A national, clinically focussed event designed for occupational therapists working with children and families across disbaility and neurodiversity.
Thursday 19 November 2026
to
Friday 20 November 2026
Trauma: Depth, Complexity, and the Body
Abstract:
This keynote moves beyond the familiar language of trauma-informed practice to explore the deeper complexity of what trauma is, where it comes from, and how it lives in the bodies and nervous systems of the children we serve. Drawing on neuroscience, developmental psychology, epigenetics, family systems theory, and depth psychology, it invites paediatric occupational therapists to expand not only how they understand trauma, but how they feel its weight in clinical work.
Beginning with a challenge to any single definition — from van der Kolk’s neurobiological framing to Maté’s relational and existential lens — the keynote traces traumatic experience across biological, developmental, and multigenerational dimensions. It examines the science of epigenetic transmission, the critical role of right-brain-to-right-brain communication in early relational development, and the distinction between PTSD and Complex PTSD. Bowen Family Systems Theory illuminates how patterns of emotional functioning travel across generations, while Fraiberg’s concept of “ghosts in the nursery” reveals how unresolved parental trauma is enacted unconsciously in the parent-child relationship. Kalsched’s depth psychological account of the psyche’s self-protective response reframes the most defended and difficult clinical behaviours as coherent adaptations rather than pathology.
Throughout, the clinical implications for paediatric OT are made explicit: sensory and somatic symptoms are not separate from relational trauma — they are its expression in the body. The session closes with an invitation for practitioners to examine what they bring to the therapeutic room, and to recognise attuned, regulated presence as foundational to healing.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Presenter:
Mironne Golan
Bio:
Mironne is in her 35th year of practice as an occupational therapist, with extensive experience working across a variety of mental health settings in both the public and private sectors. She has worked closely with children and families navigating complex trauma and family systems, and has also supported countless clinicians through supervision and professional development. Mironne has spent many years lecturing in Occupational Therapy at the University of Sydney.
In addition to her occupational therapy background, Mironne is a Couple and Family Therapist, a Certified Sandplay Therapist, and a Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist, bringing a deeply integrative and nuanced perspective to her work with families and clinicians.
Mironne is one of those OT minds you could listen to for days and still walk away with more to learn. Her depth of thinking, clinical wisdom, and ability to make sense of complexity in families is truly exceptional. And beyond that, she is simply one of the loveliest humans you could meet.
Connection Before Expectation: Re-thinking Paediatric Occupational Therapy Practice with PDA
Abstract:
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is increasingly recognised as an Autistic profile, characterised by an extreme avoidance of everyday demands driven by anxiety. Avoidance can extend to external, internal, and self-imposed expectations, and is often interwoven with ADHD, emotional dysregulation, and trauma-related responses. This clinical conversation brings together occupational therapists with both lived and professional experience to unpack the complexities of supporting children and young people with PDA traits. A facilitated panel discussion will explore how demand avoidance can be understood through an occupational lens, through recognising the “four Fs” (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) as adaptive responses that shape participation and engagement. Discussion will focus on how OTs can centre safety, co-regulation, and collaboration, leading to transformation of outward resistance into trust, empowering children and young people to engage meaningfully in therapy and daily occupations.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Kate Hoad
Bio:
Kate is an AuDHD paediatric occupational therapist and Director of Outcomes Therapy, with nearly two decades experience supporting children with multiple/complex physical disabilities, alongside neurodivergent families across sectors. She specialises in relationship-based, neuroaffirming practice, clinical and professional supervision, and is a strong advocate for ethical, evidence-informed systems that truly support children, families, and clinicians.
Water as a Therapeutic Medium: Expanding Occupational Therapy Practice
Abstract:
Occupational therapists are increasingly seeking innovative, meaningful and engaging ways to support children and their families. Aquatic therapy provides a unique therapeutic environment that can facilitate participation, skill development, regulation and engagement through the natural properties of water. While often viewed as a specialised intervention, aquatic therapy aligns strongly with core occupational therapy principles, offering opportunities to address functional goals through occupation-based and relationship-centred practice.
This presentation will explore water as a therapeutic medium and its application when working with children and adolescents. Drawing on current evidence, clinical experience and case examples, participants will learn how the aquatic environment can support children with a range of developmental, sensory, physical and psychosocial needs. The presentation will highlight the therapeutic properties of water, practical intervention approaches, considerations for service delivery and strategies for transferring skills from the pool into everyday occupations and participation.
Beyond the aquatic setting, participants will be encouraged to consider the role of the environment as a key contributor to engagement, participation and occupational performance. Through discussion of occupational therapy theory, evidence and clinical experience, the presentation will examine how thoughtful selection and adaptation of environments can create opportunities for children to access meaningful occupations in ways that may not be possible within traditional therapy settings. Aquatic therapy will be presented not only as an intervention, but as an example of how occupational therapists can think creatively about context, challenge assumptions about where therapy occurs and harness the power of environment to support meaningful outcomes.
Learning outcomes:
Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how aquatic therapy can complement and expand occupational therapy practice, while gaining practical ideas and renewed confidence to utilise environments more intentionally to support participation, engagement, and occupational performance.
