Blossom Children's Occupational Therapy

19/11/2025

Happy birthday to Gemma (OT) !!
Gemma is enjoying some well deserved treats today on her day off🎂

13/11/2025

At our clinic, a frequent topic that every family can relate to: helping their child tune into their own bodies so they can regulate, engage and thrive. It’s all about interoception — knowing what your body needs before the overwhelm and using simple strategies to support it.

Here are 3 practical and easy ways you can support your child:

1. Start with choice & calm – Let your child pick a short regulation activity (e.g., a favourite yoga pose, a few deep breaths, or a ‘body scan’ game) before tasks or transitions.

2. Use simple sensory supports – A small tool (like soft putty, a fidget toy, or a stretchy band) can support the child whilst they listen and follows instructions. It keeps the nervous system grounded and supports their processing.

3. When you notice for example your child fidgeting, comment out loud "I wonder what your body needs now?"

4. Celebrate strength, not just skill – End tasks with a creative game or self-expression moment: “What did you do well today? Which part felt good in your body?” Help your child recognise their internal cues (e.g., “My shoulders felt heavy”) and connect them with a strategy.

Research shows that when children and their families understand how regulation & body-signals work, therapy and home carry-over become stronger. And when children help choose their tools and strategies, engagement improves.

Sometimes we use Ella the Therapy dog to support children in our sessions to think about her regulation if thinking about their own is too tricky at that time! Picture drawn by child accessing Blossom therapy 🌸

04/11/2025

✨ What is Praxis? ✨

In children’s sensory integration theory, praxis is often described as the brain’s ability to plan, organise and carry out new motor actions.

It’s what helps a child think, “I want to build a den,” then gather the cushions, problem-solve how to stack them, and adjust their plan when something wobbles.

Praxis involves:
🧠 Ideation – coming up with the idea
🖐️ Motor planning – figuring out how to do it
🏃‍♀️ Ex*****on – actually carrying it out

When a child has difficulties with praxis (sometimes called dyspraxia), you might notice challenges with coordination, messy play skills, getting dressed, or joining in imaginative games.

30/10/2025

26/10/2025

🌸Therapy in action !

This week Jenny has been making slime as a Halloween activity with a child in therapy.

🌸Why was this used?

✔️Making slime is motivational for this young man.
✔️It required lots of tactile sensory input ✔️The mixture was tough, creating lots of proprioceptive input to mix it.
✔️Child was required to follow lots of verbal instructions.
✔️Adapting and sequencing the task throughout.

This activity allowed the child to converse with Jenny freely and demonstrate some humour because it was regulating.

*photo used with consent

26/10/2025

🌸Sensory Integration and The Walrus Cushion! 🌸

- A strong favourite among children attending Blossom

Children love bouncing, rolling, and crashing into the large air-filled Walrus cushion during therapy sessions.

This dynamic piece of equipment is a powerful tool for sensory integration. The cushion provides deep pressure and movement input (proprioceptive and vestibular feedback), which helps:
✨ Regulate the nervous system
✨ Improve body awareness and postural control
✨ Develop core strength and balance
✨ Support attention and readiness for learning

Whether a child is jumping, crawling, or sinking into it for calm regulation, the Walrus cushion offers rich sensory experiences that help the body and brain work together more effectively.

Therapy really does look like play — because that’s how children learn best!

24/10/2025

Lovely morning spent at Walgrave PS teaching them about using sensory circuits to support their children 🕴🎳🧘‍♂️

22/10/2025

Feedback for Libby (SALT) following a therapy block 🌸

19/10/2025

🍫 Sometimes we end therapy blocks with a hot chocolate together, why? 🍫

This isn’t just a treat — it’s a therapeutic tool.

A warm drink can offer comfort, regulation and connection. The warmth of the mug, the gentle smell of chocolate, and the act of sitting together to sip can calm the nervous system and support a child to feel safe and nurtured.

For some children, especially those who’ve experienced stress or trauma, shared moments like this can help rebuild trust and relational safety — showing that therapy isn’t just about “doing”, it’s also about being together.

A nurturing sensory experience like hot chocolate can help a child move from a state of alertness or anxiety to one of calm.

18/10/2025

Excited this week to use our new net in therapy.

A net rope bridge might look like just another piece of playground equipment — but in occupational therapy, it’s a powerful sensory integration tool!

Here’s why 👇

🧠 Vestibular input: Crossing the moving bridge challenges a child’s balance and helps their brain process movement safely and confidently.

💪 Proprioceptive feedback: climbing and pulling activates muscles and joints, improving body awareness and coordination.

👀 Visual-motor integration: Watching where to step while maintaining balance strengthens visual tracking and depth perception.

🤲 Tactile exploration: The ropes offer rich touch input — a great way for children to experience different textures while building sensory tolerance.

💬 Emotional regulation & confidence: Reaching the other side builds self-esteem, resilience, and trust in their own body’s abilities.

In sensory integration therapy, activities like this aren’t just fun — they’re carefully designed opportunities for the brain to organise and respond more effectively to sensory information.

16/10/2025

This week Sophie (OT) has been running an impulse control group Supporting students with the following goals in mind :

Social Media Post:

🧠🍝 Why Marshmallows and Spaghetti?

👐 Teamwork & Communication: Children learn to share ideas, listen to others, and take turns to achieve a shared goal.

💭 Planning & Problem Solving: They must plan and adapt as their tower wobbles or collapses — building flexible thinking.

⏸️ Impulse Control & Patience: Waiting for turns, handling frustration, and resisting the urge to rush helps strengthen self-regulation.

💪 Fine Motor Skills: Carefully balancing pieces supports dexterity and hand–eye coordination.

😊 Confidence & Cooperation: Success comes from working together, not from being perfect!

15/10/2025

Today Lauren (OT) and Gemma (OT) have attended a CPD training on using Yoga for therapy 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️

A few laughs had along the way ...😃