Summer 2025 Newsletter

Here’s to Happy, Sunny Days! 🌞

Summer has arrived, and with it comes a bright season of play, connection, and new adventures. This time of year always brings a special kind of energy. The days are longer, the air is warmer, and children seem to find fresh ways to explore, imagine, and grow.

In this newsletter, we share highlights from our year and offer ideas to help you make the most of the summer holiday. 

Whether your family is enjoying quiet moments at home, outdoor discoveries, or festive gatherings, we hope this season gives you opportunities to strengthen relationships, build skills, and create memories that feel joyful and meaningful.

We are grateful to have spent time with you this year, and look forward to hearing about your wonderful summer adventures.

Staff Changes

Neelam is leaving My Therapy House to begin a new chapter in her life. While we are sad to see her go, we are also very proud of the contribution she has made to our children, families, and team.

Neelam has brought warmth, creativity, and genuine care to her work, and many of you will have seen the positive impact she has had on the children she supports. We know she will take that same passion into her future work.

We wish Neelam all the very best as she steps into this new adventure. We are grateful for everything she has given to our community.

Director’s Reflections

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on what this year has meant for our children, families, and team. Every year has its own rhythm, and this one invited us to stretch, steady ourselves, and stay close to what matters. When I look back, I see a community that kept showing up with heart.

Here are some of the experiences that shaped 2025 for us.

Welcoming future therapists into our space
We supported occupational therapy and speech pathology students throughout the year. They brought curiosity, openness, and a willingness to learn through relationship. It reminded us of the importance of slow, steady, hands on learning.

Sharing our work with the wider community
In August our team presented at the Neurodivergence and Wellbeing Conference on the Gold Coast.
In November I travelled to Perth for the PDA Conference to deepen our work with families whose children have a PDA profile.

Supporting schools in a new way
Our live online PDA course for School Learning Support Officers across New South Wales had around five hundred participants. It showed how many educators want to understand neurodivergent students through safety, autonomy, and trust.

Celebrating ten years of My Therapy House
In July we marked ten years of creating a place where children, families, and therapists can feel safe, valued, and able to grow. This milestone meant a great deal to me and to our team.

Developing new programs and supports
We created new suites of programs so families could choose options that suit their needs and budgets. We focused on flexibility while staying true to our relationship based approach.

Growing our online course offerings
We added more PDA content to Teachable to support families and professionals who prefer to learn in their own time.

Publishing new podcast series
This year we released two significant seasons of The Empowered Parent Podcast.
Series two explored Neurodivergence through grounded stories, gentle teaching, and real examples from families.
Series three focused on PDA and offered families clarity, validation, and practical support.
These conversations continue to reach families well beyond Adelaide and gave many parents a sense of not being alone.

Deepening our learning with DOLLI training
Every month we joined Michele Ricamato for early morning DOLLI (Developmental Observation of Language Links to Intervention.) sessions. This training sharpened our ability to read each child’s communication cues and support them in meaningful moments.

Collaborating with Toni Everard
Toni and I delivered an online workshop for Speech Pathologists in Private Practice. Leadership, clarity, and mindset stayed at the centre of our work together.

Writing and completing two books
I finished writing two books this year: Start Where You Are, Build What You Love: A Therapist’s Real Life Guide to a Heart Led Practice and Attuned Workplaces: The Future Is Neurodivergence.

Both are now in publication. These books hold the heart of what we have learned over many years.

Completing our interim NDIS audit
We passed our interim audit in December with excellent results. This reflects the steady and consistent work of our team and their commitment to high quality care.

Navigating a changing NDIS environment
This year brought ongoing budget changes and early announcements for programs such as Thriving Kids. It has been stressful for families and for providers, yet we continued to focus on relationships, communication, and advocacy. Holding the business steady in shifting conditions took courage and collective effort.

As we finish the year, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks.

Thank you to all the children, clients, and families who taught us so much.
Your trust and your stories shape our work every day.

Thank you to our team for giving your all.
Your compassion and commitment are the foundation of My Therapy House.

We will be taking a well deserved break over Christmas and New Year and will return on January 7th 2025.

Thank you for being part of our community. I look forward to walking alongside you in 2026.

Warmly,
❤ Dana Baltutis
Director, My Therapy House

Students

2025 saw 7 students students undertake their final placement at My Therapy House:

Speech Pathology: Shanna, Sally and Bella 

Occupational Therapy: Erin, Jemima, Lottie and Katie

Mentoring students is one of the ways we help future generations of therapists grow beyond what they learn at university, giving them space to develop their skills in a supportive, practical environment. We have loved welcoming each of our students and learning from the unique perspective they bring. Their curiosity, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas have enriched our practice and reminded us why this work matters.

As they head into different roles across Australia, we know they will take their passion, creativity, and commitment with them. We are confident they will become wonderful therapists in their new workplaces, and we feel lucky to have been part of their journey.