Presenter:
Samantha Harris
Bio:
Samantha Harris is an Occupational Therapist, and the Director of H2OT Allied Health, based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. She leads a small, values-driven team supporting children and adolescents aged 0–18 with disability and developmental differences across home, community and aquatic environments. Samantha has a strong clinical interest in aquatic therapy, using the water as a dynamic medium to support regulation, engagement, skill development and participation in everyday activities. She is passionate about creating innovative, family-centred therapy approaches that are practical, evidence-informed and meaningful to her clients and their families.
Clinical Reflections on Sensory Overwhelm, Regulation and Lived Experience
Abstract:
This presentation explores paediatric sensory processing through both a clinical and lived experience lens, combining case study discussion with reflective insights from lived experience of sensory overwhelm and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Through real-world examples, attendees will explore auditory and visual overwhelm, nervous system responses, window of tolerance, therapeutic regulation strategies, and the impact of navigating complex systems while dysregulated. The session will also discuss tools such as Sensate and broader regulation-based approaches, while considering what sensory overload can actually feel like from the inside.
Blending clinical reasoning with reflective practice, this presentation invites therapists to deepen empathy, reconsider assumptions around behaviour and participation, and strengthen neuroaffirming, regulation-focused intervention approaches.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Deb Hopper
Bio:
Deb Hopper is a highly experienced paediatric occupational therapist with 29 years of dedicated practice supporting children, families, and professionals. Renowned for her practical, hands-on strategies, Deb specialises in helping children manage anxiety, sensory processing, and learning difficulties. She is the author of Teaching Kids to Manage Anxiety: Superstar Practical Strategies, two children’s sensory books, and the School Environment Sensory Checklist. Deb empowers occupational therapists, educators, and parents to demystify children’s behaviour by encouraging curiosity over criticism. She supports OTs Australia-wide through professional supervision and her membership program, The Kids OT Pod, running since 2019. As a sought-after speaker and writer, Deb’s work features in national newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, and international publications such as Autism Parenting Magazine. She is the founder of Life Skills 4 Kids and a respected voice in the paediatric occupational therapy community.
Nobody Ever Told Me That
Abstract:
Many clinicians working with children encounter complex presentations, yet the underlying physiological factors are often overlooked in traditional training. Nobody Ever Told Me That is a practical, thought-provoking session designed to highlight the “missing pieces” that can influence children’s participation, health and development as well as impacting their neurodevelopment profile.
In this session, Pippa explores key physiological considerations that impact everyday clinical presentations. Using real-world examples and research-informed insights, the session focuses on areas such as sleep quality, gut health, nutrition and more and how these factors may contribute to challenges commonly seen in paediatric practice. Participants will learn how to recognise subtle “red flags”, ask the right screening questions, and better understand the connections between physiological regulation and functional performance.
Ideal for early career through to experienced therapists, this session aims to expand clinical thinking and provide practical strategies that can immediately enhance assessment and intervention. Attendees will leave with greater confidence in identifying potential underlying issues and supporting families to seek the right supports when concerns arise.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Pippa van Wijk
Bio:
Pippa van Wijk is an Occupational Therapist with more than 30 years of experience working with children and families, and a long-standing passion for helping kids who have feeding challenges. She is the OT half of the Brisbane Feeding Clinic, where she works alongside a speech pathologist to support children with mealtime issues. She also travels to Central Queensland several times a year as part of a Child Development Project supporting educators, parents and children in regional communities.
A significant part of Pippa’s work is supervising and mentoring OTs, as well as running practical workshops to help therapists build confidence and skills in feeding therapy and everyday OT practice. She’s based in Brisbane and loves supporting clinicians to feel more capable and connected in their work.
Leading With Lived Experience: Integrating Personal and Professional Identity in Neurodiversity-Affirming Paediatric Occupational Therapy
Abstract:
Neurodiversity-affirming practice calls paediatric occupational therapists to move beyond deficit-based frameworks and toward relational, strengths-focused care. Yet for clinicians who also hold lived experience of neurodivergence, both personally or within their families, the integration of professional expertise and personal identity can feel complex, vulnerable, and at times risky. This presentation explores how embracing lived experience alongside clinical knowledge can deepen authenticity, strengthen therapeutic alliances, and enhance ethical, trauma-informed practice.
Drawing on contemporary neurodiversity research and reflective practice principles, this session examines the tension between traditional models of “professional neutrality” and the emerging recognition that transparency, reflexivity, and identity-conscious practice foster trust and safety. Participants will consider how lived experience can inform assessment, goal-setting, collaboration with families, and advocacy within schools and multidisciplinary systems, whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
Through case reflections and practical strategies, attendees will explore how to:
• Practise reflexivity while maintaining clinical integrity
• Navigate disclosure safely and intentionally
• Shift from behaviour-correction paradigms to participation-focused supports
• Advocate within systems that remain grounded in neuronormative expectations including schools
Ultimately, this session positions authenticity as ethical leadership within paediatric occupational therapy. By integrating lived and professional identities, paediatric occupational therapists can model inclusive practice, challenge ableist assumptions, and contribute to systemic change that honours neurodivergent children as whole, capable individuals.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Claire Britton
Bio:
Claire Britton is the founding CEO of Neuroinclusion and a neurodivergent occupational therapist with over ten years of clinical experiences. She champions neurodiversity-affirming practice across health, education, and corporate sectors, embedding curiosity before judgement and inclusion without requiring justification. Drawing on her lived experience as a neurodivergent mother and leader, she brings both professional expertise and authentic insight to her work. Claire’s mission is to foster systemic change so that difference is embraced as strength and equity becomes the standard for all ages.
