Helping Your Child Succeed at School: Simple OT Tips for Parents
If your child comes home with messy handwriting, has trouble sitting still during homework, or finds it hard to open their lunchbox, you’re not alone. Many children need a little…
Blogs
The latest news and health articles.
How to Support Your Child’s Speech Development
A child’s speech development begins well before they start speaking in full sentences – being exposed to speech and language builds the foundation for expression and understanding in early development…
MAHJONG : Mind, Memory & Meaningful Moments
Celebrating International Mahjong Day Every year on August 1st fans of strategy, tradition, and connection gather around game tables across the world to celebrate International Mahjong Day—a day that honours…
Making Book Week Magical
Book Week – An Annual School Event Book Week is a special time in the school calendar where reading, creativity, and fun come together. For many children, one of the…
Using Food To Boost Your Immune System
“You are what you eat.” How many times have you heard that? As it turns out, when it comes to boosting your immune system, it just might be true! What…
How Food Can Affect Your Mood
Mental health disorders such as depression has huge impacts on society. Although we are much better at recognising and treating depression, data suggests that depression rates are increasing, especially amongst…
NDIS Plan Management – Why it’s a good idea!
If you have or are soon to receive an NDIS Plan, you may also have been asked to consider how that Plan will be financially managed. Some NDIS participants opt…
Why Is The Therapist Just Playing “Games” With My Child?
Have you’ve ever peeked into your child’s therapy session and thought,“All they’re doing is playing games!” You’re not alone – and you’re not wrong to wonder. As a Therapist, I…
Therapy: Why a Psychologist is better than AI
In a world where technology is advancing faster than ever, it’s tempting to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) for solutions to everything—including our mental health struggles. AI-powered chatbots and mental…
Talking to Children About a Sporting Hero’s Suicide
When a beloved sports figure dies by suicide, the shock ripples far beyond the headlines. For children who look up to athletes as superheroes, the news can be confusing, scary…
Tips for Staying Healthy in Winter
When winter arrives and the temperature drops, it’s a good idea to change things up a bit in order to stay healthy. Sometimes, changes that occur in colder weather are…
Viewing Your Child, And Their Disability, Differently.
If a child who uses a wheelchair cannot attend a playground because it lacks ramps, the issue is not their inability to walk—it is the lack of accessible design. Empowering parents to act using the Social Model of Disability.
Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder
When Seasons Change, So Can Your Mood As the leaves fall or frost begins to blanket the ground, many people find themselves feeling more sluggish, less motivated, and unusually down…
School Refusal – A Concerning Rise
Recent research highlights a concerning rise in school refusal among children and teenagers in Australia, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. School refusal is defined by a child’s severe emotional distress…
Understanding ADHD: What It Is and How It Affects Adults
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a condition that affects both children and adults. While it’s often diagnosed in childhood, many people don’t realise they have it until they…
The Power Of Words
Why Word Choice is so impactful in Mental Health and Psychology Language is more than just a means of communication—it shapes our thoughts, emotions, and the way we perceive ourselves…
Technology Use: Disadvantages and Benefits
What have you recently been looking at online? A new recipe to try, a million suggested home DIY projects, or just lots of clips from your favourite shows? The internet…
Why Physical and Mental Health are Connected
Why does my Psychologist ask me about my physical health? Lots of adults and adolescents question why their psychologists or counsellors are so interested in their physical health. In fact…
How to start the new year off on the right foot
Most people start the new year by making resolutions (new year, new me). Many resolutions fall into roughly one of three categories: The idea behind a resolution is to effect…
“4 Simple Tips for Mental Wellbeing During the School Holidays”
The school holidays are a time of excitement and relaxation for many families, but they can also bring their own set of challenges, especially when routines are disrupted. Here are…
Easy No Bake Treats for the Holiday Season
You can download each of these recipes here: 1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls Ingredients: Instructions: 2. Rice Crispy Treats Ingredients: Instructions: 3. Peppermint Bark Ingredients: Instructions: 4. Coconut Snowballs Ingredients…
The Importance of Teaching SKILLS in Positive Behaviour Support
Why it’s important to teach ‘replacement behaviour’ skills in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
Tips for Studying for Exams: Ace Your Tests with Confidence
Exams can be a source of stress for many students, but with the right strategies, you can approach your studies with confidence and clarity. Here are some effective tips to help you prepare for your exams and boost your performance.
