Special Episode: OTX Brisbane 2026

In this special episode, we're sharing the audio recording of our presentation from OTX Brisbane 2026.

Whether you attended the conference and would like to revisit the session or couldn't make it on the day, this episode gives you the opportunity to listen to the presentation at your own pace.

We hope you enjoy the conversation and take away practical insights, fresh perspectives, and ideas you can apply to your own practice.

Be sure to follow us on instagram @ots_figuringitout

This podcast is brought to you by Charge Your Mind Program, WonderGlowOT and Joyful Journey OT.

We acknowledge the Wathaurong people as the traditional ownders of the land on which we work and live here in Geelong, Victoria. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Produced by Hannah Lees

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to OT's Finger and Out. Today's episode is a special one. Hannah and I recorded our OT

Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Exchange conference presentation live, and you get to hear that presentation right here, right now. We hope you enjoy it. Right, picture this. It's 7 42 a.m., shoes are missing, one child is yelling and another is screaming. And a tired mum is whispering to herself, I'm trying so hard, why isn't this working? Our families have moments like this every day. And our big mistake we keep making as OTs is treating a child's regulation like a solo skill. When really self-regulation grows from co-regulation. Welcome. We are Cherry and Hannah, and we are excited to share our practical experience of getting families' regulation ready to explore co-regulation.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

From an OT perspective, regulation is not just a skill that sits inside the child. It is a relational process that shapes participation. If we zoom out using the PEOP model, we can see why. When a caregiver's nervous system is flooded, the environment feels unsafe, daily routines become high demand, and participation drops for everyone. So here's the shift we want you to hold. What if supporting regulation begins not with the child but with the caregiver?

SPEAKER_01 1:31

In this approach, our OT role is coaching. We are supporting caregivers to build self-awareness, reflective capacity, and real life decision making. We're not fixing the child's behaviour. We're building insight so that strategies actually live inside occupations and routines.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

To make this process practical and repeatable, we use our co-regulation model, the in-sync framework. The in-sync framework illustrates how co-regulation supports daily activities for children, emphasising the caregiver's role in supporting regulation. The framework highlights how personal and environmental factors influence co-regulation, guiding caregivers to engage effectively in their child's development.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Our delivery is simple, structured, and visual. There are four aspects that we address. First is the caregiver. This includes their state of regulation, their personal environmental factors, and their experience of the context. Then we have the child. We consider the same factors as the adult, as well as their developmental level and current skill mastery in regulation. Thirdly, is co-regulation. How does the caregiver currently support the child to participate in a given occupation? And lastly, the occupation, the all-important part for an OT. What is it that the child is needing, wanting, or expected to do that's impacted by regulation? These four factors create the framework that guides how we can support families to build skills in co-regulation. This is where we can make a meaningful difference in day-to-day routines and go beyond traditional emotional regulation interventions that OTs utilize.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

When was the last time you actually asked the parents you work with what they know about regulation? In our experience, most of the caregivers we work with report that they know very little about regulation, co-regulation, or sensory regulation. This leads us to the first step in our process: providing caregivers with foundational knowledge and education about regulation. This includes understanding what co-regulation is, helping the caregiver understand their natural regulation style, and understanding their own signs and triggers of dysregulation. We can then use this to inform the development of strategies for the caregiver's own regulation. Once this is mastered, then we can move on to understanding the child's signs and triggers of dysregulation. From this, we can collaboratively build a plan that considers both the child's and caregivers' states of regulation, including practical strategies that supports the relationship that underpins that regulation.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Here's what we see when caregivers are given the knowledge and skills to build their capacity. We start to hear I can tell earlier now. I don't panic as fast, I know what to do in the moment. And the ripple effect is occupational. When the caregiver can stay anchored, routines get smoother, repair happens faster, and therapy goals actually become achievable. Families stop feeling like they're failing at home because participation improves when regulation support is woven into daily life.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

What we've learned from this approach is that it does more than teach strategies. It provides caregivers with insight, confidence, and connection. So if you take one thing from us today, let it be this regulation is relational, and occupational therapists are perfectly placed to coach that relationship. Thank you.