The Gifted OT Mariza Ferreira (2025)

26/11/2025

Do you notice your child struggling more than their peers with everyday activities like tying shoelaces, catching a ball, or even writing neatly? It might be due to Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), sometimes known as Dyspraxia.

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I frequently work with children who have trouble translating the thought of an action into smooth, coordinated performance of that action! DCD is a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects a child's ability to learn and perform motor skills, which can impact everything from play and self-care to school performance and emotional well-being.

The good news? With the right understanding and tailored support, children with DCD can absolutely build confidence and improve their motor skills. My approach focuses on identifying your child's specific coordination challenges and strengths, and then creating engaging, evidence-based strategies to help them navigate their world more effectively.

Want to learn more about how I can help your child? Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information and get in touch with me!

23/11/2025

Today isn't just about delicious sprinkles and soft bread; it's National Fairy Bread Day, a wonderful occasion dedicated to spreading kindness, love, and raising vital funds for charities that support children and families in need.

The sensory experience of fairy bread is interesting for many kids! For some, the visual burst of colour and the crunch of the sprinkles can be a delight. For others, the texture or sweetness might be a challenge. This difference highlights a key part of my work: understanding and supporting the unique sensory and emotional needs of every child, especially those who process the world differently.

For twice exceptional (2e), or dual or multiple exceptional (DME) children and their families, the journey can often feel lonely or misunderstood. Their exceptional gifts can mask their learning struggles, and vice versa.

Kindness means visibility: It means acknowledging their complex profile and celebrating both their strengths and supporting their challenges.

Love means acceptance: It means creating spaces where their unique way of learning and being is not just tolerated, but embraced.

Want to learn how I support 2e/DME children and their families in navigating these complexities? Visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how my paediatric OT services can help, and please feel free to get in touch with me!

19/11/2025

Today, we celebrate World Children’s Day. It’s a powerful reminder that every child deserves the right to health, safety, education, and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

For me, this means recognising that potential often requires a unique pathway.

While I have a specialist interest in working with twice exceptional (2e), or dual or multiple exceptional (DME) children, it is my experience that all children, regardless of their strengths and challenges, need tailored support to develop as happy and balanced individuals.

On this day, let's renew our commitment to empowering all children—especially those with complex profiles. Every child deserves to have their unique needs seen and addressed so they can reach their full potential.

Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how paediatric Occupational Therapy can help your child, and get in touch with me!

18/11/2025

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I often see the incredible potential and unique struggles of twice exceptional (2e), or dual or multiple exceptional (DME) children—kids who are both gifted and have a learning difference.

It's not enough to simply recognise them; we must actively support them. Their unique wiring means standard approaches often miss the mark, leading to frustration, disengagement, and underachievement.

2e/DME children need a unique set of support and accommodations to help them reach their full potential. When their performance doesn't match their potential, it's often a sign they need an adapted approach.

Looking for ways to better understand and support your 2e/DME child? Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and get in touch with me!

12/11/2025

Happy World Kindness Day!

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I see every day just how powerful and essential kindness is—it's not just a nice gesture, it's a fundamental life skill that we can help our children build and practice.

To help a child be kind to others, they need to have an awareness of their own feelings and the feelings of those around them. This is exactly where OT comes in, as we help children develop increased body awareness, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking (to name but a few) that are some of the building blocks for genuine compassion.

When we help a child feel calm, safe, and in control of their body and emotions, we are setting the stage for them to notice others, share a toy, offer a helping hand, or use kind words. These small, meaningful actions aren't always easy, and they take practice!

If you'd like to learn more about how I can help your child build these essential foundational skills, visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au and get in touch with me!

10/11/2025

At 11 AM today, we observe a moment of silence for Remembrance Day. This day is about acknowledging the immense debt of gratitude we owe to our veterans and all those who have served and sacrificed for our peace.

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, my mind also turns to the future—to the children we are helping to grow into resilient, engaged, and compassionate adults. The values we honour today—dedication, courage, and perseverance—are the same we aim to foster every day in OT.

The greatest way we can honour their sacrifice is by building a stronger, kinder future. This includes nurturing the social-emotional skills in our children that allow them to live respectfully and peacefully with one another.

Take a moment today to talk to your child about what it means to be brave and what it means to be thankful.

05/11/2025

Today is National Stress Awareness Day, and as a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I want to talk about the stress that Twice-Exceptional (2e) or Dual/Multiple Exceptional (DME) children experience on a daily basis.

