Courtney Wilmot Occupational Therapy - Paarl

30/06/2025

A tiny tree with a big message.🌱

Today, one of my precious therapy kiddos wanted to gift me with a "tree". What a thoughtful gift carrying a symbol of growth, care and patience.

It will serve as a daily powerful reminder to me of what it means to be present, hold space, and trust the process. Like the Bonsai, therapy progress takes time, gentle shaping, and nurturing to strengthen and grow the roots.

What a privilege. 💚

roots

24/04/2025

Is there anything more exciting for a Paeds OT than new equipment?! 🤩

During the previous school holidays, we prioritised some time to get creative and made new equipment pieces.🤸‍♀️

Thank you to our phenomenal Ouma C, who helped us sew and create our new pieces. 🪡🧵✂️ The therapy kiddos love all them!

Which one is your favourite?

29/03/2025

What an incredible moment! The power of co-regulation. 🫂

22/01/2025

What an exciting product! Congratulations Khula Kinders Port Elizabeth

"One of Khula’s first projects, is to raise funds and equip the school with the resources that we will need to support these children. Khula Kinders is manufacturing the Khuddle Cube right here in Port Elizabeth to raise funds and also to make this available to therapist, parents and teachers in our city and our country. The Khuddle Cube can be used in a variety of ways, especially for children with sensory processing difficulties and developmental delays. 💛"

08/01/2025

Swinging into the new year with fiery enthusiasm!

Our OT practice is open for 2025 and we are ready to support your child's development! We look forward to welcoming all our therapy kiddies back and partnering with new families.

#2025

19/11/2024

Introducing the ☀️Summer Holiday Stimulation Kit☀️

A kit mindfully created for children aged 4-8 years and consists of 20 activities, adaptable to your child's unique needs and abilities, with the aim to:
🍍Enhance fine motor skills
🍉Encourage whole-body movements and gross motor skills
🦩Foster creativity and confidence
🍦Stimulate sensory exploration

To add to the excitement, we have also partnered with .customs.za to create a Combo Kit option. 🤩🐝

Scroll to the next 2 slides for more information about the TWO kit options you can choose from.➡️

Please note: Pre-orders are now OPEN. There will be a limited number of kits available, and the delivery/collection of the kits will take place between 2-18 December 2024. Order now to avoid disappointment.

Feel free to contact us if you have any queries related to the kit.

13/06/2024

To all our followers that may be based in Pretoria, here is a SENSATIONAL event to attend.

*Are you a parent in the South African context?* Are you passionate about sensory integration, or are interested in learning more? Then this event is for you!

SAISI is proud to present the first-ever ExpoSense! Join us for this groundbreaking event as we bring together a diverse community dedicated to advancing sensory integration in South Africa. This is an incredible opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, discover innovative strategies, and explore the latest research in the field. ExpoSense promises to be an inspiring and informative gathering that you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendars and be part of this exciting journey towards enhancing education through sensory integration!

Register here: https://qkt.io/MI39eO

11/06/2024

Figure Ground Perception | "Can you find the ...?" 🔍 👁

Figure Ground perception is the ability to differentiate an object from its background. Even a child with perfect vision (as tested by an optometrist) can have difficulty with this area, as it concerns how the brain and eyes work together to understand the image. 🧐

This ability is often needed in activities such as 'Where's Wally', I Spy, finding a specific toy in a toy box, and other tasks that require you to search for items amongst a competing background. It is an important skill needed for reading, puzzle building, visual scanning (such as when doing a comprehension activity), copying notes from the board, and other academic tasks.

If your child struggles with this area or tasks, they may be referred to an OT for an assessment and possibly intervention.

More information: https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog/visual-perceptual-skill-figure-ground

https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/visual-processing-explained-visual-figure-ground-perception

08/06/2024

The effects of screen time on a child's body image drawings is remarkable... !During screen time, children are not actively using their muscles or practicing and refining skills but rather lying/ sitting sedentary and looking at a screen instead of playing/ climbing/ running/jumping - all of which helps them learn more about their bodies in space.

07/05/2024

With Mother's Day approaching, I took a moment to reflect on my own journey as a mother. It is most certainly my biggest 'achievement', and now, my reason for what I do.🤍🌼

Motherhood is a beautiful journey of love, joy, sacrifice, and growth. As a therapist, being a mother has greatly increased my empathy and understanding, as well as amplified my calling to help little ones and their families.

Here's to all the strong mothers (and grandmothers/aunts, etc.) who mean everything to our therapy kiddies and also a special shout out to the mothers following our page. We see you and appreciate you so much! ✨️

04/05/2024

Too often, I see children reprimanded when they're not able to control their behaviours and emotions. They’re expected to remain calm and happy, not get upset, not display anger, and quickly calm themselves down if they do get angry or upset. If they can’t do this, they may be referred to me for "self-regulation difficulties". ⠀
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Here's the thing. Self-regulation is a developmental process. Just as we wouldn’t expect a child to run before they can walk, we cannot expect children to self-regulate until they’ve experienced co-regulation time and time again. And unless a child has had it modelled enough, and their brain has developed enough, they will not achieve regulation on their own.⠀
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Have a think - when was the last time you heard a 3 year old say “I’m so angry my sister hit me! I need to calm down. I’m just going to take myself to the kitchen for a drink of water and do some deep breaths”.⠀
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Co-regulation begins from birth. When babies are unsettled and we cuddle them, rock them, feed them - we are helping them to regulate.⠀
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When toddlers are angry that they can't have the toy they want, and we empathise with them, sit with them, get them a drink - we are helping them to regulate.⠀
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When preschoolers are upset because they're not ready to leave their playdate, and we listen and help them take deep breaths - we are helping them to regulate. ⠀
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Self-regulation only BEGINS to emerge around 4-5 years. And whilst some 4-5 year olds may be able to regulate themselves, others may not be able to. Both are within the typical range of development. ⠀
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True self-regulation is not fully established until our mid-twenties. Even then, we often turn to others to help us feel better when we are feeling low. And we are often quite happy to help other adults feel better when they're feeling low, however when children need our help, we may be reluctant to give it, perhaps in fear that we will stunt their emotional resilience (amongst many other understandable but unfounded fears).⠀
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When we ask a child to regulate themselves before they're ready, we risk shaming them, affecting their self-esteem, and affecting their relationship with us. Co-regulation needs to come first.

You may not be able to help your child regulate 100% of the time, and that’s okay. Just know that they may not be ready to do it themselves.

05/04/2024

"Children don't need more things. The best toys
a child can have is a parent who gets down on
the floor and plays with them." - Dr. Bruce Perry.

We know and recognise that life can be filled with to-do lists, appointments, and a general rush. This weekend, set aside a moment to join your little one's world and play without limitations or expectations. It's where the magic happens. ✨️🤍



📷: .niemand