Progressive ABA: How Applied Behaviour Analysis has Evolved
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has evolved significantly since its establishment, moving away from rigid methodologies towards a more individualised, dynamic approach called Progressive ABA. This method incorporates evidence-based strategies while…
Exploring the role of Support Coordinators
NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) support coordination is a service designed to help people with disabilities navigate the supports and services available to them. Here’s a straightforward explanation to help…
Coping with the Loss of a Famous Figure: A Guide for Teens
The world can feel particularly heavy when a beloved celebrity passes away. Whether it’s a musician whose songs resonated with your life, an actor who inspired you, or an athlete…
Encouraging Exercise for Children with Autism: Benefits and Overcoming Barriers
As parents, we all want the best for our children, and ensuring they get enough physical activity is a crucial part of that. For children with ASD, exercise can offer…
Exploring Our Sensory Systems and Strategies You Can Use
Have you ever stopped to think about how you experience the world around you? From the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies to the gentle rustle of leaves on a…
The Right to Disconnect
From the 22nd of August, employees will have the right to clock off form their work shifts, and not respond to business calls or emails after hours. It is being…
What NOT to do on Weekends to Improve your Mental Health
Weekends can feel like a time you should relieve yourself from your obligations and simply rest up. However, while relaxing is important, there are some things that you could be…
Overcoming Procrastination for Individuals with ADHD
Procrastination is a common struggle for many people, but for individuals with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), it can be an especially persistent and frustrating challenge. ADHD affects executive functioning…
Understanding Screen Time: An Occupational Therapist’s Insights on the Development of Australian Children
Screen time has become a significant factor in the daily lives of children across Australia and all over the world. In Occupational Therapy, the developmental impact of screen use is…
How Food Affects Your Mood
Mental health disorders such as depression has huge impacts on society. Although we are much better at recognising and treating depression, data suggests that depression rates are increasing, especially amongst…
Functional Capacity Assessments: What are they, and why do we need them?
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment? Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs) are comprehensive evaluations designed to assess an individual’s ability to perform a range of work or school-related tasks and daily…
Success with ADHD
“Which one of these facts about ADHD surprises you the most?” I asked my 10 year-old client who had just recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. He pointed…
Packing a Healthy Lunchbox
Well-balanced, healthy lunches and snacks are important for active and growing children. Nutritious lunches and snacks help children concentrate and learn. Most children require three meals a day and two…
School Refusal
School refusal is a complex and concerning issue that affects children and adolescents worldwide, including in Australia. It refers to a child’s persistent reluctance or refusal to attend school, which…
AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
What is AAC? AAC are alternative ways to communicate when a person: Augmentative communication refers to adding or supplementing speech. For example, communication boards or sign language. This can make…
Echolalia: What is it and what do I do if my child is using it?
What is Echolalia? Echolalia is a term used by Speech Pathologists to refer to the repetition or echoing of language – repeating the words and phrases that others have said…
Coping with Financial Struggles – Top Tips
The past few years in Australia have been very challenging for many people especially when it comes to financial struggles. With a tighter, post-pandemic economy, more and more Australians are…
How to Choose the Right Allied Health Clinic
If you’re looking for the right allied health clinic for you, it’s essential you find one that can provide the services you need and help achieve your goals. But how…
Top 5 Benefits of Speech Pathology
About Speech Pathology Speech pathology is a unique discipline of allied health that focuses on diagnosing, treating and improving speech and language disorders. Speech therapy is helpful for both children…
A Guide to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Our amazing psychologists provide a range of therapies and utilise a number of strategies, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy? Cognitive behaviour therapy is often referred to…
What is a Mental Health Care Plan?
