The Neuroscience of Play in Sensory Integration Therapy: Why Play Builds the Brain

When many parents first bring their child to occupational therapy, they are often surprised by what they see. Children are swinging, climbing, crashing into cushions, building obstacle courses, pretending to be superheroes, or inventing elaborate games. It can look...

Supporting Children and Adolescents with a PDA Profile

Our Approach

If you are parenting a child with a PDA profile, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried approaches that were meant to help – reward charts, consequences, behaviour programs, “firm boundaries,” visual schedules, or repeated prompting – only to find...

Play-Based Speech Therapy: Why Is It So Important?

Speech Therapy

At North Shore Kids Therapy, we all want to see all children thrive, especially when it comes to their ability to connect, communicate, and be understood. There are a variety of approaches which can be used when working with children to develop their communication and...

Helping Kids Feel Safe from the Inside Out: Understanding the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP)

Auditory Sensory Integration Programs

When a child feels safe in their body and connected to the people around them, they are more able to play, learn, and thrive. But for some children—especially those who have experienced stress, trauma, sensory sensitivities, or emotional challenges—feeling calm and...

Understanding Sensory Processing: What It Can Look Like in Everyday Life

Sensory Processing Disorder

As parents, it can be confusing or even frustrating when your child reacts in big ways to things that seem small to others. But sometimes, these behaviours are your child’s way of communicating that their sensory system is overwhelmed, under-stimulated, or simply...

Why play is an essential element of therapy?

foundations of development

The neuroscience behind play and joy in therapy highlights their crucial role in brain development, emotional regulation, and learning. Here are key mechanisms explaining why play-based therapy is so effective for children: Play and Brain Development Neuroplasticity –...

Why Does Speech Therapy at North Shore Occupational Therapy Sometimes Look Like Occupational Therapy?

Speech Therapy

For the Speech Therapists at North Shore Occupational Therapy, one of our key goals is to help children reach their full communication potential. To achieve this, we understand that therapy isn’t just about spoken words, it’s about creating an environment where...

The Pyramid of Learning

foundations of development

The Neuroscience of Play in Sensory Integration Therapy: Why Play Builds the Brain by Janie Echt | Jun 6, 2026 | Our ApproachWhen many parents first bring their child to occupational therapy, they are often surprised by what they see. Children are swinging, climbing,...

Core Strength & Posture

Gross Motor

Occupational Therapists throughout the developed world are reporting an increased prevalence of children presenting with decreased core strength and poor postural endurance. Many theories exist to try to explain this rise in motor challenges in our kids. Some of the...

SPD Red Flags

Sensory Processing Disorder

Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) have difficulty taking in and organising the information from their sensory systems in order to respond appropriately. Many of their behaviours may initially just seem “quirky”, however when these differences begin to...