Tracey DeMaria, Occupational Therapist

09/16/2025

Beyond excited to announce that our submission for the 2026 AOTA conference has been accepted. Cannot wait to be a part of this OT powerhouse group of minds! Seriously, if you don’t know Greg Santucci, Occupational Therapist, Kelly Mahler and Bryden Carlson-Giving you should fix that immediately.

I'm going to Disneyland!

I actually got emotional when we got the acceptance letter. I am both honored and THRILLED to be presenting with Kelly Mahler (Interoception Curriculum), Bryden Carlson-Giving (Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy) and Tracey DeMaria, Occupational Therapist (How To Surf the Waves) at the AOTA National Conference in Anaheim, California, April 23-25, 2026.

Workshop Title: Belonging Over Compliance: Reimagining Occupational Therapy’s Role for Neurodiversity-Affirming, Inclusive Schools

In addition to spreading the word about neurodiversity-affirming care, my goal is to 1) pack our workshop room and 2) fill an entire boat at It's A Small World with OTs.

Hit the ♥️ button if you want to be in that boat! 🤣🤣🤣

09/14/2025

09/14/2025

Parents- especially of autistic and neurodivergent kids-with this crazy weekend after the very public assassination TALK TO YOUR KIDS.

Not about politics ..Ask them if they saw “the video”.

Many did and many are very troubled and traumatized by what they saw. They are likely not to share that they saw it, ESPECIALLY if it really impacted them.

They are afraid to say they saw it because:

1. They feel somehow guilty and responsible like they did something wrong or bad- even if they were shown it or accidentally saw it.
2. They are so troubled by what they saw and they want to just forget it.
Remind them this is NOT THEIR FAULT
and they are safe.

08/28/2025

Speak the truth even if your voice quavers- our kids need us to be strong for them!

A lawsuit claims the school district and a staffing agency retaliated against an aide for trying to protect special education students.

08/28/2025

Let’s normalize those big feelings!

08/25/2025

❤️ neuroscience for the win

Old-school parenting strategies like ‘go to your room!’ can often amplify the very behavior that parents want to correct.

08/24/2025

Back to school can bring a lot of big waves 🌊 and Big feelings. be kind to yourself and the kiddos as you surf those big waves!

08/18/2025

What an honor to be a guest on the Neurodiversity Podcast! We chat about topics from school induced trauma to normalizing big feelings (body and brain feelings).

👂 link in comments

🌊 Episode 282 is here!

Emily Kircher-Morris talks with occupational therapist and author Tracey DeMaria, Occupational Therapist about emotional regulation and how a simple surfing metaphor can make it easier to understand and practice.

They explore:
🌊 Why “surfing the waves” helps kids and adults visualize their emotions
🧠 How language shapes the way we see behavior
🏫 The role of school environments in supporting (or hindering) regulation
🛠 Practical sensory + cognitive tools for emotional well-being

🎧 Listen to Episode 282: Surfing the Waves of Emotional Regulation wherever you get your podcasts! (and as always, at the link in our comments!)

07/04/2025

Walmart has these knot pillows for $19 and on therapy sites they are $65! Great for deep pressure. #

04/21/2025

Thank you Brain Executive Program for including my book in your spotlight. I’m happy the message of normalizing emotions of all sizes with the surfing analogy is connecting with others as it did for me.❤️ 🏄‍♀️ 🌊

Can you be an author without being in love with books? I don't think so!

I am kicking off a Book Spotlight series with this incredibly beautiful book by fellow OT, . As soon as I opened this book, I fell in love! It is a curriculum for teaching sensory and emotional regulation that uses the metaphor of "surfing the waves" to help kids explore the ebb and flow of emotions as a natural part of life.

Find more traceydemaria.com!

04/17/2025

Love the reppin!

04/12/2025

Listen to your own internal cues- take care of yourself in the way you need to. You are important! Thank you for this Kelly Mahler

From an early age, many of us were surrounded by a culture that praised being “good.”
Be easy. Polite. Quiet.
Don’t make waves.
Make things easier for everyone else.

Whether we were able to meet those expectations or not, the message was clear:
Your worth is tied to how little you need.
How much you give.
How well you fit in.

But being “good” wasn’t just a compliment—it was a message.

"Be good and share—even if you’re not ready."
"Be good and smile—even if you’re hurting."
"Be good and don’t make a scene—even if something feels wrong."

Over time, we learned how to disconnect from our own signals.
We became experts at ignoring the knot in our stomach, the tightness in our chest, the lump in our throat.
We learned how to override what we felt in order to be what others needed.

That’s what so many of us were taught: to tune out our inner world in order to keep the outer world calm.

Is it any wonder that as adults, so many of us feel stuck, overwhelmed, or numb—and don’t even know why?

When we aren’t taught to notice or trust what’s happening inside of us, it becomes nearly impossible to know what we truly want, need, or feel.

And when we do notice it? Acting on it can feel selfish. Disruptive. Inconvenient.

Because the truth is—honoring your needs often means making someone else uncomfortable.

And yes—being able to rest, set boundaries, or say no isn’t equally accessible to all. It’s a radical act, and sometimes a privileged one. But that doesn’t make it any less essential—or any less worth fighting for.

So today, let’s stop celebrating the burnout badge. Let’s stop admiring those who give until they disappear.

Let’s celebrate those who rest. Who set boundaries. Who take up space. Who listen to their bodies and trust what they hear.

Here’s to being rooted in ourselves—even when it’s messy, even when it’s misunderstood.

And here’s to raising a generation who knows, without question, that their inner experience matters.

Image Description: Green Title with colorful words that reads “your inner experience matters”