Many mothers with disability are navigating systems that don’t make room for their realities.
I’m here to support you in ways that respect your body, your nervous system, your capacity, and your lived experience.
Let's dive deeper ↓
Let's dive deeper ↓
Parenting is demanding. Parenting while living with disability or chronic illness can add layers of complexity that aren’t always visible to others.
At Ostara Occupational Therapy, I work alongside mothers, parents and caregivers to support the everyday doing of life and parenting, in ways that respect your body, your nervous system, your capacity, and your lived experience.
This support is practical, relational and grounded. It’s about helping you parent sustainably and with more confidence, not about fixing you or pushing you beyond your limits.
“The most powerful therapy is human connection."
BRUCE PERRY
Who is this support for?
I work with mothers, parents and caregivers living with a wide range of experiences, including (but not limited to):
Intellectual disability
ADHD and autism
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS / hEDS)
POTS and autonomic conditions
Chronic fatigue and energy-limiting illness
Cerebral palsy
Complex or chronic health conditions
Trauma histories
Psychosocial disability
Fluctuating, invisible or evolving support needs
Vision loss
You don’t need to fit neatly into a category to belong here.
What support can look like
Support is individual and responsive, and may include:
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Managing executive dysfunction (planning, initiation, organisation, prioritising and decision-making)
Reducing cognitive and emotional load associated with parenting
Problem-solving and finding work-arounds that actually fit your life
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Understanding sensory preferences and sensitivities (yours and your family’s)
Sensory profiling or modulation to support regulation and wellbeing
Nervous system care in the context of parenting, stress and fatigue
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Support through matrescence when parenting intersects with illness, disability or neurodivergence
Navigating overwhelm when capacity fluctuates day to day
Gentle pacing and capacity-aware strategies
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Setting up your home or nursery to reduce strain and increase safety
Modifying baby-care tasks and environments
Recommending adaptive equipment where helpful
Supporting funding applications when required
(Clinical recommendations can be provided; funding decisions sit with external bodies.)
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Supporting mothers to develop play skills that feel accessible, enjoyable and sustainable
Exploring ways to connect and engage with your baby or child that suit your energy, sensory needs and confidence
Making play less overwhelming and more relational — not performative
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Supporting mothers to develop play skills that feel accessible, enjoyable and sustainable
Exploring ways to connect and engage with your baby or child that suit your energy, sensory needs and confidence
Making play less overwhelming and more relational — not performative
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Emotional regulation skill development
Supporting stress, anger, shutdown and overwhelm
Mental health–informed occupational therapy support
Parent coaching grounded in compassion and practicality
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Lifestyle redesign and routine development
Creating rhythms that honour energy, pain and capacity
Building predictability without rigidity
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Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) support
Reflective, relationship-focused parenting without judgement
Functional capacity assessment reports
I do offer Functional Capacity Assessments for parents and caregivers. This service is currently on hold. Future availability will be shared via the website and mailing list as openings arise.
How support is offered
Support may be provided:
In person (where appropriate)
Via telehealth
Over short- or longer-term engagement, depending on your needs
Every piece of work is grounded in collaboration, respect and realism.
My role is to support parents, not to assess or judge them.
I do not provide reports or assessments for:
Child protection proceedings
Determining parental capacity or “fitness” to parent
My work is focused on support, skill-building and participation.
Funding
I work across a range of funding streams and private arrangements.
If funding is relevant to your situation, we can talk through options together.
Does this kind of support feel right for you?
You don’t need to be coping perfectly to reach out.
If something here resonates, you’re welcome to start a conversation. I would love to support you on your journey.