Beyond Goal Setting – Writing informed goals for children & their families using case conceptualisation
Abstract:
Goal setting is a central component of paediatric occupational therapy, where translating meaningful goals into clear, actionable intervention can be complex and tricky to know where to start. This workshop introduces a practical framework for creating goals and linking them with intervention planning through the use of treatment mapping. Grounded in a family-centred approach, it explores how therapists can collaboratively develop functional long-term, short-term, session-based, and parent-focused goals that are meaningful and achievable.
Attendees will be guided through the therapy journey, from initial assessment and case conceptualisation to goal selection and intervention planning. The workshop will explore key tools and frameworks and demonstrate how to break goals into measurable steps using treatment maps. Case examples will help participants to identify priorities, support parent engagement, and create clear pathways for outcomes to support occupational participation for children and their families.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Hanna Corfield
Bio:
Hanna Corfield is an Occupational Therapist who runs a small clinic dedicated to providing tailored, relationship-based support for children and their families. With a strong focus on each child being “one of a kind,” Hanna integrates evidence-based approaches including sensory integration, play therapy, and cognitive based interventions such as PRPP and COOP into her practice.
Hanna’s main passions lie in supporting children to do what they want to do in their everyday life through building child and family capacity with collaborative, strengths-based care; and supporting clinicians’ approach case conceptualisation and goal setting. Hanna has worked across private practice, Education, and CYMHS across her career and is currently creating her clinic dream in Brisbane’s Bayside.
How Sensory Modulation and Discrimination Shape Occupational Participation.
Abstract:
Sensory modulation and sensory discrimination are two of the most clinically significant, yet misunderstood concepts in paediatric occupational therapy practice. Understanding their distinct neurobiological roles and, crucially, their transactional relationship with one another is fundamental to honouring each child’s unique sensory profile and supporting meaningful participation in daily life.
This workshop introduces the Sensory Coin concept that positions modulation and discrimination as two sides of the same coin. Each influencing and influenced by the other. When a child’s nervous system is working hard to feel safe and regulate the intensity of sensory input (modulation), their capacity to extract meaning and detail from that input (discrimination) is naturally affected. This transactional dynamic and the role of nervous system safety within it have profound implications for how children engage in their everyday occupational roles, including ADLs, play, relationships, and learning.
Drawing on contemporary neuroscience, trauma-informed principles, and the SenseUp Model™, this session explores the underlying adaptations that shape participation in occupational roles and translating this into meaningful, targeted interventions that are easily explained to and understood by caregivers and teams.
Learning outcomes:
Distinguish between sensory modulation and discrimination and how each uniquely shapes a child’s occupational participation.
Articulate the translational relationship between them (Sensory Coin), including how nervous system safety influences a child’s capacity in a way that caregivers understand and build a trusting, collaborative approach to therapy.
Apply a trauma-informed, strengths-based clinical reasoning approach to interpreting each child’s unique sensory profile.
Translate understanding of the SenseUp Model™ into individualised and relevant therapy planning that honours the child and supports authentic participation.
Presenter:
Kerry Evetts
Bio:
Kerry Evetts is a Master’s level occupational therapist with almost 3 decades of clinical experience across London, South Africa, and Australia. Based in Queensland, she is the founder of SenseUp Training, a globally recognised online education provider dedicated to upskilling occupational therapists in trauma-informed, neuroaffirming sensory integration practice.
Kerry developed The SenseUp Model™, a unique five-level developmental framework grounded in nervous system safety, Ayres Sensory Integration theory, Polyvagal Theory, and interoception research. Her approach bridges the gap between complex sensory concepts and practical, relatable clinical application.
To date, Kerry has trained over 3,500 occupational therapists worldwide through online courses, team training, and in-person workshops. She is a sought-after speaker at professional development events, including the World Federation of Occupational Therapy.
Kerry’s mission is to ensure every sensory child feels understood, supported, and able to fully participate in life, whatever that looks like for them.
The Most Powerful Tool in the Room: Using Yourself Therapeutically
Abstract:
The most powerful tool in therapy is the therapist themselves. The therapeutic use of self refers to the intentional way clinicians use their presence, communication, and relational style to engage children in therapy. It has been described as the dynamic way a therapist modifies their body position, voice, or interaction in response to a child’s cues to support engagement (D’Arrigo et al., 2020). It may also involve purposeful actions to reduce fear or anxiety, guide a child through activities, and support changes in occupational performance within the therapeutic context (Holmqvist, Holmefur & Ivarsson, 2012).
This workshop explores the therapeutic use of self through the lens of the Intentional Relationship Model developed by Renée Taylor (2008). The model highlights the central role of the therapeutic relationship and the deliberate interpersonal strategies therapists use in practice. A key concept within this framework is interpersonal reasoning—the therapist’s ability to anticipate relational challenges and thoughtfully consider alternative therapeutic responses (Taylor, 2008).
Through discussion, reflection, and practical examples, participants will explore factors that contribute to engagement and disengagement in therapy. The workshop will examine how therapists’ interpersonal styles, and emotional attunement influence a child’s sense of safety, regulation, and willingness to participate.