If you’ve called our spectacular admin team looking to book an appointment with our psychologist, you may have been asked whether you have a Mental Health Care Plan. Mental Health…
How to Claim As a Self-Managed NDIS Participant
Being a self-managed NDIS participant comes with its benefits and challenges. Self-managed participants enjoy greater control and involvement with how they use their funds but without the proper level of…
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment?
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment? A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is carried out by a professionally trained occupational therapist to analyse one’s abilities in carrying out their daily activities…
NDIS Plan Manager – what do they do?
Some NDIS participants opt to self-manage their funding. Others choose for the NDIA itself to manage their funding. Whilst a few prefer using a Plan Manager. However, if you’re considering…
New Year Resolutions: how to achieve your goals
Setting New Year Resolutions is a popular activity. As we inch our way towards the end of the year and the New Year begins to rear it’s head, we all…
Young People and vaping: Is it Safe?
Vaping among young people is becoming more and more common. And more and more worrying. What is it? Is it safe? What can you do about it for your children…
Service Agreement: why use them?
When an NDIS participant comes onboard with One Central Health as a client, we’ll provide them with a Service Agreement. Some clients become confused as to what a Service Agreement…
Clinical psychologist vs psychologist
What is the difference between a psychologist vs clinical psychologist? And for that matter, what exactly is a psychiatrist? The numerous different practitioners in the area of mental health can…
The pros and cons of telehealth
Telehealth is here to stay. While medical, health and therapy consultations have been available via telehealth for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic really brought this new form of dispensing healthcare…
How to understand your NDIS Plan
An NDIS Plan can be quite a confusing document. But the truth is that it’s really not that hard to understand with a little bit of guidance. In this article…
What Are Social Skills?
You may have heard the term “social skills” used by a therapist, clinician or teacher. But have you wondered what is meant by the term, why are they important and…
ADHD Assessments – a guide on how it works
One Central Health provides clinical assessments across a range of disorders and conditions, including ADHD assessments. In this guide, we’ll outline what ADHD is and how our assessment process works…
Billable Service – understanding the NDIS
When it comes to the NDIS, what constitutes as a billable service can be confusing. There are strict guidelines outlining what One Central Health and other registered providers can and…
What is a Key Worker and why do they matter?
When you receive allied health and/or NDIS services from a provider, you may come across the term “Key Worker”. Key Workers are especially important when you are working with a…
A Guide to Becoming an Occupational Therapist
Working as an occupational therapist, often just referred to as an OT, can be a very rewarding career choice. Occupational therapists at One Central Health help our clients and their…
7 Upper Body Strength OT Activities That Can Help
Occupational therapists are professionally trained to help you or your loved one improve across a wide variety of physical and functional activities, including those requiring upper body strength. The Importance…
10 foods to avoid and the right way to do it
For many individuals looking to improve their eating habits, one of the first things that they try to find out are which foods to avoid. In this article, we’ll outline…
Mental Health: How To Have A Conversation About It With Your Loved Ones
Mental health can be hard to talk about, especially with those you feel closest to. Even though it can be uncomfortable, it is important to talk to your loved ones…
A Guide to Becoming an Allied Health Assistant
Allied health assistants are invaluable team members in any multidisciplinary allied health organisation. If you’re considering a career in therapy, especially behaviour therapy, consider working as an allied health assistant…
Dealing with traumatic news: how to talk to your children about it
We live in a world where, unfortunately, our children are subjected to traumatic news. Do you know how to talk to your children about traumatic events when they happen? Thanks…
NDIS Support Coordination: An introductory guide
Have you heard about Support Coordination but not too sure what it means or whether you could benefit from it? In this introductory guide, we’ll help you understand what Support…
A Guide to Becoming a Speech Pathologist
Are you thinking of starting a career as a speech pathologist? Speech pathologists, or speech therapists as they are sometimes referred to, assist clients with a wide range of therapies…
A Guide to Becoming a Dietitian
If you’re passionate about food, wholesome eating habits and making a positive difference in the lives of others, a career as a dietitian can be really rewarding and motivating. In…
A Guide to Becoming a Psychologist
Working as a psychologist can be very rewarding as you help clients of all ages and abilities live happier, healthier and more meaningful lives. If you’re considering pursuing a career…
The NDIS: Everything you need to know to get started
Whether you have heard of the NDIS before but have no idea what it is or you’re already an approved participant but don’t really know much about it, we’ve put…
How do Telehealth Autism Assessments work?
