Petite Therapy

04/06/2026

Meeting the child where they are is how we enable progress.

This child was initially reluctant to engage in the activity, so our Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) first modelled the activity through play. Before children can explore, learn, and take risks, they need to feel safe.

By demonstrating the activity first, the OTA reduced uncertainty and built trust, allowing the child to observe, process, and understand what was being asked of them before participating themselves.

The use of kaleidoscope glasses reduced visual reliance and encouraged greater body awareness, while the stretchy lycra “giant pants” provided proprioceptive and tactile input through resistance and deep pressure. Catching and transporting balls challenged motor planning, bilateral coordination, postural control, and body awareness, with vestibular input occurring naturally through bending, turning, weight shifting, and movement.

Sometimes progress doesn’t start with asking a child to join in—it starts with creating enough safety for them to want to.

💕 Connection before challenge. Safety before success.

03/06/2026

🤣 When you’re out and about in the OTA world and have to carry your pants on your head… 🩷💙

No one tells you this is what Occupational Therapy Assistants really look like in the community! 🚗

One minute you’re a professional delivering sensory integration support, the next you’re walking across a car park wearing sensory equipment as a hat because you’ve run out of hands! 🤦‍♀️😂

The glamorous side of OT:
✅ Sensory equipment
✅ Giant nets
✅ Balls and resources
✅ Creative problem-solving
❌ Dignity

Wouldn’t change it for the world though! 💕🌟

🤣💙🩷

28/05/2026

🌿 ROOTS FOR PARENTS 🌿

Understanding behaviour at the root cause 💛

A supportive parent course designed to help you better understand:
✨ Sensory processing
✨ Emotional regulation
✨ Meltdowns & shutdowns
✨ Movement & sensory needs
✨ Anxiety & overwhelm
✨ The nervous system

Learn practical, realistic strategies to help your child feel calmer, safer, and more regulated in everyday life.

📅 11th July
⏰ 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Perfect for parents of children with sensory differences, ADHD, autism, anxiety, or regulation difficulties.

🌱 Helping parents move from “managing behaviour” to understanding what the body and nervous system are communicating.

📩 Click on the link to book your place or message for more information.

The petite academy delivers play, drama and musical theatre sessions for 0-16 year olds.

21/05/2026

Another amazing training session completed ✨

Thank you so much to everyone who attended yesterday’s sensory training session. The feedback has been incredible, and it was lovely to hear how informative, practical, and empowering the session felt for staff working across both junior and senior settings.

One of the biggest takeaways from today was this:

🧠 Sensory circuits should never be generic because children are not generic.
Every child’s sensory system, regulation needs, and responses are individual, which means support needs to be tailored, meaningful, and easy to embed throughout the school day.

We explored:
✨ Over and under responsiveness
✨ Sensory patterns and behaviours
✨ Regulation and emotional wellbeing
✨ Easy-to-implement sensory strategies
✨ How to adapt sensory circuits to individual children
✨ Practical ideas that can realistically work within classrooms and school routines

Some lovely feedback from today included:
💬 “I now have a clearer understanding.”
💬 “I feel more confident to deliver sensory circuits.”
💬 “This has made me reflect on the impact of activities as a teacher.”
💬 “I’ve learnt so much about children’s sensory needs and how this impacts learning.”

It is always so rewarding seeing schools and staff wanting to better understand the children they support ❤️

05/05/2026

Early intervention isn’t a “nice to have”… it’s the difference between a child coping and a child struggling.

In the early years, the brain is at its most adaptable. Skills like movement, coordination, regulation, communication and attention are still developing — which means they are much easier to support, shape and strengthen.

When we wait, children don’t just “catch up.”
They often compensate, avoid, or become overwhelmed.

You might see:
• a child refusing to write
• avoiding group activities
• struggling to sit still or pay attention
• becoming anxious, frustrated, or dysregulated

But underneath that behaviour is often:
• sensory processing differences
• reduced postural control
• motor planning (praxis) difficulties
• challenges with body awareness and coordination

If we step in early, we can:
• build strong developmental foundations
• support regulation and attention before patterns become ingrained
• reduce anxiety and frustration
• prevent loss of confidence and school avoidance
• support participation in learning, play and everyday life

If we wait, we often end up supporting:
• low self-esteem
• school refusal
• emotional distress
• more complex intervention needs

Early intervention means:
✨ less struggle
✨ more confidence
✨ better outcomes long-term

It’s not about labelling a child.
It’s about understanding what their body and brain need — and giving it to them early.