Effective therapeutic relationships are not accidental. They are intentional, purposeful, and self-aware. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how consciously using themselves in therapy can strengthen connection, support engagement, and enhance outcomes for the children and families they support.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Presenter:
Cindy Chuan
Bio:
Cindy brings over 25 years of experience as an OT, supporting children and families in a variety of settings. She is passionate about attuning with a child, the therapeutic use of self and helping other OTs to develop their clinical reasoning skills in supervision and training. Cindy works, blogs and creates resources at Your Kids OT. She created APOT (Australian Paediatric OT FB group) in 2017 and loves supporting this online community!
Neurodiverse affirming practice in the real world
Abstract:
This panel is intended to foster an honest and open discussion of neurodiversity affirming practice and how it may actually look within therapy sessions and practice. The discussion may foster an understanding of the challenges that may come up during sessions, including addressing internalised ableism, but also some of the profound wins and changes that neurodiversity affirming practice can make for people who are neurodivergent.
Learning outcomes:
Presenters:
The Rhythm of Regulation: Polyvagal Informed Practise with Children
Abstract:
Children’s ability to participate in everyday occupations is deeply influenced by their capacity for regulation and feelings of safety within their their own bodies, relationships and environments. Drawing on Polyvagal Theory, this presentation explores how understanding the autonomic nervous system can enhance occupational therapy practice with children who experience challenges with regulation, engagement, and participation.
This session will translate key concepts of neuroception, autonomic state, and co-regulation into practical, occupation-focused strategies. Attendees will examine how behaviours often labelled as “challenging” can be reframed as adaptive nervous system responses to perceived threat or safety. Through this lens, occupational therapists can move beyond behaviour management toward interventions that prioritise connection, safety, and relational engagement.
Using case examples and clinical scenarios, the presentation will demonstrate how polyvagal-informed approaches can be embedded within everyday therapy contexts, including play, transitions, and routine-based interventions. Emphasis will be placed on the therapist’s role in co-regulation, the therapeutic use of self, and environmental modifications that support a child’s movement toward regulated states.
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the interplay between arousal and participation, along with practical tools to support children’s regulation in a way that is developmentally attuned, trauma-informed, and occupation-centred. This approach aims to enhance not only individual outcomes but also the relational quality of therapeutic interactions, fostering greater engagement, resilience, and wellbeing.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Melissa Kyriakacis
Bio:
Melissa is a Mental Health Endorsed Paediatric OT with over fifteen years of experience working within Private Practise and community organisations. Melissa founded Inside Out Therapy a Neurodiverse Affirming Practise which runs across three sites in Brisbane.
Melissa is passionate about creating strong and robust teams who work through a relational approach to therapy where regulation and connection are at the centre of all they do.
The Behaviour Challenge: From Reaction to Reasoning
Abstract:
Challenging behaviour and participation difficulties often emerge when there is a mismatch between the needs, interests, and capacities of the child and the expectations of the activity or environment.
This session introduces a practical shift from reacting to behaviour toward reasoning through it.
Drawing on the ABC-IDEAS framework and a neurodevelopmental, relationship-based lens, this presentation explores behaviour as meaningful communication shaped by individual differences, developmental capacities, and context. Rather than focusing on surface-level responses, participants will learn how to identify and address the underlying mismatch driving behaviour.
Through clinical examples and real-world application, this session will demonstrate how small shifts in how we interpret behaviour can lead to more effective support, stronger relationships, and improved participation across settings.
This is not about lowering expectations or removing structure. It is about aligning expectations with the child’s current capacities, while supporting growth over time.
Attendees will leave with a clear framework for understanding behaviour, greater confidence in their clinical reasoning, and practical strategies they can apply immediately in home, school, and therapy environments.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Dave Jereb
Bio:
Dave Jereb is a paediatric occupational therapist, author, and co-founder of MoveAbout Therapy Services, with clinics in Sydney, the Central Coast, and Newcastle. With over 20 years of experience, he is passionate about helping families and professionals rethink how we understand and respond to challenging behaviours.
His book, Challenging the Story: A Surprisingly Simple Approach to Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviours, became an Amazon international bestseller. Dave is the creator of the Challenging the Story of Behaviour course, which provides a child and family-centred, relationship-based approach to supporting behaviour and participation through the ABC-IDEAS framework.
Contracting for Connection: Operationalising Mutual Competence in Occupational Therapy Practice
Abstract:
Occupational Therapists bring extensive knowledge and therapeutic tools to their work with children with developmental differences and their families. These resources usually have greatest impact when grounded in strong relational foundations. When practitioners listen first, contract clearly, and collaborate with families to determine what matters most, professional expertise can become more meaningful, targeted, and sustainable.
The Canadian Model of Occupational Participation introduced the concept of mutual competence: the shared confidence and capability that arises when practitioner and family each bring their expertise to a partnership of equals. While widely endorsed, mutual competence can be difficult to enact consistently in everyday practice.
This interactive workshop explores contracting as the mechanism through which mutual competence can be operationalised across early childhood intervention contexts. Contracting involves collaboratively identifying priorities, forming shared hypotheses about what may help, clarifying what support will look like, and agreeing on how progress will be reviewed. By contracting together around what truly matters, practitioners and families can move beyond a focus on fixing developmental differences toward supporting meaningful participation, identity, and wellbeing.
