“The government will collect evidence from autistic children, their families and their carers on how to improve the support they get… Supporting people on the autism spectrum or with learning disabilities is one of the 4 clinical priority areas in the NHS long-term plan…” Read more on the UK government website gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-review-to-improve-the-lives-of-autistic-children Advertisements
The Christmas season is a fantastic opportunity to get our little ones involved in some Christmas craft activities at home. For those of us short on time or ideas the shops are full of templates and packs that you can put together at home… here are some lovely craft ideas that have been sent to us by some of our families this year, paper chains,…
Submitted by guest blogger, Ruth OT. In my time as a special needs parent, I’ve had a variety of responses to telling people my child has special needs. Some responses have been great, others have left me crying all the way home. Literally. Some have opened up conversations, others have shut them down. I know that those people who have not been so helpful have…
Supporting development is everyone’s business. If you are a therapist practicing Ayres’ Sensory Integration, parent education and support between sessions with sensory rich activities to support development through ploy is likely to be a part of what you do. The resource includes downloadable printable activities guides for different ages, that will make great handouts for parents and teachers. Another great resource from Harvard.. Parents bringing…
Submitted by guest blogger Ruth OT Our daughter recently appeared on a UK Kids TV show called Something Special. I was ridiculously excited about it and told lots of people who never usually watch CBeebies, the BBC children’s channel, that they just had to see her. Filming was brief but exciting. We got to meet Justin briefly (one child was very disappointed Mr Tumble wasn’t there too)…
Submitted by guest blogger Ruth OT I meet so many parents who are concerned about their children’s motor or sensory processing skills who tell me their child never 4-point crawled, or did so only briefly. They proudly tell me how their child was ahead of their motor milestones and walked early, and never realise how important crawling is. What is so special about crawling? In…
Submitted by Guest authour Jane OT As I read the recent article “14 Phrases Kids Said That Were Code Words for ‘I’m Anxious“ from The Mighty, It felt familiar – like I had met every one of these responses to anxiety and not just from children. “What’s wrong with me?”… “I’m tired.” … “Can’t we stay home?” “I don’t feel well.” Anxiety affects so many people…
“It is so important not to be defined by tragedy, to be shaped by it but never defined by it” Amanda Holden – Britains got Talent How can meaningful occupation and occupational therapy be useful in healing and recovery from trauma? and why should occupational therapists be trauma-informed? This morning I was sent this video by a friend, I found it really powerful because not only is…
The ASI Wise lecture team have been at Abbot’s Lea School in Liverpool this weekend with a fantastic group of committed and enthusiastic occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and teachers exploring the use of sensory strategies and Ayres’ Sensory Integration therapy to support children, young people and adults mental and wellbeing health. Experiential learning opportunities, embedded into the course, help participants to understand their own sensory…
In this study, the researchers were able to suggest that there are “frequency specific alterations in the driving of information flow from brain areas implicated in social information processing during the viewing of naturalistic dynamic social images in toddlers and preschool with ASD” and that these occur in the early stages of ASD. These findings support the clinical experience of OT’s and others doing ASI with…
