As an occupational therapist, one of the most common questions I hear from parents of preschoolers is: “What should my child be able to do for themselves at this age?” The preschool years (ages 3–4) are an exciting time. Children are curious, eager to try things on their own, and developing the motor, thinking, and social skills that lay the foundation for independence. Self-care tasks, things like dressing, feeding, toileting, and hygiene, are key stepping stones in this jou

A question that comes up from parents/caregivers is around asking what to do when their child, particularly a younger child, starts talking about death or experiences a death in their life. It can cause the adults stress around the best response in order to not traumatise the child.    FIRSTLY, take a breath :)   Remember that it's developmentally normal for children to have lots of questions and be curious around the concept of death/loss even if they've never experienced de

We often refer to this pyramid of learning in OT when supporting a child that has been referred for therapy. When children struggle with learning, attention, or classroom behaviour, the reasons for it often stem from beneath the surface.    This model illustrates how  foundational sensory and motor skills  support higher-level learning. Think of it like a building: if the foundation is weak, everything above becomes shaky.   The OT Learning Pyramid (from bottom to top) Sensor