Drawing on clinical experience and implementation research of the PAIR Model, this workshop demonstrates how explicit contracting strengthens engagement, goal alignment, and outcomes across early childhood, parenting, and interdisciplinary services. Relational principles will be explicitly linked to participation and capability-building, demonstrating how connection enhances the effectiveness of our supports rather than replacing them.
Attendees will leave with practical tools they can implement immediately, including the PAIR contracting map, collaborative goal-setting proforma, and strategies to support transfer of skills from low-stress to high-stress contexts.
Learning Objectives:
Presenter:
Dr Jacqui Barfoot
Bio:
Dr Jacqui Barfoot is an occupational therapist, researcher, and training provider with more than 20 years’ experience in early childhood and family-centred practice. As a Research Fellow at The University of Queensland’s Child Health Research Centre, she is part of nationally funded projects translating relational principles into practice. Jacqui developed the Phased Approach to Including a Relational Focus (PAIR) Model and an associated training package to help practitioners embed collaboration, and capability-building in their work with children and families. Her research and teaching advance a relational model of occupational therapy that integrates evidence, empathy, and partnership to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes. Jacqui is committed to translating her research to the broader community and has delivered a Tedx Talk with more than 13,000 views, and performed at the Brisbane Comedy Festival and Woodford Folk Festival.
Understanding Praxis
Abstract:
Praxis is more than coordination or “clumsiness.” It is the foundation that allows children to generate ideas, plan actions, organise their bodies, adapt to challenges, and successfully engage in everyday occupations. Difficulties with praxis can significantly impact play, self-care, emotional regulation, participation at school, social confidence, and independence, yet these challenges are often misunderstood, oversimplified, or missed altogether.
This session provides a practical and clinically relevant overview of praxis through a paediatric occupational therapy lens. Attendees will explore the key components of praxis, including ideation, motor planning, sequencing, timing, grading, and execution, while considering how sensory processing, postural control, body awareness, and regulation influence a child’s ability to carry out purposeful action.
Using real-world clinical examples, the session will help therapists strengthen their understanding of how praxis difficulties present across functional tasks and how these challenges can impact participation in everyday life. Practical assessment considerations, observation points, and therapy ideas will also be discussed to support more targeted and meaningful intervention planning.
Learning Outcomes:
Presenter:
Leah Snowdon
Bio:
Leah Snowdon is a paediatric occupational therapist with a deep clinical interest in praxis, motor planning and the complex interplay between body, regulation and participation.
Leah brings thoughtful clinical reasoning, grounded practice and a strong understanding of how motor challenges present in real-world paediatric settings. Her work supports therapists to look beyond surface behaviours and identify the motor, sensory and planning components influencing a child’s functional engagement.
At POTCA 2026, Leah will be presenting on praxis. Breaking down what it really looks like in everyday therapy sessions, how it intersects with regulation and participation, and how to translate theory into practical intervention strategies that therapists can apply immediately in their work.
In addition to presenting, Leah is the Presenter and Program Coordinator for the conference. She has played a central role in shaping the program, liaising with speakers and curating a schedule that reflects the clinical depth and practicality that underpins this event.
Leah’s contribution extends beyond her session, she has been instrumental in building a conference designed for therapists working on the ground, navigating complex clinical presentations every day.
Shifting focus: A tool to enable caregiver-child co-regulation.
Abstract:
Introduction
In order for caregivers to be an effective co-regulation partner, they need to be able to modulate their focus during emotionally heightened times; anchoring themselves in the child’s long term needs and goals to avoid being hijacked by the perceived immediate need. Co-regulation is a fundamental pillar of childhood development, enabling children to form and maintain healthy relationships and develop self-regulation skills. Occupational therapists are uniquely placed to foster co-regulation within family systems, as caregiving is an occupation that facilitates and enables childhood occupations.
Implementation
This presentation introduces the concept of Shifting Focus: staying anchored to long term needs, a practical tool designed to help caregivers remain anchored in the bigger picture rather than being pulled into the urgency of the moment. By intentionally shifting attention, caregivers can regain access to the tools and capacities they already possess, supporting a more reflective and attuned response.
Discussion
More often than not, caregivers report that they know what they’re meant to do to co-regulate with their child, but putting it into practice is where the challenge lies. This tool serves as an enabling factor for caregivers to implement their co-regulation skills.
Conclusion
The importance of co-regulation in relation to childhood development cannot be overstated. By upskilling and empowering caregivers to shift their focus to long term needs in order to co-regulate with their children, therapists create greater impact. When caregivers do better, children do better.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Jackie Sikic
AND
Danni Gheorghe
Bio:
Jackie is the founder, Director, and Practice Principal of Kid Link OT, which she established in 2013 following her graduation from Deakin University in 2008. An endorsed Mental Health practitioner, Jackie leads the strategic, operational, and clinical direction of the service, while remaining actively involved in day-to-day practice.
Her clinical interests include mental health, school inclusion, parent coaching, and social participation, with a strong commitment to neurodiversity-affirming, evidence-informed care. Jackie is a sought-after supervisor and mentor, supporting both clinicians and practice owners, and consults regularly with organisations, schools, and companies. She is passionate about positive workplace culture and building services and that genuinely make a difference.
