What does a paediatric OT actually do?
Paediatric occupational therapy helps children with everyday life: dressing, play, kinder, big feelings and confidence in their body. No diagnosis needed.
Paediatric occupational therapy
Resources for families
For the everyday questions.
Nisha writes about children's nervous systems, sensory processing, and the everyday work of occupational therapy, drawing on 15+ years with families across Melbourne.
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New to occupational therapy?
Understanding your child's nervous system
Playing, learning and coping all rest on the nervous system. Why regulation comes before learning, why behaviour is a signal, and what steadies a child.
Is my child developing on track, or should I seek some support?
Milestones are a starting point, not the whole account. Nisha Bal on the hidden help behind everyday skills, and when to ask a GP or child health nurse.
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Everyday routines
Sleep, screens, toileting and mealtimes.
Why won’t my child fall asleep?
A tired child is not always ready for sleep. Nisha Bal on which part of sleep is hard, the day around bedtime, one manageable change, and when to see a GP.
How much screen time is too much for a child?
Australian guidelines: none under two, one hour for preschoolers, two hours for ages five to seventeen. Nisha Bal on what screens offer and displace.
Why isn’t toilet training working for my child?
When stickers and reminders are not enough: poo withholding, constipation and smears need medical attention, and comfort on the toilet matters.
Food and the nervous system: mealtime struggles
Children eat better when their body feels safe. A paediatric OT on interoception, sensory overwhelm at mealtimes and why pressure to eat backfires.
How family routines support the nervous system
Predictable routines tell a child's body it is safe. Why rhythm regulates the brain, why routines need not be rigid, and small rituals that help.
School & friendships
Handwriting, friendships and what happens at school.
Why does my child struggle with handwriting?
Handwriting takes more than hand strength. Nisha Bal on working out which part is hard, when to step away from the paper, and what school can adjust.
Why does my child find it hard to make friends?
A child with big ideas can still find shared play hard. Nisha Bal on what your child wants from friendship and helping play work for both children.
Is my child being bullied, or is something else happening at school?
Take a child's distress seriously before the story is clear. Nisha Bal on listening, what counts as bullying, and what to ask the school.
Development & differences
Questions about development, autism, ADHD and support.
Is my child developing on track, or should I seek some support?
Milestones are a starting point, not the whole account. Nisha Bal on the hidden help behind everyday skills, and when to ask a GP or child health nurse.
Could my child be autistic? Signs and next steps
Signs parents notice, why school and home can tell different stories, support you can start now, and where to take concerns about autism in Australia.
Could my child have ADHD? Signs parents often notice first
A child who can focus on a game but not schoolwork. Nisha Bal on what parents notice, why you need not wait for a diagnosis, and sleep, movement and screens.
Can you fix a child?
A child is not a machine with one faulty part. Nisha Bal on looking at the conditions around a difficulty, keeping what works in view and where to begin.
Sensory needs & regulation
Understanding sensory experiences, stress and the nervous system.
Understanding sensory sensitivities
Covering ears, pulling at socks, crashing into things. How sensory processing works, what too much and too little input look like, and how OT can help.
What is a sensory diet?
A sensory diet has nothing to do with food: it is a personalised plan of sensory input through the day that helps a child's nervous system stay regulated.
Co-regulation: why kids can't self-regulate alone
A child cannot think their way back to calm; they borrow it from a regulated adult. Why 'use your words' fails in a meltdown and what helps at home.
Demand avoidance: the "can't" behind the "won't"
Why rewards and consequences stop working for a child with demand avoidance, what feeds the fire and what creates a firebreak, and how co-regulation helps.
Why sticker charts don't always work
Reward charts only work when a child's nervous system has room for them. Why the same chart feels different to an overwhelmed child, and what to settle first.
Understanding your child's nervous system
Playing, learning and coping all rest on the nervous system. Why regulation comes before learning, why behaviour is a signal, and what steadies a child.
Safety first: how the nervous system shapes behaviour
Before a child can learn, listen or cope with change, their body needs to feel safe. The window of tolerance, why it shrinks across the day, and what helps.
Helping little nervous systems feel safe: polyvagal theory
Polyvagal theory explained for families: three nervous system states, why a child cannot think their way to calm, and how movement and rhythm give safety.
Understanding OT
How occupational therapy works alongside children and families.
What does a paediatric OT actually do?
Paediatric occupational therapy helps children with everyday life: dressing, play, kinder, big feelings and confidence in their body. No diagnosis needed.
Home-based vs clinic-based therapy
For many children home-based OT is the more effective option: a safer nervous system, real routines and skills that transfer. When a clinic suits better.
Connection comes first: why relationships matter
Children do not thrive on strategies alone. Why the nervous system asks 'am I safe' before anything else, and what presence over pressure looks like.
Giving time: what parents can do while therapy builds
When early OT looks like play and progress feels slow, giving time is not doing nothing. What parents can observe and change while therapy builds.
Guides to download
PDFs to read, save or share.
A guide to paediatric OT at Seeds
Our family guide to home-based paediatric occupational therapy.
Support for your family
A question about your own child?
No referral needed. If something here sounds like your child, get in touch and we’ll talk it through before anything else.