Our Approach
We believe that when children feel safe, connected, and free to explore, they can achieve truly incredible things. That’s why we focus on connection over compliance, curiosity over control, and participation over performance.
Play-Based Therapy
Play is a child’s primary way of learning. We use play-based therapy to build skills in a way that feels safe, motivating, and meaningful. Through play, children develop motor skills, social interaction, emotional awareness, executive functioning, and confidence — all while feeling engaged and successful.
A Neuro-Affirming Approach
PlaySpace is proudly neuro-affirming, meaning we recognise neurodiversity as a natural and valuable part of human development. We do not aim to “fix” or change who a child is. Instead, we work to understand their unique nervous system, sensory profile, and way of experiencing the world — and help them build skills, supports, and environments that allow them to thrive as they are. Our goal is not compliance, but connection, capability, and participation.
Whole-Person & Context-Focused Therapy
Our work is guided by the PEOP Model (Person–Environment–Occupation–Performance), which means we look beyond just the child’s skills. We consider:
• the child’s strengths, needs, and neurodevelopment
• their physical, social, and sensory environments
• the activities they need and want to participate in
This allows us to design therapy that improves not just performance in sessions, but real-life participation at home, school, and in the community.
Building Strong Foundations
Our therapy is underpinned by the Pyramid of Learning, which recognises that higher-level skills such as attention, emotional regulation, and learning depend on strong sensory processing, motor control, and postural stability. We also draw on the Zone of Proximal Development, meaning we support children at the “just-right” level — challenging them enough to grow, without overwhelming them.
Emotional, Behavioural & Self-Regulation Support
We incorporate principles from:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) — helping children understand how thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected, and build coping and problem-solving skills.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) — supporting emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and flexible thinking, particularly for children who experience big emotions.
These models are adapted developmentally and delivered through child-friendly, practical, and play-based strategies.
Our Evidence-Based Approach
At PlaySpace Paediatric Therapy, everything we do is grounded in evidence-based practice and guided by a whole-child perspective. We recognise that children do not develop skills in isolation — their emotions, sensory systems, relationships, environments, and daily occupations all interact to shape how they learn and participate. Our therapists draw from a range of well-established clinical frameworks to ensure therapy is meaningful, effective, and tailored to each child.
Social Thinker's Cirriculum®
Social skills are a key factor in a child’s ability to positively participate in daily activities both as individuals and family units. We recognize the value and the importance of social skills and are prepared to support and foster the growth of such necessary skills.
We use many of Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking Curriculum tools to guide our treatment of social skills, for ages 4- 7 years of age.
Zones Of Regulation Program®
This program is designed for children with social and self-regulation challenges. This program includes fun learning activities to help children recognize when they are in the different zones (moods and states of alertness) as well as lessons on how to use strategies or tools to regulate the zone they are in. Calming techniques and thinking strategies are explored along with sensory supports so each child has a "toolbox" of strategies from which he/she can choose to help self-regulate for better focus and attention, emotional control, and improved peer social interactions.
Writing Without Tears Program®
Handwriting Without Tears is a developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory handwriting instruction program for all learning styles in grades Prep -5. It uses hands-on, multi-sensory materials and was designed in such a way that it introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember. The sessions ran by an Occupational Therapist will emphasis hand strength, pencil grip, letter formation, appropriate sizing, spacing, line orientation, and writing speed.
The Alert Program®
The alert program was developed by occupational therapists Sherry Shellenberger and Mary Sue Williams to teach children self-regulation skills.
It begins by building awareness of and vocabulary to describe levels of alertness using a car engine analogy. Within this approach, children are then encouraged to explore self-regulation tools systematically within each of the senses: movement, touch, vision, hearing, and oral. The personalized sensory exploration portion of this program allows children to identify for themselves the most beneficial and preferred regulatory tools. Once established, this toolbox is used by the child to achieve the most appropriate level of alertness for each situation they participate in.
Equipment Prescription
Our Occupational Therapists can trial and prescribe equipment and aids, to support your child’s participation in everyday activities. These include but are not limited to equipment to support:
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Mobility aids
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Community Access (i.e specialized stroller, wheelchair, car seating)
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Meal time aids (i.e modified cutlery, bowls, cups)
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Postural Supports (i.e. specialised seating and tables/trays
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Various equipment to support Sensory Processing
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Hygiene including toileting and bathing
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Positioning supports
Get a Tailored, Expert Approach for your Child.
At PlaySpace Therapy, we don’t guess when it comes to understanding your child’s needs. Our highly trained team uses an expert lens to deeply understand the ‘why’ behind your child’s challenges, so they can engage with the world, connect with others and grow with confidence.