AND
Danni is a senior Occupational Therapist at Kid Link OT, having been part of the team since graduating with a Masters in Occupational Therapy Practice from Monash University in 2017. With a background in Applied Sciences and Psychology, Danni brings a grounded, multidisciplinary lens to her clinical work with children aged 5–16.
Endorsed by OT Australia to practice within the Medicare Better Access to Mental Health program, Danni’s clinical interests centre on child and carer regulation, parent coaching, executive functioning, and mental health. She is a passionate presenter with a track record of developing content that is both evidence-informed and practical. Alongside her caseload, Danni provides supervision to internal and external paediatric OTs and supports the broader Kid Link clinical team.
It’s Never ‘Just Play’: Clinical Reasoning in the Moment – Stream A session
Abstract:
Parents will often say, “they just play with my child,” without realising the depth of clinical reasoning, therapeutic observation and skill development occurring underneath play.
This presentation explores the layers of occupational therapy hidden within seemingly simple play interactions. Through practical examples and real-world paediatric OT scenarios, this session will unpack how therapists use play to assess and support regulation, motor skills, sensory processing, executive functioning, emotional development, social participation, communication, attachment, praxis and participation outcomes.
The session will challenge therapists to become more intentional and reflective in how they analyse, adapt and communicate their therapeutic use of play, particularly within neurodiversity-affirming and family-centred practice.
Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of how to articulate the clinical value of play to families, educators and other professionals, while also deepening their own clinical reasoning in the moment during therapy sessions.
Learning Outcomes
Presenter:
Rebecca Lockyer
Bio:
Rebecca Lockyer is an Occupational Therapist with over thirteen years of experience in paediatric practice, having worked exclusively in private practice environments across disability, neurodiversity and family-centred care.
Her clinical work has always been grounded in real world application. Supporting children and families navigating complex presentations. Working within the NDIS framework. Partnering with private pay families. Building teams. Mentoring clinicians. Writing functional capacity assessments. Holding space for regulation, behaviour, motor challenges and family systems in everyday therapy rooms.
As the Director of Little TheraPeas and the founder of The TheraPeas Pod: Mentoring and Development, Rebecca has spent years supporting paediatric occupational therapists not only clinically, but professionally. Through supervision, mentoring and professional development, she has seen first hand the depth of skill, knowledge and innovation that exists within Australian paediatric OT practice.
And she has also seen the gap.
Adapting the Family Home: Understanding NDIS Home Modifications for Children
Abstract:
Many children with complex disability experience challenges accessing everyday spaces within their own home including the bathrooms, bedrooms, entryways, or play areas that were never designed with their needs in mind.
Home modifications can make an enormous difference to a child’s independence, safety, comfort, and participation in family life. However, understanding how home modifications work under the NDIS can often feel confusing and overwhelming for families and therapists alike.
In this session, Occupational Therapist Sarah Collison will provide a practical overview of how home modifications for children are assessed, recommended and funded within the NDIS.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Sarah Collison
Bio:
Sarah Collison is an Occupational Therapist and the Director of Verve OT, specialising in assistive technology, home modifications, and complex functional assessments for NDIS participants. She leads a team of 55 OTs servicing the Sydney and Blue Mountains regions, delivering in-home and community-based supports to NDIS participants.
As a trainer and presenter, Sarah has educated thousands of OTs across Australia, equipping them to confidently navigate the complexities of the NDIS. She is the founder of Verve OT Learning, an education hub that empowers OTs to deliver high-quality, evidence-based services.
Sarah is also the facilitator of the NDIS OT Community of Practice, a network of over 11,500 OTs, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for better participant outcomes. In addition, she is the co-host of the OT Unplugged podcast, where she brings real conversations and practical insights to OTs navigating the NDIS space.
Pathological Demand Avoidance – an OT specific framework
Abstract:
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is an emerging area of practice in Australian paediatric OT clinics. Now recognised as a subtype of autism by the Autism CRC, it requires therapists to work in ways that are neurodiversity-affirming and regulation based. This presentation will outline an OT framework to guide clinical practice and is evidence-informed, consumer shaped and based in clinical neuroscience. Establish-Embody-Engage will give clinicians an understanding of PDA but also practical activities/focus areas for therapy sessions.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Sarah Cavallaro
Bio:
Sarah Cavallaro is the Director and Principal Occupational Therapist of Exceptional Kids – a small private practice with a big heart for sharing our knowledge with others. She has worked with families and neurodivergent kids for over twenty years and has a passion for neurodiversity affirming practice. Sarah has completed training in inter-personal neurobiology and combines her love for science with her love for connection in clinical supervision groups for all levels of clinicians. She is also the co-host of OT podcast – Research and Reality.
