ABLE UK

What comes next? 🔵🔷🔺🔸🔵🔷
It looks like a simple game with blocks, but teaching a child to extend a pattern is a powerhouse pre-academic skill. In ABA, we target this to build Visual Perceptual Skills and visual sequencing.

Here is why this milestone matters to everyone on a child’s team:
For Therapists (BCBAs/RBTs): We are targeting visual discrimination, matching-to-sample, and non-arbitrary relational responding. It’s a foundational step for VB-MAPP Level 3 milestones and advanced cognitive tracking.

For Teachers: Patterning is the literal bedrock of early math! Recognizing sequences directly translates to understanding number skip-counting, algebraic thinking, and structural rules in literacy.

For Parents: This builds predictability and inductive reasoning. Knowing “what comes next” helps children understand daily routines, schedules, and environmental cues.

A 3-minute routine for a much calmer day!

When parents and professionals use the Wilbarger Protocol consistently, we see incredible shifts in focus, emotional regulation, and transitions. It’s all about giving the nervous system the exact tactile input it craves.
Note: Always consult with a certified Occupational Therapist before starting the Wilbarger Protocol to ensure correct pressure and sequencing!
Call to Action: Save this post as a reminder for your daily sensory circuit! Contact us for more information on this effective therapy

When a baby turns their head to one side, their arm on that same side automatically shoots straight out, while the opposite arm bends up (looking just like a little fencer!)

This involuntary survival reflex is supposed to “integrate” (disappear) by 4 to 6 months of age to give the child voluntary control over their movements.

Why Does it Matter?
If the ATNR stays active, the head and arms remain invisibly locked together. When a child turns their head, their limbs automatically fight to react. In daily life, this can cause:
✏️ Handwriting hurdles
🔹Midline struggles - An invisible wall down the center of the body makes it hard to use both hands together to tie shoes or button a shirt.
⚽ Coordination Gaps - Shifting the head to track a ball disrupts balance and fluid movement.

Here we are decoupling that automatic loop. By stabilizing the lower body and turning the head, the therapist forces the brain to voluntarily bend and cross the arm against the reflex’s natural pull.

We are retraining the nervous system so the head can move independently of the limbs, so we get smoother coordination, better focus, and easier handwriting! 🎒💪

If your child struggles with solids or completely avoids certain foods, it’s often not just “pickiness” - it’s an oral motor challenge.
Biting requires intense jaw stability and sensory confidence.
In this session at ABLE UK, our SLP, Noor, is using a combination of yogurt and a carrot to physically coach a mature bite:

🔹The yogurt is the motivator, it adds a familiar, preferred texture. It provides instant lubrication, making the sensory experience less overwhelming while encouraging the tongue to move dynamically.
🔹A carrot is a fantastic tool because it’s tough to break off. Placing it on the side teeth encourages jaw lateralization (moving food to the sides) and builds muscle strength through safe, repetitive gnawing.

To book a consultation DM us today! ✨

🎙️ PART 2 IS LIVE: The Biological Foundations of Therapy with Dr. Khadija!

The second part of our masterclass conversation with neurodevelopmental pediatrician Dr. Khadija Abdool Abdelbary is officially OUT on The ABLE Exchange Podcast - and we are diving into a truth that every parent and therapist needs to hear.
We often talk about the clinical strategies used during a session, but what happens before your child even walks through our clinic doors?

Dr. Khadija beautifully breaks down why therapy never happens in isolation: it is deeply dependent on a child’s physiology. If a child is running on poor sleep, imbalanced nutrition, or a dysregulated gut, their nervous system is in a state of stress.
When a brain is fighting to stay regulated due to physical fatigue or nutritional gaps, it lacks the cognitive bandwidth required to process new motor patterns, social cues, or language skills.

Put simply: We must support the body before we can teach the brain.

This episode unpacks a lot! Watch it on YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music! 👏 👏