Their gifts and talents coexist with learning differences or neurodivergence (like ADHD or Autism), creating a unique profile of pressure that often leads to an invisible burden of stress.

As an OT, I focus on helping these children develop management strategies for the stress of their dual reality. This isn't about eliminating stress (which is impossible), but about building a robust "stress management toolkit".

Let's use today to commit to understanding the unique stress profile of 2e/DME children. Recognition is the first step toward effective support.

If you are a parent supporting a 2e/DME child and are looking for professional guidance in building this essential "stress management toolkit," get in touch with me!

04/11/2025

If you’re a parent feeling frustrated because your child is struggling to meet a milestone, a behaviour expectation, or a self-care task, you might be focused on "fixing" your child. You might think, "Why can't they just..."

Your child is not broken! At The Gifted OT, I approach these challenges by shifting the focus from "fixing" your child to understanding their unique world.

Sometimes, the demands of your child’s daily life—coping with noisy classrooms, struggling to hold a pen or other tools, or independently planning and organising a task, can be too hard to navigate without support. My role as a paediatric OT, is to identify these hurdles to task participation, and implement the right supports. This way we create a personalised roadmap that meets your child’s unique needs and helps them be more successful.

Want to explore a supportive approach to your child's development? Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and get in touch with me!

29/10/2025

This week is Occupational Therapy Week, and I'm offering a FREE guide for parents who suspect their very bright child is struggling to reach their full potential.

To help you put your finger on what might be standing in their way, this guide puts the gifted traits and challenges side-by-side so you can identify their unique profile.

To complete the checklist, download the free guide today by following the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxiaQc3m1FNPwIgeIjIKLx6o8e_-tNfi/view?usp=drive_link

Also visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and get in touch with me!

26/10/2025

Happy World Occupational Therapy Day!

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I'm passionate about helping every child reach their full potential, especially those who are twice exceptional (2e) or dual or multiple exceptional (DME).

It can be tough as a parent or carer to see your very bright child struggling academically and/or socially, feeling like something is standing in their way. If this resonates with you, it's possible your child is 2e/DME—meaning they are intellectually very able (gifted) or have a talent, plus a learning difference or disability (special educational need).

Understanding your child's beautifully complex profile is the first step to helping them navigate their challenges. To help you on this journey and to celebrate World Occupational Therapy Day, I've created a FREE guide: "Is my child Twice Exceptional or Dual or Multiple Exceptional?".

This guide includes:

🔹A clear definition of 2e/DME
🔹A list of neurodivergent conditions associated with 2e/DME (like Autism and sensory processing differences)
🔹A helpful checklist of common gifted traits and challenges to look out for

Download the FREE guide today by following the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxiaQc3m1FNPwIgeIjIKLx6o8e_-tNfi/view?usp=drive_link

24/10/2025

It can be confusing and heartbreaking to witness moments of extreme distress that look like "tantrums." But if your child's brain is navigating sensory sensitivities, you aren't dealing with a tantrum—you're seeing a meltdown.

A tantrum is behaviour designed to achieve a goal. A sensory meltdown is loss of control when the child’s brain experiences sensory overload and defaults to fight or flight.

Understanding this distinction will help guide your response to maintaining boundaries or co-regulating with your child.

Paediatric OTs can help you understand this difference, and equip you with strategies to help your child. Reach out to an OT today!

21/10/2025

We're celebrating all children today on Children's Day!

This celebration is the perfect moment to reflect on what we owe to all young people: an environment where they feel understood, supported, and loved.

Today, I especially think of twice exceptional (2e), or dual or multiple exceptional (DME) children. Their gifts and talents can often mask their challenges, leading to misunderstandings, frustration, and a real risk of their needs being overlooked. They are the square pegs trying to fit into round holes!

With 2e/DME children, we must see both sides of their profile:

🔹Acknowledge the Gift:
Celebrate their intense curiosity, advanced vocabulary, exceptional problem-solving, and unique creativity. This is their strength and should be the foundation of their learning.

🔹Address the Hurdle:
Provide targeted, nurturing support for the areas where they struggle. This isn't about fixing them; it's about giving them the tools and strategies (like those an OT provides!) to manage their challenges and access their gifts.

My goal, as a paediatric Occupational Therapist, is to help these gifted children bridge the gap between their strengths and struggles. Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help your 2e/DME child.

The Gifted OT Mariza Ferreira