Around the House

New Programs

In 2025 we introduced several new service delivery options to give families more choice and flexibility. These include short program blocks that focus on specific areas of concern, parent consultations that allow for in-depth conversations with your child’s therapists in a way that respects the child by not discussing sensitive information in front of them, and online courses that you can access at any time and complete at your own pace.

We have also continued our 6-week Empowered Parent Program, which gives individual parents the skills and confidence they need to support their child’s goals and to feel secure in their parenting. This program focuses on each parent’s mindset, beliefs, values and emotions, helping them understand their own strengths and supporting them to build a nurturing foundation for their child’s development.

Have a chat with us to learn more!

Infection Control

Please do not visit the clinic if you or your child have any flu-like or cold-like symptoms. 

These can include a runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, headache, stomach ache, nausea or diarrhoea. If you are unsure whether you or your child are well enough to attend, please call the clinic and we will help you work out the safest option.

What is a Sensory Profile?

Did you know that everyone, children and adults, has a sensory profile? Your sensory profile is the unique way your brain and body takes in and responds to information in your environment. This includes the things you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, and how you move. 

You can find some fun summer activities that take sensory preferences into consideration below!

– Bella (Speech Pathology student) and Katie (Occupational Therapy student)

About Sensory Profiles

We all experience the world differently. You and your child may share some sensory similarities, or be completely different. You might love going to the beach and feeling the sand in between your toes, while your child might find that feeling uncomfortable. Or perhaps your child loves loud music, while you prefer quiet spaces. Both are ok, and completely normal!

What’s important, is that you take some time to understand your own sensory profile in relation to your child’s. When you do this, wonderful things can happen including:

• Beginning to recognise why you and your child behave or react in certain ways. Reactions aren’t misbehaviour, but a response to the body not quite feeling right. Perhaps your child had a meltdown at the park because they didn’t like the feeling of being close to lots of people. Or, perhaps you got frustrated with your child at the shops because it was way too noisy for you. When you begin to understand how you and your child’s behaviours are rooted in sensory needs, you can respond to situations with more patience, compassion and empathy. Overall, this can help reduce misunderstandings and frustrations, making life easier for everyone.    
• Accepting and understand your child’s experiences may not align with yours. It can be tricky to understand why your child may not enjoy something in the same way you do. You find the bright, glistening sunlight when swimming in the pool relaxing, while your child finds that it bothers them, and you simply can’t understand why. By connecting these experiences with your unique sensory profiles, you can focus on accepting the differences in your experiences, rather than trying to convince your child that something feels nice. 
• Planning activities and routines that feel good for the both of you. By making small, manageable adjustments so everyone can enjoy themselves. This can make a big difference when planning family time, especially during the summer holidays.

Summer holiday activities based on parent and child sensory profiles

The summer holidays are an excellent opportunity to get outside, explore and play with your child. There are a range of activities you and your child can do, based on similarities in your sensory profiles. Likewise, there are so many strategies you can try to accommodate for differences in your sensory profiles. We have come up with some fun activity ideas below, but feel free to adapt them to best suit your needs.

1: Visiting the park

Similarities in sensory profile:
Don’t like how bright the sun is? Wear sunglasses!

Don’t like crowds or noisy settings? Visit the park at a quieter time of the day (e.g., evening) or a quieter park in the local neighbourhood.

If this isn’t possible, you could also provide your child with the option of wearing headphones at the park.

Mismatch in sensory profile:
You prefer that you and your child wear shoes/socks but your child likes being barefoot? Visit a park with smooth terrain so your child choose to take their shoes off, without risk of hurting their feet.

Your child seeks movement (e.g., running, climbing, spinning) but you prefer to sit back and relax? Bring along a friend, sibling or family member to the park who also seeks movement.

Your child loves heights but you are scared of them? Cheer on your child from the ground, remind them to “keep safe” and involve yourself in the play in other ways, including naming what you see them doing e.g. “I can see you are up very high.” Refer to the picture below for other examples on how to include language in your child’s play!

2: Forts  

This is a good one if it’s too hot to go outside.

Similarities in sensory profile:

Bothered by bright lights? Turn down the lights, or put a lamp on instead! Even better, add fairy lights to the fort if you have some at home. 

Bump into things easily? Only use soft materials to make your fort (e.g., pillows, couch parts), and avoid chairs or other hard furniture to ensure everyone is kept safe. 

Mismatch in sensory profile:

Your child likes tight spaces but you don’t? Instead of forcing yourself to feel uncomfortable, create a play idea where it makes sense for you to be outside the fort. Perhaps you’re a scary monster outside, or you’re driving an ice cream truck driving past. Get creative, the possibilities are endless! 

Don’t like mess? Involve your child in the process of packing away the fort and returning materials where they belong. Perhaps you have a race to see who can clean up the most parts of the fort. Then, the winner can choose how to design the fort next time.

You can use blankets and pillows to make your fort as well! If you’re using blankets, just be mindful to choose ones that are of a texture that doesn’t feel uncomfortable on you or your child’s body.

