I'm Brittany
I'm a paediatric occupational therapist in Perth, and I run Kidera.
My week splits in two. Monday to Wednesday I see children one to one. Thursday and Friday I work on Kidera: the guides, the videos, the emails, and now a physical product.
The two halves feed each other. What I see in sessions is what I end up posting about. What people ask me online is what I go and read the research on.
The clinical work
I've been an occupational therapist for nearly nine years. I see kids aged 2 to 13 face to face in Cockburn, Fremantle and Rockingham, and by telehealth anywhere in Australia.
I have a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Graduate Certificate in the Diagnosis and Assessment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. I'm registered with AHPRA.
Children come to me for support with social and emotional development, engagement with learning, or self-care skills.
That includes autistic children, kids with developmental delay or ADHD, children with a trauma history, and children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
How I work
Play is how I run a session.
A child who is enjoying themselves will show me more in twenty minutes than any checklist does.
I work in a neuro-affirming way. I start with what a child can already do and what they actually like, then we look at what's hard and why.
You see your child every day. I see them for an hour.
So a lot of my job is helping parents, teachers and the other professionals around a child read their cues, co-regulate, and adjust the environment at home or in the classroom.
The approaches I draw on: DIR Floortime, Theraplay, Circle of Security Parenting, the Interoception Curriculum, the SOS Approach to Feeding, trauma-informed practice and polyvagal theory.
Kidera
In a week of clinic I might see fifteen families. One post reaches thousands. Kidera is what I do with that.
I write and film about child development, play, behaviour and the research behind it, for parents and for professionals. Practical things. What's typical at four. Why your toddler throws everything. How to set up play at home without buying anything. Which toys are worth the money and which aren't.
Three years on:
The free library has printable activities, toy guides by age, gift guides and the developmental milestones guide. All of it is free, and it stays free.
Building a product
I went looking for a travel activity kit I'd be happy to recommend and couldn't find one. Plenty of busy bags on the shelf. Not many designed by someone who works with this age group for a living.
So I'm making one. The Kidera Travel Play Kit is a grab-and-go activity bag for kids 3 to 6. Eight activities in one small bag. It launches later this year and the waitlist is open now.
Building a physical product is new for me. Samples, safety testing, freight quotes, the lot. I'll keep sharing how it goes, including the parts that don't work.
Join the waitlist
Away from work
I volunteer as a Girl Guide leader. I play piano, read, and game. I get outside when I can, and I watch a lot of sunsets.
People who know me well say bubbly, creative and driven. People who work with me say calm, organised and patient. Both are true, depending on the day.