Occupational Therapy

and Sensory Integration Therapy

 

I am a senior occupational therapist and sensory integration practitioner. I graduated from Brunel University in 2019 and have completed post graduate training to level 4 sensory integration practitioner. I have worked in both the public and private sector, in local authorities, specialist and mainstream schools and clinic settings. I have developed and deliver training workshops to raise awareness and understanding of sensory processing difficulties and provide practical strategies that can be implemented by those working in social care and schools, with the aim of improving outcomes for children and adults. 

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In addition to my professional knowledge and skills, I also bring my personal experience of being a mum to a child with Down’s syndrome and a child with ASD, both with sensory processing difficulties. I work in collaboration with children and parents to provide meaningful support to achieve positive outcomes.

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The ability to process sensory information, make sense of the world around us, and feel safe and regulated, is the foundation for all other learning and activities within our lives. I am passionate about supporting people of all ages to develop independence around their sensory needs and levels of regulation and to advocate for their needs.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

and Sensory Integration Therapy

 

I am a qualified Occupational Therapist and graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2013. Initially working in adult and older adult psychiatry, I then moved into the paediatric area and worked in a SEN school in Hertfordshire. Here, between 2019-2023, I worked with students with additional needs including ASD, ADHD, sensory processing differences and learning disabilities. This included developing both classroom strategies and working individually with students.  During this time, I completed modules 1-3 of the post graduate certificate in Sensory Integration Therapy achieving Sensory Integration Practitioner status, and have been practicing since April 2022. I very much enjoy working with children and in helping them overcome their difficulties in order to fulfil their potential.

 

I am a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

and Sensory Integration Therapy

 

I am a Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist in the field of Paediatrics with a passion and focus for Sensory Integration and postural control therapy. I qualified in 2001 with a bachelor of science in Occupational Therapy and proceeded to obtain my postgraduate qualification in Sensory Integration.

  

Over the past 19 years I have worked in both public and private settings and schools and have a wealth of experience in treating babies, mainstream and special needs children as well as young adults in both South Africa and England.

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I work with children experiencing a wide range of challenges (including ASD, SPD, Dyspraxia etc ) hindering their ability to progress in their expected developmental milestones by incorporating traditional clinical OT techniques and enhancing them with advanced Sensory Integration techniques and lifestyle recommendations.

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Working together with parents so that therapy extends into daily life is core to my beliefs in the overall effectiveness of OT. Parents will therefore find themselves often invited into certain parts of therapy, and meaningful discussions are highly encouraged to brainstorm and problem-solve as a team. In doing so, a greater understanding can be developed deriving greater benefit for their children.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

and Sensory Integration Therapy

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After qualifying in 2008 with an Occupational Therapy degree (Brunel University), I worked in a hospital-based role for several years mainly in adult inpatient care and rehabilitation. My passion, however, was to work in paediatrics and in 2015, I transitioned to working with children and young people with barriers to learning and have since gained considerable experience with individuals aged 0-19 years with diagnoses such as ASD, ADHD, attention difficulties, dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder, dyspraxia and/or developmental, behavioural and emotional needs. I have also treated children with Down Syndrome, Genetic Disorders and Cerebral Palsy periodically over my career.

 

I am committed to professional development and have undertaken Modules 1-2 postgraduate training in Sensory Integration with Ulster University. I am also trained as an SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) feeding therapist and support families and children for whom eating is a challenge. 

 

I am used to collaborating with other therapists, parents and families, using a client centred approach to ensure children and young people receive the support they need to reach their potential in education and to participate in meaningful activities in play, school and self-care.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

and Sensory Integration Therapy

 

I am a professional member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and a member of the Children, Young People and Families specialist section. I hold a BSc degree in Occupational Therapy (2014) and specialise in working with children and young people with diverse disabilities including learning disabilities, DCD (Developmental Co-ordination Disorder), Down Syndrome, rare diseases and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I am an Advanced qualified Sensory Integration practitioner and have completed accredited training courses in ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis), CO-OP (to support children with DCD) and the SOS feeding approach.  I was vice president of the scientific committee of the National Meeting of Occupational Therapy Students (Portugal) and took part in “Occupational Therapy, sensory integration – from research to clinical” linked with Seven Senses (Portugal). I currently work in an NHS community-based service as well as providing services to Kids in Sync and local schools. I’ve also worked at Easy Steps – Blooming Tree ABA specialist nursery, as an Occupational Therapist for children with learning disabilities or Autism from 0 to 5 years old.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

 

I was awarded Bachelor of Science in 2016 following an approved honours programme in occupational therapy at London South bank university. My area of practice/specialism for the past 7 years has been centred in the field of paediatrics.

I have been fortunate to work across various paediatric settings including clinic, special and mainstream schools in both public and private sectors. In these different roles, I have seen and treated many children who struggle with sensory processing issues and the impact this has on their learning and function at school. This experience has led to working more closely within education as a sensory development lead. My role involves delivering training to education staff and parents caring for children with diverse needs.  I support them to better understand the role sensory processing plays in children’s development and how to identify associated behaviours. This includes offering practical advice and strategies to support specific sensory needs across the home/school environments. This wealth of experience along with my ongoing curiosity on better ways to support the health and wellbeing of children has been key to my pursuit of sensory integration as a programme for higher education.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy

 

Prior to graduating as an occupational therapist in 2020 I worked for over a decade in education and social care in many capacities and settings ranging from mainstream primary schools to an additional needs college in which my specialism has always been neurodiversity (particularly autism which I myself have only been diagnosed with in recent years). I have supported hundreds of autistic children and young people with their sensory, educational, vocational and independence needs.