https://youtu.be/l0y7a8y7WVE

SOCIAL-SKILLS DELAYS AREN’T “JUST-SHYNESS”
Let’s break it down

Social skills delays occur when a child has difficulty interacting with others in ways that are expected for their age and developmental level.
Social connection is a skill-and skills can be taught. Like in video. We are getting all the ‘shy’ children to enjoy making a cake pudding together .
Usually it’s kids that have difficulty sharing focus with another person on the same object or activity.
Examples:
• Not pointing to show interest
• Not looking where others point
• Difficulty sharing experiences with others
Difficulty with Turn-Taking Struggling to wait or alternate during play or conversation.
Limited Social Initiation
Difficulty starting interactions with others.
Examples:
• Rarely approaching peers
• Difficulty joining group activities
• Not initiating conversations
Limited Social Reciprocity
Difficulty engaging in back-and-forth interactions.
Difficulty Understanding SocialCues
Trouble interpreting:
• Facial expressions
• Tone of voice
• Body language
• Emotions of others
Difficulty engaging in age-appropriate or imaginative play.
Examples:
• Repetitive play patterns
• Difficulty playing with peers
• Limited pretend play
• Difficulty expanding play ideas
Social skills delays may look like:
717
• Playing alone most of the time
• Difficulty sharing or waiting
• Limited eye contact or engagement
• Not responding when their name is called
• Difficulty understanding emotions or reactions
Social connection is a skill, not a personality trait.
With individualized support, children can learn the skills needed to build meaningful relationships and navigate social situations with confidence. We have a huge support of group therapy where we help these children become social 🐝 bees 😅💪
Every small social success matters.

The snow angel movement is commonly used in occupational therapy and pediatric neurology to help integrate the Spinal Galant reflex.
The Spinal Galant Reflex primitive reflex that helps babies navigate the birth canal. When a baby’s lower back is stroked on one side, their hips naturally flex or “wiggle” toward that side. It should typically integrate (fade away by 3 to 9 months of age.
But what happens if it doesn’t ?
it can lead to issues later on, such as constant fidgeting, poor concentration, sensory overload, and difficulty sitting still. It is also a very common contributor to bedwetting beyond the age of 5
By lying flat on the floor and slowly moving the arms and legs simultaneously (like a snow angel), we stimulate the sensory and motor nerves of the lower back and hips.Rewiring the brain: This consistent, controlled movement desensitizes the lower back and builds brain-body coordination, helping the nervous system “forget” the involuntary reflex pattern.

This movement once done in co ordination helps re wire the brain.

🎙️ New Podcast Alert: ‘Why Therapy Never Happens in Isolation’ with Dr. Khadija! 👏👏

Our latest episode is officially LIVE, and we are joined by the brilliant Dr. Khadija Abdool Abdelbary, a highly respected neurodevelopmental pediatrician here in Dubai!

This episode dives deep into a fundamental truth that shapes everything we do at ABLE UK: Therapy is never a standalone intervention. A common misconception is that a child’s developmental progress happens entirely within the walls of a therapy clinic during their weekly sessions.

Dr. Khadija breaks down why the most profound, lasting developmental progress happens when therapy moves beyond the clinic and becomes fully integrated into a child’s everyday ecosystem, including why sleep and nutrition are so important!

The full podcast episode is available now to watch on Youtube, Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music! 💙

Apple Podcasts Link
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/able-exchange-podcast/id1895335511

Spotify Link
https://open.spotify.com/show/2CKgw6SY0motABitiSj2kp

Amazon Music Link
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/33512431-0777-4e96-9fa9-e42895c830b9

✨ This is matrix learning! ✨

When you ask a child to look at a single picture (like a cookie) and identify its name, shape, color, what you do with it, and its category, you are systematically breaking down the item’s Tact characteristics (labels) through the lens of FFC.

Here is how the breakdown looks in ABA terminology:
🔹The Name: Labeling/Tacting the item itself (“It’s a cookie”).
🔹The Color/Shape: Tacting the Features (adjectives/attributes).
🔹What it’s used for: Tacting the Function (verbs/actions associated with it, e.g., “You eat it”).
🔹The Class: Tacting the Category or Class (noun grouping, e.g., “It’s a food”).

Instead of just teaching a child to memorise the word “cookie,” this technique ensures they actually understand the concep tof a cookie. This deepens their language matrix, allowing them to eventually describe and categorise new, unfamiliar items on their own without needing to be explicitly taught every single one.

At 6 months old, a baby’s brain is undergoing an absolute explosion of neurodevelopment!

At ABLE UK, our early intervention Occupational Therapy focuses on two critical pillars during this peak window of neuroplasticity: multisensory tactile exploration and facilitated rolling.

🔹Introducing varied textures (smooth, rough, bumpy, sticky) stimulates the tactile system early on. This helps prevent sensory or oral defensiveness later in life, making future milestones like transitioning to solid foods or hair washing much easier.

🔹Rolling is the first major milestone that forces the brain’s left and right hemispheres to communicate. This action of crossing the midline is a vital prerequisite for future bilateral tasks like dressing and eventually writing.

🔹Shifting from back to tummy activates the inner ear (vestibular system) for balance, while dynamically building the deep core and neck muscles.

In paediatric therapy, development moves from the center outward. By focusing on sensory tolerances and rolling at 6 months, we are solidifying the physical and neurological scaffolding your baby needs to confidently conquer independent sitting and crawling!

Contact our expert team today!