Supporting Social Development and Belonging
Abstract:
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the development of social skills, gain understanding of the sequence in which social skills develop and how to support children in a neuro-diversity affirming and evidence-based way with their social engagement. Content is in line with PRECI guidelines and the CRC Supporting Autistic Guidelines, and is supported by evidence including from lived experience research papers and systematic reviews. Using an ecological model, participants will gain strategies and practical therapy ideas that are ready-to-apply to your practice – at your clinic and in the daily routines and functional contexts of families. Participants will be able to walk away feeling confident in how to articulate their evidence-based approach with other professionals and parents on social engagement.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Dr Kobie Boshoff
Bio:
Kobie Boshoff is an occupational therapist with over 30 years’ experience across clinical practice, leadership, academia, research, and mentorship in local and international contexts. Her work spans private, school-based, and community settings, across the lifespan, with particular experience with children. She leads workforce and system design initiatives that strengthen delivery of high-quality, evidence-informed services for families. Grounded in social justice, equity, and ecological perspectives of child development, her approach emphasises co-design, lived experience, innovation, and capacity building within education/care environments and with parents. Her career testifies of accumulated, integrated experience, and she currently serves as Director of Therapy at Motivate Kids, leading strategic service initiatives.
Therapy to Fit the Family
Abstract:
TBA
Learning Outcomes:
TBA
Presenter:
Alyce Svensk
Bio:
Alyce Svensk is a paediatric occupational therapist and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She develops the OT workforce through mentoring, supervision, national workshops, podcasts, and the OT Coach Academy. Alyce is known for practical clinical frameworks, reflective leadership, and strengthening therapist confidence across Australia.
At the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Conference Australia 2026, Alyce will be sharing a session focused on how we set therapy up effectively from the very beginning so that it truly fits the family. Drawing on her work supporting therapists across Australia, this session will explore the foundations that make therapy meaningful and sustainable including therapeutic contracting, supporting caregivers, and setting goals that translate into real-world change. Alyce will bring practical frameworks and reflections to help therapists structure therapy in ways that are clearer, more collaborative, and more impactful for the families we work alongside
Interoception in Practice – from body signals to everyday life
Abstract:
Interoception is increasingly recognised as central to understanding behaviour, regulation and participation. However, many clinicians report uncertainty when it comes to applying this knowledge in everyday practice and translating it into meaningful support for families and educators.
This facilitated session focuses on practical application rather than theory. Through case discussion, guided reflection and shared problem-solving, participants will explore how interoceptive differences present within real functional situations, including toileting, eating, emotional regulation and engagement.
Clinicians will work through how to interpret what they are seeing, what to prioritise, and how to respond in ways that move beyond isolated activities. The session will also explore how to communicate interoceptive concepts in clear, functional ways that support carryover across home, school and community environments.
Participants will be encouraged to bring their own clinical questions and experiences, with space to test ideas, refine reasoning and consider how to embed interoception into everyday routines, language and supports.
This session is designed for clinicians who are familiar with interoception and are looking to strengthen their confidence in using this knowledge in practical, flexible and collaborative ways.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Rachel van der Linden
Bio:
Rachel has been supporting children and families since 1993, working across Australia and the UK. She’s passionate about helping children navigate learning and daily activities through relationship-based practice in natural settings. Over 30+ years, Rachel has integrated approaches from sensory processing to neurodiversity-affirming practice, parent coaching to clinical supervision. She believes in working within natural routines and building genuine partnerships with families. Rachel is also deeply committed to empowering fellow paediatric OTs, supporting colleagues to reflect on and enhance their clinical reasoning.
Supporting Toileting through Layers of Complexity – Focus session
Abstract:
Behind difficulties with toileting are often multiple overlapping layers including sensory processing differences, interoception, anxiety, trauma histories, motor planning challenges, emotional regulation, constipation, communication differences, demand avoidance, executive functioning difficulties, environmental barriers and relational dynamics.
This session explores the complexity of toileting through a neurodiversity-affirming, regulation-focused and participation-based lens. Rather than approaching toileting as a behavioural issue or compliance task, this presentation encourages therapists to understand what may be contributing underneath the surface and how we can support children and families in ways that feel safe, respectful and practical.
The session will explore clinical reasoning around toileting support, environmental considerations, sensory and interoceptive factors, parent coaching, regulation, constipation management, positioning, demand reduction and therapeutic relationship building.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies, deeper clinical understanding and greater confidence in supporting children with complex toileting presentations within real-world paediatric practice.
Learning Outcomes
Presenter:
Rebecca Lockyer
Bio:
Rebecca Lockyer is an Occupational Therapist with over thirteen years of experience in paediatric practice, having worked exclusively in private practice environments across disability, neurodiversity and family-centred care.
Her clinical work has always been grounded in real world application. Supporting children and families navigating complex presentations. Working within the NDIS framework. Partnering with private pay families. Building teams. Mentoring clinicians. Writing functional capacity assessments. Holding space for regulation, behaviour, motor challenges and family systems in everyday therapy rooms.
As the Director of Little TheraPeas and the founder of The TheraPeas Pod: Mentoring and Development, Rebecca has spent years supporting paediatric occupational therapists not only clinically, but professionally. Through supervision, mentoring and professional development, she has seen first hand the depth of skill, knowledge and innovation that exists within Australian paediatric OT practice.
And she has also seen the gap.
Families, Future & Future: Kids Equipment Prescription from Referral to Real-Life
Abstract:
Prescribing assistive technology for children is one of the most high-stakes — and underserved — areas of paediatric occupational therapy practice. With funding complexities, evolving family needs, developmental considerations and professional scope boundaries all converging in a single recommendation, many OTs — even experienced clinicians — report uncertainty about whether their approach is truly best practice.
This presentation introduces a structured, family-centred framework for paediatric assistive technology prescription, guiding OTs from the moment of referral through to fitting, delivery and long-term follow-up.