 

Once I graduated from London South Bank University (LSBU) with a postgraduate diploma in occupational therapy I worked in children's and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) with a large interest in sensory needs for 2 and a half years before moving into the realm of sensory integration in which I am trained up currently to Module 4 on the Collaborative for Leadership in Ayres Sensory Integration (CLASI) pathway via Ulster University.

 

I am particularly passionate about autism advocacy and assisting children and their guardians to utilise the many evidence-informed sensory integration strategies that exist to better regulate and synchronise our sensory systems so that we may flourish in our pursuits of our interests and passions.

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Wellbeing Therapy & Kinesiology

 

I initially qualified as an Aromatherapist in 1991, becoming a massage tutor for the Tisserand Institute of Aromatherapy. With a strongly developing interest in healing, teaching and coaching others, I gained qualifications and expertise in a number of holistic health therapies, incorporating all aspects of bodywork including Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Applied Kinesiology and Neurostructural Integration Technique, as well as deep tissue massage and structural realignment. Building on my interest in psychology, I continued my professional development, gaining further qualifications and expertise in Neuro Linguistic Programming including time line therapy, allergy process and phobias, specialising in interventions which enable my clients to develop a positive attitude and reach their true potential.  Given the various holistic therapies at my disposal I aim to bring about emotional and physical healing to each individual, on all levels whether they be a stressed parent, an individual with a debilitating illness or condition or an anxious and hypersensitive child on the autistic spectrum.

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Nutritional Therapy

 

I am a fully accredited nutritional therapist. I studied at Westminster University earning a Bachelor of Science with honours in Nutritional Therapy. I have a particular interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Biomedical Therapy and Functional Medicine

 

I am a highly experienced Clinical Nutritionist and Biomedical Specialist with qualifications in Nutritional Genomics, the science of the relationship between genetics, nutrition and health. Through formulating nutritional and biomedical strategies to enhance body and brain connections, I am committed to achieving optimum health for children and young adults on the autism spectrum, as well as those with behavioural and learning difficulties, and food and chemical sensitivities.

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Psychology

 

I am a Chartered Educational Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and a member of the Association of Child Psychologists in Private Practice. I specialise in child and adolescent development and apply psychological models and theories to understand situations to enable children and young people to fulfill their potential. I can provide consultation, therapeutic intervention, training, and expert witness work. I offer detailed specialist assessments (neuro-cognitive and diagnostic assessment) including assessments for a range of challenges including literacy or numeracy difficulties and social or emotional challenges. I also offer diagnostic assessment for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I will formulate interventions to enable children and young people to progress and to work towards clear outcomes. I work, where appropriate, in partnership with school staff, young people and their parents/ carers and other professionals.

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Clinical Psychologist

 

I am a child and adolescent clinical psychologist and carry out neurological assessments including assessments for autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as assessments of learning and cognitive abilities. I also offer therapeutic interventions for a range of child and adolescent emotional and behavioural difficulties. I have qualifications in family therapy and work with families who have been affected by the impact of caring for a child with developmental or mental health difficulties.

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Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Groups

 

I have been working with autistic children since 2002, originally as an ABA therapist. In 2006 I completed training in Relationship Development Intervention (RDI ®) at the Connections Center in Houston, which equipped me with the knowledge and skills to support co-regulation and focus on connection and the relationship with the child. 

 

I have since extensively studied respectful / conscious parenting practices as well as  multiple trauma informed modalities, in particular polyvagal theory, which I apply in group work as well as individual sessions.

 

I have been running therapy groups for autistic children at Kids in Sync since 2021. These are entirely child led and based on a neurodiversity affirming approach.

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Speech & Language Therapy

 

I am an independent highly specialist speech and language therapist specialising in neurodevelopmental disorders and children, teenagers and young adults with complex needs including: Auditory Processing Disorders (in liaison with Dr Tony Sirimanna, Audiological Physician, at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London), Specific Language Impairment, Sensory Processing Disorders & Dyspraxia with language/communication issues (in liaison with Sensory Integration Occupational therapists), Autistic Spectrum/Aspergers/ADHD, Social & Emotional Communication Difficulties (where I offer individual and/or group therapy using social communication programmes and CBT), Selective Mutism, Dyslexia, Individuals with Reading, Spelling & Writing Difficulties and Pre-teen and Teenage Communication difficulties.

Based in Harley Street at the Childhood Communication Consultancy (with an additional practice in Carlton, Bedfordshire), I am also a provider of Cogmed, The Listening Programme, and TalkTools.

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We use auditory systems including the iLs (integrated Listening system) and The Listening System in the clinic at times, according to children’s needs. Parents can also hire/gain access to use these programmes with their children at home.  Neurofeedback is provided by Brain Train UK either at Kids In Sync or via their regional clinics.

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Kids n Sync associates with Child Autism UK and other local ABA practitioners to provide ABA programmes at home and/or in your child’s school.

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Kids In Sync associates with the Terapia Centre in North London and the Butterfly Room in Stevenage who provide specialist counselling, art and play therapy, psychotherapy and bespoke mental health services to children with ASD and other conditions, their parents and their families.

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Kids In Sync collaborates with physiotherapists local to the clinic in North London who specialize in treating children with developmental disorders. Physiotherapy can be delivered at Kids In Sync where necessary.

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