3: Rock painting 

This can be done indoors or outdoors!
Similarities in sensory profile:
Prefer bright colours? Use vibrant or neon paints to make the rocks eye-catching. You can even add glitter for some extra sparkle.

Find the smell of the paint too strong? Use low-odour paints such as watercolour or chalk paint.

Like the feel of paint on your fingers? Put the brush aside and do some finger painting!

Mismatch in sensory profile:
Your child loves messy play but you prefer to be neat and tidy? That’s okay! Many children seek messy play, as it can help them learn, explore and feel calm in their bodies.

• Create a designated ‘messy play zone’ using an old mat or towel. Make it clear to your child that messy play is to remain within this zone e.g. “we can only touch paint when our feet are on the mat”.
• Join in the play in ways that you don’t need to get messy yourself. Take photos, hand the child clean tools and practise naming so you’re still engaging with your child. If it’s not too uncomfortable for you, you could also wear an old pair of dish-washing gloves and get painting. For ideas on naming, please refer to the poster below!
• When you’re finished with painting, involve your child in cleaning up, encouraging them to rinse brushes, dispose of rubbish and tidy the area.

4: Picnic 

Similarities in sensory profile:

Don’t like the feeling of being close to other people? Have a picnic in the backyard if you have one, or the living room can be just as good. Alternatively, you can visit a quieter park.

If there’s particular tastes and textures which you and your child both prefer, it’s a great idea to pack them so you can enjoy them together. 

Mismatch in sensory profile:

Your child only eats particular, familiar foods while you prefer to venture out and try new foods with stronger flavours? Don’t miss out on what you enjoy. Pack separate foods for you and your child, according to your individual preferences. 

Your child dislikes the smell of your food and the idea of it touching their food? Pack your foods in separate containers and bags, so they don’t touch and odours don’t transfer. Sit in separate corners of the picnic rug for eating, then come back together when it’s time to play. 

Draw your child’s attention to the fact that you both like and dislike different foods. Explain how this is perfectly ok because everyone is different.

Speech tips and tricks

During these summer activities you can continue to build your child’s vocabulary by naming things that you can see. For example, “I can see you are using yellow paint”. It is important that as a parent you use affect (emotions a person shows through their voice, such as tone, energy level, and expressiveness) to interact with your child. This is a strategy we use at My Therapy House to entice your child to share interactions with you. You can use the examples in the poster below to name some actions, feelings, questions and more!

Curious to know more? 

We understand that learning about your sensory profile can be challenging and confusing, especially if you haven’t considered this before. If you are curious to know more about your sensory profile and how it impacts the way you relate to your child, the team at My Therapy House are happy to book a consultation for you to explain sensory profiles in a way that makes sense to you.

Please don’t hesitate to ask your therapist about supporting you and your child to get to know each other’s sensory preferences. We hope you all enjoy the summer holidays! We look forward to hearing about your fun and exciting experiences.

My Therapy House – The Play House

Acclaimed Australian author Phil Cummings has written a special book for us, beautifully illustrated by Egle Gudonyte, that we hope will help families and children when they come to My Therapy House. You can read the book on our website here and download a copy to print at home.

Our eBooks

My Therapy House has published a series of 12 e-books about animals performing different actions to help children learn language concepts through music and play. 

When you buy any of the eBooks, you can access the video corresponding to that particular book with animal puppets performing the actions with the music and song. These videos have been very popular for modelling the actions and songs for children who learn best through video footage and music.

You can purchase these books through the links here.

NDIS News

If you use a Plan Manager to look after NDIS invoice payments, then you need to ensure that you stay on top of communication with them. When NDIS Plans reach their review date, some plans are extended and others are rolled over onto a new plan with new dates. Your Plan Manager may not be able to process our invoices if you have not authorised them to do so after a plan change. You should also notify My Therapy House of new NDIS Plan dates after any plan changes.

You can keep up with any changes to the NDIS Plans you manage by logging in to the My Place portal.

Information about the My Place portal is available on the NDIS Website, here. 

For plans created after May 19, 2025, you can use the My NDIS Participant Portal via My Gov.

It is important to let us know when your child has a new plan. These plans have different funding periods to what you’ve been used to, and this may affect how you access our services.

Medicare Safety Net

If you need to see a doctor or Medicare provider regularly, the Medicare Safety Net could help you reduce out-of-pocket costs.

When you spend more than a certain amount, out-of-pocket (after any Medicare rebate has been reimbursed), on medical expenses in a calendar year you will get a higher rebate. 

You can also register as a family to combine your Safety Nets. Safety Nets are calculated from January 1st to December 31st each year.

You can use the My Gov app to manage your Safety Net. The app also allows you to store a digital copy of your Medicare Card, make Medicare claims, and access immunisation history for yourself and your children under 14.

To use the app you will need your MyGov login details.

Social Media

We post general information, news, and interesting articles on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. This is a great way to get the bigger picture, and we’d love you to follow our pages to see what we share.