Stepping Stones Occupational Therapy for Children

19/08/2026

Our phone lines are back up and running! 📞

We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience while the issue was resolved. You can now contact us by phone as usual.

17/08/2026

✨ Rare appointment availability with OT Michelle! ✨

Michelle currently has a fortnightly appointment available for either telehealth or in-clinic sessions.

This spot is unlikely to remain available for long, so get in quickly! Call the clinic on 02 4951 2116 to enquire or book.

12/08/2026

INTEROCEPTION TRAINING – HAPPENING THIS FRIDAY

Calling all paediatric occupational therapists!

Are you supporting children with interoception… but they're still not recognising their body cues?

If you've been using body experiments and other interoception strategies but your clients still struggle to identify what's happening in their bodies, you're not alone.

Join me for a full-day, evidence-informed course where we'll explore the latest interoception research and a practical clinical framework to help you better understand and support interoception in clinical practice.

14 August 2026
Live online

Can't join live? The entire workshop will be available on demand after the event, so you can watch whenever it suits your time zone or schedule.

Find out more here: www.michellenewby.com/interoception

07/07/2026

Over the years at Stepping Stones Therapy for Children, we've had the privilege of supporting many children with PANS/PANDAS and their families. One thing we've seen time and again is that while PANS/PANDAS has a profound impact on the child, its effects extend well beyond the individual, touching every member of the family. Thanks to Sam Cu***ng for highlighting this important aspect in his recent paper.

New mixed methods systematic review highlights how the impact of PANS extends well beyond the impacted child, influencing the emotional, social, occupational, and financial wellbeing of the entire family.
https://www.pandasppn.org/research-library/caregiver-impact-systematic-review

06/07/2026

A child doesn't notice they're hungry.
They miss signs that they're tired.
They don't recognise they need the toilet until the last minute.
Big emotions seem to come out of nowhere.
Self-regulation strategies don't seem to stick.

And despite everyone's best efforts, they struggle to understand what their body is trying to tell them.

As occupational therapists, we often support these children every day.

Could interoception be part of the picture?

In my upcoming workshop, Interoception In Practice: A Comprehensive Guide for Occupational Therapists, I'll explore the science of interoception, assessment approaches, participation-focused goal writing, and practical intervention strategies to help you confidently support children in everyday practice.

Whether you're new to interoception or looking to strengthen your clinical reasoning, this workshop is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practical application.

📅 Friday 14 August 2026; www.michellenewby.com/interoception

OT Learning Hub members receive an exclusive discount when they register before the deadline. Check your email this week for details.

06/07/2026

As a Swiftie and PANS advocate, I love this from ASPIRE.

PANS isn't rare. It's just rarely diagnosed.

Every time we talk about PANS, present on it, publish research, or share information, we increase the chances that another clinician will recognise it sooner. And earlier recognition has the potential to change a child's entire life.

JUST&T reminding the world: PANS is not rare.

03/07/2026

I've found myself talking to a few families about this book this week, so I thought I'd share it here.

📚 The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson has been around for a while, but I still think it's one of the best parenting books available.

It does a great job of explaining why children behave the way they do through the lens of brain development, without becoming overly technical or overwhelming. More importantly, it gives parents practical ways to respond that build connection first.

If you're a parent navigating big emotions, meltdowns, anxiety, or a child whose reactions often seem bigger than the situation, this is a book I'd happily recommend.

I'd also suggest it to therapists working with families. It's an easy read and gives parents a shared language that can make conversations in therapy much easier.

Has anyone else read it? I'd be interested to hear what you thought.

28/06/2026

No OTs, No NDIS

Today is a Day of Action for the No OTs, No NDIS campaign.

Last week’s announcement of an eighth consecutive year of price freezing for OTs under the NDIS is another blow to workforce already under strain.

OTs are at breaking point, participants are losing access to essential services and families are feeling the pressure. Enough is enough.

Today, supporters across the country are standing together to show the scale of support for our campaign to protect participant access to essential occupational therapy supports.

Add your voice! You can simply share this post, or create your own with these steps:

1. Download the campaign social media tile at Social Media Day of Action: https://www.otaus.com.au/social-media-day-of-action
2. Add a short message about why you’re supporting the campaign
3. Post on your social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
4. Use the tag

Every post today builds pressure, every voice counts. Protect access for NDIS participants, fix the system for occupational therapy.

Learn more at: https://otaus.com.au/no-ots-no-ndis

27/06/2026

🚩 Sudden school refusal. Food restriction. OCD. Rage. Sensory changes. Loss of previously mastered skills.

When these symptoms appear almost overnight, there may be more going on than anxiety, autism, ADHD, or "challenging behaviour."

It could be PANS/PANDAS.

Despite its significant impact on a child's everyday functioning, many occupational therapists and other health professionals receive little or no training in recognising this condition. Yet identifying the clinical red flags can fundamentally change assessment, intervention, and the support families receive.

In this 2-hour live webinar, you'll learn:

✔️ How to recognise the key clinical features of PANS/PANDAS

✔️ How PANS/PANDAS affects occupational performance and participation

✔️ Practical occupational therapy assessment and intervention strategies

✔️ How therapy should be adapted during exacerbation and remission

✔️ Real clinical case examples that bring the evidence into practice

The workshop is grounded in the latest research - including my own PhD research - and more than 25 years of clinical experience supporting children with PANS/PANDAS across Australia and internationally.

Whether you're new to PANS/PANDAS or looking to build your clinical confidence, you'll leave with a practical framework you can apply immediately in practice.

Learn more and enrol here: https://www.michellenewby.com/panspandas

25/06/2026

I'm still a little bit shocked by this one.

I was incredibly honoured to receive the Best Presentation Award at OT Exchange 2026 yesterday for my presentation, Tuning In: Supporting Interoceptive Awareness in Neurodiverse Children.

To be honest, this presentation was born out of frustration.

For years, I've worked with neurodiverse children who struggle with interoception and found myself thinking, there has to be more than this.

While the programs we have available are a great starting point, they often felt too simplistic for something as complex as interoception.

That frustration sent me down a rabbit hole of neuroscience, clinical reasoning and a lot of thinking. Over time, it led me to develop my Interoception Ladder Model - a clinical framework I developed from my interpretation of the current neuroscience and many years of clinical practice.

The main message I wanted people to leave with was simple:

Interoception is complex, so our intervention needs to be too.

Not complicated for the sake of it. Just thoughtful. Individualised. Based on understanding where the breakdown is occurring, rather than assuming every child needs the same off-the-shelf approach.

I wasn't trying to present the next big thing. I was simply grateful to have the opportunity to share the way I've come to think about interoception and hopefully encourage people to look a little deeper.

The funniest part? I almost missed the awards altogether.

A friend and I had planned to skip the final session and treat ourselves to a Japanese head spa instead. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!) they were fully booked, so back to the conference we went and decided to stay for the awards after all.

I guess things have a funny way of working out...

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the session, asked questions, challenged my thinking and continued the conversation afterwards. Those discussions are the best part.

Now... if anyone knows where I can book a Japanese head spa in Newcastle, I'm all ears.