OT4me

OT4me We transform lives through occupational therapy and sensory integration, you can book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our therapists.

Not all sensory support is the same. New research suggests that difference shows up in what a child can actually do.If y...
27/09/2026

Not all sensory support is the same. New research suggests that difference shows up in what a child can actually do.

If you are a SENCO or a school leader, you are already making sensory decisions every week. Which pupil needs a movement break. Who needs a quieter route to the hall. What goes in the plan and what stays informal. Usually with limited time and a long list. You are not overthinking it. Those distinctions genuinely matter.

Park and Kim (2026) pooled 23 randomised controlled trials of sensory integration therapy with children. They found improvements in motor skills, in daily functioning, and in the individual goals set for each child.

The largest effects were on those individual goals. And they were most pronounced where the therapy stayed close to Ayres Sensory Integration principles.

That is the part worth sitting with. Universal adaptations, targeted strategies and fidelity-grounded intervention are three different things, and the evidence does not treat them as interchangeable.

Which gives you a sharper question to ask. Not "do you offer sensory support" but "what is this practitioner trained in, and does the intervention hold to the model it names".

Because the goals that moved in these studies are not abstract. Getting into the building. Staying at the table. Managing the corridor between lessons. Regulation first, then learning.

Small hinges open wide doors.

Park, S. H., & Kim, E. Y. (2026). Effects of sensory integration therapy in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 172, 105269.

For the SENCOs here: when you arrange sensory input for a pupil, what do you currently ask about the approach?

25/09/2026

Ever noticed children come in from a windy playtime full of beans? 🌬️

There is a sensory reason for it. Louise Newton, Clinical Director at OT4me, explains.

When the wind blows, it moves across the skin unpredictably, switching from light pressure to deep pressure without warning. It whips around the ears too. The trees rustle more, everything gets a little louder, and all of that sudden, changing input puts the body on alert.

So a child who comes in wound up on a blustery day may simply have had a lot of sensory input.

Louise suggests talking about the weather on the way to school or home. How does it feel? Is it cold? Do you need your coat on? Small questions like these help children notice what their body is feeling.

Book a free 30-minute call with an OT 👉 ot4me.co.uk/book

Six people whose minds work differently, and what they went on to do.Simone Biles (ADHD): "Having ADHD, and taking medic...
23/09/2026

Six people whose minds work differently, and what they went on to do.

Simone Biles (ADHD): "Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of nothing that I'm afraid to let people know."

Dav Pilkey (dyslexia and ADHD): "My dyslexia helped me too. It helped me to choose my words very, very carefully."

Michael Phelps (ADHD): "I look at myself everyday and I'm so proud and so happy of who I am and who I was able to become."

Lewis Hamilton (dyslexia): "Just know that you're no less. Your mind just works in different ways, and you're gonna do amazing."

Jamie Oliver (dyslexia): "Let's make sure no child is left behind."

Temple Grandin (autism): "The world is going to need all of the different kinds of minds to work together."

A few simple ways to share these stories at home:
• Let your child pick the person they like most, and start there.
• Talk about what they're brilliant at, not just what they found hard.
• Read their quote together and ask what it means to your child.
• Notice your child's own strengths, and say them out loud.

Photos: Agência Brasil, Claire Knights, Karl Gabor and Peabody Awards (CC BY), via Wikimedia Commons.

22/09/2026

The school run often starts long before anyone leaves the house.

Louise Newton, Clinical Director at OT4me, has one principle for it: keep the morning as calm as it can be, and move the tricky jobs to the night before.

In practice that looks like:

Hair washed and the knots brushed out the evening before, so nobody is working through them at 8am
Uniform laid out and ready
Lunch made and in the fridge

None of that is about being organised. It is about how much a child, and a parent, can manage when everyone is tired and the clock is running. A morning with three difficult jobs in it asks a lot of a nervous system that is still waking up. Moving two of them to the evening leaves more room for the bits that cannot move.

If mornings in your house are hard at the moment, that is worth taking seriously rather than pushing through.

Book a free 30-minute call with an OT 👉 ot4me.co.uk/book

Some students you hope never leave.Nikki spent the final-year placement of her occupational therapy training with us. Sh...
21/09/2026

Some students you hope never leave.

Nikki spent the final-year placement of her occupational therapy training with us. She is now a permanent part of the OT4me team.

What that means for your child:

A therapist who meets them where they are that day, not where the plan says they should be
Sessions that are fun on purpose, because motivation is what makes therapy work
Sensory integration training with Ayres' Sensory Integration WISE, starting now, so her practice is built on ASI rather than something that resembles it

We work alongside you and your child, and Nikki is part of how we do that.

Welcome, Nikki. We are so pleased you stayed.

Because progress starts with someone your child trusts.

