025

Regulation doesn’t pause just because school does.
School holidays don’t switch nervous systems off.

For many students, this time brings less predictability, more change, and higher sensory load. When routines disappear, regulation often becomes harder — not easier.

If regulation is treated as something children should “come back with,” the start of term is always going to feel heavier than it needs to be.

Regulation is supported through structure, predictability and adult preparation.

Not pressure.
Not consequences.
Not waiting for behaviour to appear.

If we want a calmer start to term, regulation has to be planned for — not expected. ☺️

11/12/2025

What a great resource to have!

Dressing Skills is a 24 page booklet that provides visual directions of how to:

put on a shirt
put on pants in standing
put on pants in sitting
put on a coat
put on a coat with the flip method.

The pictures and step by step directions are either 3″ by 5″ images or 2″ by 2″ images.

Using task analysis, each dressing skill has been broken down into simple steps.

Create visual sequences for the children to follow along each step of the task.

Also included is a tip sheet on how to teach dressing and a small book to read entitled “I Can Dress Myself”.

09/12/2025

December often feels bigger for our kids, not because they are being difficult, but because their nervous system is carrying more than usual.

Changes in routine, louder environments, end-of-year tiredness… it all adds up.

A simple sensory toolkit can make these weeks feel calmer for everyone. It doesn’t require special equipment or extra activities. Just small, predictable supports woven gently into the day you already have.

If this is helpful, save it to come back to over the holidays or share it with another family who might be feeling the end-of-year stretch too. 🍎

04/12/2025

‼️Your child is not being dramatic‼️

Their nervous system is done.
By the end of the year children carry months of sensory, social, emotional, and cognitive load.
Noise. Transitions. Friendship dynamics. Learning pressures. Fatigue.

Their capacity shrinks long before the term ends.

Then we add concerts, parties, new teachers, routine changes, family events, and late nights. Even fun things create extra demand.

A tired system reaches overload quickly which is why tears, irritability, clinginess, or shutting down appear more often.

This is not misbehaviour.
It is a nervous system asking for less, not more.

Support helps.
Keep routines simple.
Reduce demands.
Offer connection.
Prioritise rest and quiet play.

Your child does not need to toughen up.
They need their load to be lightened.

Send this to yourself to re read later. 🤗