What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapist’s use a highly individualised approach to therapy. We understand that each child or teen has unique strengths and differences. The therapist works closely with the child and their family to create a safe, supportive, and individualised approach to learning, self-regulation and connection.

Neuroaffirmative Occupational Therapy

Neuroaffirmative Occupational Therapy is an approach that recognises and respects neurological differences as natural variations of the human experience. This perspective emphasises supporting individuals in embracing their unique neurological profiles, rather than attempting to “normalise” them. The goal is to help individuals develop strategies and skills that align with their neurodivergent strengths, enabling them to navigate daily activities and environment effectively while honouring their authentic selves.

Key Principles of Neuroaffirmative Occupational Therapy:

  • Respect for Neurodiversity: Acknowledge that neurological differences, such as Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others, are intrinsic aspects of human diversity.

  • Individualised Support: Tailor interventions to each child or teen’s strengths and differences, focusing on enhancing their abilities to engage in meaningful occupations.

  • Environmental Adaptations: Modify home, school, or workplace settings to accommodate sensory sensitivities and promote connection.

  • Skill Development: Assist in developing coping mechanisms and daily living skills that align with the individuals neurodivergent strengths.

  • Collaboration: Work closely with the child or teen, their family, educators and other professionals to create a supportive network that fosters understanding and growth.

By adopting a neuroaffirmative approach, Occupational Therapists aim to empower individuals to lead fulfilling lives, embracing their neurological differences as valuable aspects of their identify.

Supporting Sensory Regulation

Occupational Therapists (OT) that specialises in sensory integration, can help create a sensory plan that is individually tailored to your child or teen. This individualised approach helps to ensure that your child’s sensory needs are met in a way that promotes comfort, safety and connection.

The key principals for supporting neurodivergent children to regulate their nervous system:

  • Help them identify their sensory preferences and learn strategies to regulate their nervous system during sensory overwhelm or overload.

  • Explore sensory integration techniques in a child-led way to support sensory regulation (e.g., using lycra material, fidget tools, massage tools, ear defenders).

Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills: using visual supports, Gestalts (Gestalt Language Processors) or ACC to express needs.

Instead of stopping stimming, teach ways to incorporate it into daily life safely and effectively.

Help individuals discover what truly helps them regulate, not just what works for neurotypicals.

Advocate for environmental accommodations rather than focusing solely on self-regulation strategies.

Move away from compliance-based regulation (“You need to be calm”) to acceptance-based regulation (“It’s okay to feel this way; how can we support you?”).

Understand why it happens, validate it, and offer supportive alternatives.

Supporting Emotional Regulation

Occupational Therapists support emotional regulation by respecting and validating neurodivergent individuals’ experiences . Instead of focusing on making behaviours “fit” neurotypical norms, it helps individuals understand, accept, and regulate emotions in a way that works for them.

Core Principles of Neuroaffirmative Emotional Regulation:

  • Validation Over Compliance: instead of stopping “challenging” behaviours, OT’s help individuals understand their needs and find supportive strategies.

  • Honouring Sensory and Emotional Differences: Recognising that emotional regulation looks different for everyone and that self-soothing behaviours (e.g., stimming) are valid.

  • Collaborative, Strength-Based Approach: Encouraging autonomy, self-advocacy, and using the individual’s strengths rather than forcing “normalisation”.

  • Reducing Demands and Supporting Autonomy: Using low-demand environments to prevent overwhelm rather than pushing through distress.

Reframing Dysregulation as Communication

  • instead of “meltdowns”, recognise it as sensory or emotional overload

  • instead of “non-compliance”, see it as a need for autonomy or safety

  • instead of “attention-seeking”, understanding it as connection-seeking

While using a child-led, low demand approach, Occupational Therapists still support children and teens to develop motor skills, executive functioning skills and visual-motor integration skills.

Motor Skills Development

Neurodivergent children may have challenges with fine and gross motor skills, which can impact tasks like handwriting, dressing, riding a bicycle or participating in sports. Occupational Therapists help children and teens develop balance, coordination and strength through activities like:

  • Obstacle courses (jumping, crawling, balancing)

  • Swinging, climbing or yoga poses to build core stability

  • Ball games (throwing, catching, kicking) to support coordination

  • Animal walks (bear walks, crab walks) for motor planning

  • Balance exercises (walking on a balance beam, hoping).

Executive Functioning and Organization

Children with ADHD, Dyspraxia (DCD) or other neurodivergent identifications often struggle with executive functioning skills such as planning, organising, and completing tasks. Occupational Therapist can help by:

  • Exploring strategies to support time management skills.

  • Supporting children and teens with organisation and planning skills.

  • Exploring strategies to support task initiation and attention.

Visual-Motor Integration

Visual-motor integration is the ability to coordinate what you see with how you move. It connects visual perception (processing what you see) with motor skills (using your hands and body to respond).

Why is Visual-Motor Integration important? It helps with everyday tasks like:

  • Handwriting: copying letters, spacing words, and staying on the line

  • Cutting & Drawing: following outlines, tracing, or colouring inside the lines

  • Playing Sports: catching a ball, hitting a target, or dribbling a basketball

  • Tying Shoes & Buttoning Clothes: aligning hands with visual input

  • Puzzles & Building: matching pieces, stacking and designing

How do OT’s support Visual-Motor Integration?

  • Practicing tracing and copying

  • Handwriting supports

  • Building Lego, tangrams and pattern blocks

  • Hand-Eye Coordination Games

  • Cutting and Colouring Activities