Drawing on over a decade of clinical experience supporting children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and developmental delay, the presenter will move beyond product demonstrations to explore the occupational therapy process underpinning confident, defensible AT decisions.
Attendees will explore how to conduct assessments that genuinely account for function, safety, caregiver capacity and the family’s stage in their disability journey. The presentation addresses a critical and often overlooked dimension of paediatric AT: goal setting that reflects a child’s developmental trajectory, participation aspirations and anticipated growth — not simply their current presentation.
Whether you are new to paediatric AT or looking to strengthen your foundations, this session offers practical tools, real-world case insights and a replicable framework you can apply with greater clarity and confidence from your very next referral.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Kate McMahon
Bio:
Kate McMahon is Director and Senior Occupational Therapist at Kids + Co.Lab, a paediatric practice supporting children with complex disabilities and their families across the Sunshine Coast. She has over a decade of experience working with children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and developmental delay, specialising in assistive technology assessment and prescription.
Kate runs a values‑led practice, prioritising family-centred care, inclusion and participation in all aspects of service delivery. She also provides clinical supervision and mentorship to paediatric OTs, supporting their professional growth through reflective, evidence-informed guidance that strengthens confidence, capability, and outcomes for children and families.
Working with other disciplines while maintaining our professional integrity and identity
Abstract:
This panel is intended to foster an honest and open discussion about what multidisciplinary collaboration actually looks like in paediatric practice, while still maintaining our professional integrity, ethical responsibilities, and occupational therapy identity. The discussion will explore the realities of working alongside other disciplines, including navigating differing opinions, role overlap, conflicting recommendations, varying therapeutic models, and the pressure that can sometimes arise within team environments.
The panel will also explore how occupational therapists can remain grounded in their clinical reasoning, values, and scope of practice while still engaging in collaborative, respectful, and effective interdisciplinary care. Alongside the challenges, the discussion will highlight the significant benefits that strong multidisciplinary relationships can have for children, families, and clinicians when collaboration is approached thoughtfully and ethically.
Learning outcomes:
Presenters:
How to Hold Parents Safely Through Deep Conversations
Abstract:
“Deep conversations” are part of paediatric occupational therapy, whether we feel fully prepared for them or not. Families often share grief, fear, burnout, guilt, trauma, uncertainty, and overwhelm within our therapy spaces, sometimes quietly and sometimes all at once. As therapists, we can find ourselves holding emotionally charged conversations about diagnoses, functional impacts, school experiences, family stress, future planning, and the realities of daily life. These moments require more than clinical knowledge. They require safety, attunement, regulation, boundaries, and the ability to stay present without trying to “fix” everything.
This focus session explores how occupational therapists can hold parents safely through emotionally complex conversations while maintaining therapeutic boundaries and protecting their own nervous systems. Grounded in relational practice, co-regulation, trauma-informed care, and real-world clinical experience, the session will unpack what helps families feel emotionally safe, validated, and supported during difficult discussions.
Participants will reflect on communication styles, therapeutic presence, emotional containment, rupture and repair, and the balance between honesty and hope. Practical strategies will also be explored for navigating tears, anger, shutdown, conflict, differing expectations, and conversations that stay with us long after the session ends.
Learning Objectives:
Presenter:
Isabel Elliott
Bio:
Isabel (Izzy), is an OT and family therapist who is driven by her values of kindness, integrity and authenticity.
She believes firmly in inclusion and neuro affirmation- and enjoys working with autistic and ADHD peas. She has particular special interest in parent coaching- as a trained circle of security facilitator, she understands the importance of supporting parents, see it as an essential part of the therapy process.
Izzy also has expertise in Telehealth and believes that good therapy should be easy and accessible to everyone- no matter your postcode.
Izzy applies a range of sensory, and trauma informed frame works and is always ultimately guided by a child centred approach.
The Forgetting of Wisdom: The Place of Practice Evidence in Occupational Therapy
Abstract:
As a health profession, occupational therapy has embraced the paradigm of evidence-based practice (EBP) as a way of assuring the quality of the approaches used in practice. Despite recognising multiple sources of evidence, the contemporary approach to EBP often privileges empirical evidence over evidence arising from lived experience. The individualised and non-linear focus of occupational therapy makes it difficult to establish direct causal effects arising from particular interventions and in practice many clinicians often use non-empirical sources of evidence arising from professional experience and client perspectives to inform decisions. While this approach has a certain appeal to clinicians who have become frustrated by the lack of research consensus on some issues, it comes with risk of unconscious bias, selectivity and misrepresentation. This presentation explores the paradigm of EBP from an epistemological perspective and proposes ways of drawing together empirical and non-empirical evidence to provide services that are well-informed, effective and individually designed.
Learning outcomes:
Presenter:
Dr Craig Greber
Bio:
Craig Greber is a ‘pracademic’ who divides his career between practice, management, teaching and research. He spends far too much time thinking about the nature of human occupation and the things we do as therapists to promote and enable it. Craig values the evidence that arises from experience, including the knowledge that comes from clients and peers, and he has made many (mostly unsuccessful) attempts to articulate the complex reasoning occupational therapists use when providing client-centred services. This presentation considers the place of practice evidence as an important adjunct to empirical research in informing service delivery.