OT4me

Comment TEETH below and we'll send you our free guide to toothbrushing strategies for autistic children with a PDA profile, straight to your inbox.

If toothbrushing is a daily battle in your house, you're not alone. For many autistic children with a PDA profile, the demand of brushing can feel overwhelming, and no amount of reward charts or timers will change that on its own.

What does help? Connection before compliance. Genuine choices that put your child in control. Sensory adjustments that make the experience feel safer. Low-pressure language that removes the demand without removing the goal.

We've put together six practical strategies our OTs use and recommend, along with some simple phrases you can try tonight. And while these strategies are rooted in supporting autistic children with a PDA profile, the sensory and connection-based approaches work brilliantly for any child who finds toothbrushing tricky.

Comment TEETH to get the full guide sent to you for free. 💚

With Ehlers-Danlos Support UK – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

We celebrated even more birthdays in the OT4me team today, Happy Birthday to both Jess and Lucy! 🎈

Both are incredibly loved occupational therapists that transform every person they come in to contact with.

Bev made us another gorgeous cake, we do actually work aside from eating copious amounts of cake because of birthdays! We promise! 🎂

Specialist Occupational Therapist Louise Newton set her play pal a challenge recently: get himself, every teddy, and every cushion into the lycra swing.

There was a lot of rearranging, a few failed attempts, and then eventually, a very triumphant face peering out from underneath a pile of stuffed animals.

The reason Louise set the challenge was twofold. She wanted to work on his praxis skills, which is essentially the ability to have an idea, figure out how to carry it out, and then get your body to follow through. It sounds simple, but for a lot of the children we see, that process takes real effort and practice. Framing it as a fun challenge made it genuinely motivating and something he could feel proud of completing.

The other thing she was after was that deep pressure input. By the time he had wedged everything in around himself, the swing was holding him firmly on all sides. Deep pressure tends to have a settling effect on the nervous system, which is why so many children seek it out through heavy blankets, tight clothing, or asking for firm hugs. In a session, we find ways to build it in with purpose.

He was absolutely delighted with himself, which was the best outcome of all. 💚

Comment SPACE to learn more about our new spaces and how you can use them 💚

We’re excited to share that our Derwent Clinic therapy spaces have grown. ✨

We’ve just opened two larger therapy rooms designed to create more opportunities for movement, regulation and purposeful sensory activity.

These versatile spaces are suitable for children, young people and adults accessing sensory and occupational therapy, giving us even greater flexibility to tailor support around each person’s individual needs and goals.

We also have a new, more suitable sensory swing on the way, and we can’t wait to show you once it arrives!

We’re incredibly proud of how these spaces are developing and look forward to welcoming both new and existing clients into them soon.

With Lighthouse School Leeds – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