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has become increasingly common and popular for use across allied health services. Here at One Central Health, we offer comprehensive therapy and…
Allied health professionals are critical in healthcare
We’re extraordinarily fortunate to be living in the day and age we find ourselves. After all, we’re the beneficiaries of many, many years of medical/health research, development and discovery. One…
Does your child need occupational therapy?
There’s a lot of uncertainty around occupational therapy, including what it is and who needs it. That’s why we’ve come to help the dust settle and explain everything you need…
What is ABA therapy and why is it controversial?
Understanding ABA therapy Applied behaviour analysis therapy is often referred to as ABA therapy or even just behaviour therapy. It’s an evidence-based, effective form of therapy to help kids learn…
What is a stutter and how is it treated?
A stutter is one of the most commonly known and recognisable speech and communication impairments. As a recognised speech disorder, a stutter can present in a variety of ways and…
Can a psychologist help you make life decisions?
Life is full of decisions. Some are small and insignificant in the scheme of things, like what to eat for breakfast. Others can seem overwhelming in their importance, like who…
How to best set up your home office
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in more ways than one. The number of people working from home has increased tremendously over the past year and a half, especially…
Stress Management: Tips To Help You Live Happier
Everybody experiences stress. It’s unavoidable for the most part and a part of life. But so is stress management. If you’re experiencing high levels of stress or are finding that…
How to boost your immune system with food
“You are what you eat.” How many times have you heard that? As it turns out, when it comes to boosting your immune system, it just might be true! What…
Specific Learning Disorders 101
Specific Learning Disorders: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia & Dyscalculia Have your heard of the term Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) before? How about dyslexia? Or dysgraphia and dyscalculia? More and more people seem…
Tech Use By Children: A Guide For Parents
Technology use is now an integral and imbedded part of everyday life. As we move well into the third decade of the 21st century, we’re becoming increasingly dependent on a…
PBS: What is Positive Behaviour Support?
What is PBS? Positive Behaviour Support, or more commonly shortened to PBS, is a behaviour management system based on scientific evidence and research. It aims to improve the quality of…
How to get your kids to eat more vegetables
Eating vegetables as part of a balanced diet is really important. Getting kids to eat more veggies, however, can be a real struggle for some families. In fact, the recent…
Autism Assessment: A guide on what to expect
Autism assessment: An introduction The team at One Central Health provides autism assessments for clients of all ages. While the word ‘assessment’ might sound scary, the truth is that the…
Couples Therapy: How do you know if you need it?
If the thought of attending couples therapy seems overwhelming and daunting, you’re not alone. While couples therapy is quite often very valuable and useful for repairing, futureproofing, or just enhancing…
Speech Therapy: Activities to Promote Language
Speech Therapy: Activities to Promote Language with Late Talkers and Preschool Children Speech pathology is the assessing, diagnosing and treating of various communication disorders. If your child is experiencing difficulty…
What is IQ and does it matter?
You have probably heard about IQ before. You may even have taken some free online quiz that promises to reveal how smart you are compared to Albert Einstein or Stephen…
How Food Affects Your Mood
The food we consume can significantly impact our gut microbiota as we know that greater microbial diversity is associated with better health outcomes. Some of the world’s best diets linked to longevity are all high in plant-based foods.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a provisional psychologist?
Do you know what the difference is between a psychologist and a provisional psychologist?
10 Myths About Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder–most commonly referred to as just ‘autism’ and sometimes ASD–affects roughly 1 in 100 people. There are a ton of misconceptions and myths out there about autism and autistic people.
10 Tips for Improving Your Mental Health
We all understand how important it is to keep our bodies healthy and well. Even though the understanding around mental health is improving in modern society, there is still a…
An Introduction to One Central Health
Welcome to One Central Health’s blog page! When it comes to health and wellbeing, it’s important that you have easy access to a reliable and reputable source of information and…