04/05/2026

A parent messaged me on Friday:

“My son is constantly being given handwriting practice. He hates it… and it’s destroying his confidence.”

Let me say this clearly—

Handwriting is not a handwriting problem.

It’s what sits underneath it.

Because writing isn’t just about holding a pencil.

It’s about:
• a body that can stay upright without collapsing
• shoulders that can stabilise
• hands that can work without fatigue
• eyes that can track and guide movement
• a brain that can plan, sequence and coordinate
• a sensory system that feels safe and regulated

So when we give more worksheets… more tracing… more repetition…

But ignore the foundations…

We’re not fixing the problem.
We’re reinforcing failure.

And children feel that.

They start to believe:
“I’m not good at this.”
“I can’t do it.”
“I hate writing.”

When actually—

Their body just isn’t ready yet.

This is where occupational therapy changes everything.

We don’t just look at the pencil.
We look at the whole child.

Because when you build the foundations…

✨ handwriting improves
✨ confidence grows
✨ and the child starts to succeed

If your child is stuck in the cycle of “practice more, fail more” —
it’s time to look deeper.

28/03/2026

Yesterday petite therapy had the privilege of delivering sensory training to two schools… and I’m honestly still taking it all in.

This is why I do what I do 🤍

Because this isn’t about equipment.
It’s not about expensive sensory rooms.
It’s about understanding function.

Understanding why a child can’t sit.
Why they move.
Why they shut down.
Why they become dysregulated.

And when that understanding shifts… everything changes.

The feedback has completely blown me away:

🗣️ “Fantastic training. Very practical for day to day classroom use!”
🗣️ “Brilliant options to integrate into everyday school life!”
🗣️ “Amazing ideas to implement into my classroom, thank you!”
🗣️ “So informative and so useful for implementing in the classroom. A brilliant INSET!”
🗣️ “It only takes 5 minutes out of learning to make the next hour worthwhile.”

But this message… this one stopped me:

💬
“I am actually crying Vicky… the training yesterday was unbelievable.
I have my own child with sensory needs and I thought I understood everything… but I didn’t.

I now see why the children are dysregulated after our sensory circuits, in class and at school.

I now understand, it’s not as simple as giving a child a wobble cushion.

I can’t believe where we’ve been going wrong.

Please get this training out there.”
💬

This. This is why.

Because when we truly understand sensory processing,
we stop trying to “fix behaviour”
and start supporting the child.

🌱 From our Roots Programme
Getting back to what actually matters.

✔ Function over equipment
✔ Understanding over assumption
✔ Real strategies that work in real classrooms

If you’re a school and want training that actually changes practice — not just adds more “stuff” — get in touch.

Let’s get it right for these children 🤍

27/02/2026

What an absolute pleasure to hold this event, learning from the best ⭐️

What an incredible few days at ASI2 in ASI Wise | Leyland!

To our brilliant cohort, you have been outstanding. From the depth of your pre-course learning, to your clinical reasoning, to the thoughtful questions and integrity you’ve brought to administration practice, you have truly embodied advanced professional curiosity and reflective practice.

ASI2 demands a shift from knowledge acquisition to precision in observation, fidelity in assessment, and disciplined interpretation. You stepped into that space with rigour and humility.

That matters.
We are so looking forward to:
• Seeing you in your tutor groups
• Continuing the dialogue in Community of Practice peer groups
• Watching your assessment case study presentations unfold. Where your synthesis, reasoning and professional voice will really shine

A heartfelt thank you from the whole ASI Wise team, those who were with you in the room and everyone working diligently behind the scenes in the ASI Wise House.

It takes a community to hold this level of training, and you are now part of that professional community.

Onward to consolidation, application, and confident practice.

26/02/2026

What an absolute pleasure to have Kath Smith and her team, teaching sensory integration to over 50 therapist.



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24/02/2026