Book a free 30-minute call with an OT at ot4me.co.uk

19/09/2026

Two children pick up the same warm cup. One puts it down straight away. The other holds on, and only notices a few seconds later.

Nothing about that is carelessness, it is how quickly the message travels via the brain.

Lizzie Huxford, one of our occupational therapists and a Clinical Director at OT4me, explains it in terms of thresholds. Touch is a sense like any other, and everyone has a level of input their body needs before it responds.

A low threshold means only a tiny bit of input is needed. The signal travels fast and the hand lets go almost before you have thought about it.

A high threshold means the body needs much more input before it registers. The signal is slower. As Lizzie puts it, you might take longer to let go, and you might even get burned, because the transmission is not quite quick enough.

That is worth knowing at home. A child who does not react to a hot tap, a cold coat or a scraped knee the way you expect is not ignoring you or being dramatic. Their body may simply be taking longer to report it.

It is also worth saying that not all behaviour is sensory. If a child regularly does not respond to heat or pain, that is one to raise with your GP as well as with an OT, because there can be other reasons for it.

Book a free 30-minute call with an OT - ot4me.co.uk/book

We have been following the search for Noah Woods alongside so many others, and today our hearts are with his family.Thre...
17/09/2026

We have been following the search for Noah Woods alongside so many others, and today our hearts are with his family.

Three years old, and by every account, adored.

To Noah's parents and his wider family, there are no words that reach a loss like this. And to the hundreds who searched, who walked those fields and waited and hoped, thank you for showing what a community can be.

We are thinking of you all.

Rest gently, Noah.

Some days a hug helps. Some days it's a quiet corner, a run around outside or something to chew.That's completely normal...
16/09/2026

Some days a hug helps. Some days it's a quiet corner, a run around outside or something to chew.

That's completely normal, and it's the thinking behind a feel good menu.

Our Clinical Lead Rachel Derry explains it like this. We all have a sense called interoception. It's the sense that tells us our heart is racing, our tummy feels tight or our cheeks are warm. Children are still learning to use it, and it happens in three steps:

1. Notice the feeling in their body
2. Work out what it might mean, like a tight chest meaning "I'm worried"
3. Do something that helps their body feel comfortable again

That third step is where a feel good menu comes in. It's a short list of choices your child knows can help:

Something to do: move about, go outside
Something to use: headphones, something to chew
Somewhere to go: a quiet space, a rest or a break
Someone to turn to: a hug, a grown-up to ask for help

It's a menu rather than one rule, because what helps on a Monday might not help on a Thursday. Their mood, the room they're in and how big the feeling is can all change what works.

As Rachel puts it, "having helpful actions helps a child to feel more in control." It builds confidence too.

If step three is hard for your child right now, that's okay. They may still be learning the first two steps, and you are not doing anything wrong.

The idea of a feel good menu comes from Kelly Mahler's work on interoception.

Because regulation comes before learning.

If you'd like to talk through what might go on your child's menu, book a free 30-minute call with one of our OTs

Book your call here: https://ot4me.co.uk/book

Most parents tell us they wondered for a long time before they asked anyone.If that's where you are, you're not late, an...
14/09/2026

Most parents tell us they wondered for a long time before they asked anyone.

If that's where you are, you're not late, and you're not the only one. Wondering is reason enough to start a conversation.

Our child-centred autism assessment is carried out by a specialist occupational therapist and a consultant clinical psychologist, working together. It includes:

✔️ A clear answer, and a detailed report with practical recommendations to share with school and your GP
✔️ A sensory assessment built in, so you understand how your child experiences noise, touch and movement
✔️ A feedback session to talk it through, then in-person workshops and online resources for your family

Not sure yet? That's what the free call is for. It's half an hour set aside for your questions, whatever they are. Ask us anything, commit to nothing.

Because when a child is understood, they can thrive.

Book a free 30-minute call with an OT to ask any questions you may have 👉 ot4me.co.uk/book

13/09/2026

"Where are the ear defenders?"

"In their bag."

It is one of the most common things our Clinical Director Louise Newton notices when she visits a school. The equipment has been identified, agreed and brought in. It simply ends up stored somewhere out of sight.

We all tend to use the things that are in front of us. For a child in a busy classroom who is already working hard to stay regulated, remembering that an option exists, finding the bag and unpacking it adds several steps at the moment they have the fewest to spare.

Kept out on the desk, the same pair is visible, within reach, and ready at the point it helps.

As Louise puts it, ear defenders tend to work best when they are treated as part of the furniture, alongside the chair and the desk.

If this sounds familiar, it can be a short question at your next conversation with school. Nothing new to ask for, just where they live during the day.

Because regulation comes before learning.

Address

5 Middlethorpe Business Park, Sim Balk Lane
York
YO232BD

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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07850535965

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