Understanding Experience Poverty Through a Developmental Lens
In today’s digital childhood, many children are experiencing what researchers call “experience poverty.” When children move, explore, play, and interact with others, they build the neural pathways that support language, regulation, motor skills, and social understanding. Yet many clinicians, educators, and families are noticing something different about modern childhood. Children are often busy, supervised, and […]
The Power of Pretend Revisited: Building Language and Cognition Through Imagination
Pretend play in therapy is far more than make-believe – it’s a powerful way to build language, cognition, problem solving, and social understanding in children. For therapists and educators working with young learners, pretend play offers a natural and engaging way to support development across multiple domains. Whether children are pretending a banana is a […]
Utilizing a Strengths-Based Framework That Is Child-Centered and Play-Focused
A strengths-based play therapy framework reframes how we approach intervention. Rather than centering clinical decision-making on deficits and delays, this approach builds from a child’s existing capabilities to support participation, confidence, and meaningful progress. Traditional training often teaches therapists to identify gaps, analyze low scores, and target what falls below average. Goals are written around […]
Play to Praxis: Building Motor and Speech Planning Through Real Play
Motor planning doesn’t live in just one part of the body. And it certainly doesn’t belong to just one discipline. When a child struggles to speak, move, imitate, initiate, or coordinate their body during play, we are not looking at isolated systems. We are looking at praxis – the brain’s ability to form an idea, […]
“But Roblox Is His Only Interest”: Navigating Screens in Therapy
When it comes to navigating screens in therapy, many clinicians feel stuck. We’re trained to follow a child’s interests to use as a bridge into connection, regulation, and meaningful therapeutic work. Dinosaurs, trains, princesses, superheroes – we know how to translate those into play. But screens are different. When a child says their only interest […]
Pediatric Group Therapy Activities: Warm-Ups, Ice Breakers, and Session Starters for OTP, SLP, and PT
As clinicians, we understand the importance of preparation. In individual therapy, we naturally build in regulation, muscle prep, sensory input, or connection before expecting a child to engage in more complex tasks. We don’t jump straight into fine motor work without first preparing the body. We don’t expect focus without first establishing safety and rapport. […]
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for School-Based Therapists
When therapists understand how to work within multi-tiered systems of support, their impact in schools expands dramatically. Beyond traditional pull-out sessions, school-based therapists can play a critical role in inclusive classrooms, schoolwide support systems, and early intervention. By integrating therapy services across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports, therapists collaborate effectively with educators, […]
Belonging Through Connection: Neurodiversity-Affirming Social Groups in Schools
Social groups are often recommended as a key support for neurodivergent students in inclusive and integrated school settings. Yet many therapists and educators find themselves questioning whether traditional social skills groups truly meet the needs of the children they serve. What does a “social group” actually mean for a child with ADHD or autism? How […]
2025 Play Promoter Prize winner – Angela Mann with Hope Grove
Each year, following the Play Conference, we celebrate one attendee who embodies the heart of what we stand for: bringing play back to children’s lives in meaningful, accessible, and imaginative ways. The Play Promoter Prize recognizes a therapist-led initiative that champions play, inclusion, and creativity in the real world – and this year’s winner, occupational […]
How Play-Based Therapy Transforms Practice With Autistic Children
There’s a growing shift toward play-based therapy for autistic kids – and it’s rooted in both science and experience. Research, lived experience, and practitioner insight all point to the same truth: children learn, connect, and thrive when therapy honors their neurology, not when it asks them to suppress it. Compliance-based methods often prioritise “following directions,” […]