E21. For the Sheer Joy - with Occupational Therapist Kaya Lyons

In this episode we chat with Occupational Therapist Kaya Lyons of Active OT for Kids about how Child Development occurs naturally through play, connecting & exploring. We discuss trauma and the impact on development and interactions and how therapy can and should be integrated into daily life.

Discussion

• How occupational therapy helps children to live a joyful life, and how Kaya has created her business around collaboration and sharing of ideas so that she can deliver therapies for children based on their individual needs, with the main goal of creating joy and wonder in the learning and development of children

• How long periods of stress to the system can cause trauma – this means that children can stay in survival mode which may prevent them from thriving

• Trauma impacts children with limited attention, withdrawal, hyper-vigilance which are all coping strategies. This limits their ability to thrive

• How we can support wellness so that we can bring a child’s system out of survival and into thriving

• How nature provides enriched opportunities for sensory engagement, feeling emotions, engaging in cognition and connecting with nature

• Ultimately joy is the window to connect everything

• Keeping therapy simple for families so that we remove the pressure 

• How Kaya created an outdoor camp experience for children who suffer from trauma

• How Kaya balances her professional life with homeschooling her three daughters. 
  
  Kaya Lyons Bio

  Kaya is a dynamic Occupational Therapist who is driven to find the ‘key’ to unlock every child’s unique abilities in order to achieve success in life. Kaya is the director of Active OT For Kids and sets exception as her norm.

  She has extensive training and experience working with children with autism, trauma, physical disabilities, genetic disabilities, emotional and behavioural disorders, global developmental delays, and specific learning difficulties. Kaya’s professional skills provide a platform for her to work with babies through to adolescents with complex needs.

  She values the importance of play, attachment and being active in nature. 

• Kaya Lyons - Active OT's Contact Details

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Youtube

• Outdoor Therapies - An Introduction to Practices, Possibilities, and Critical Perspectives

References

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

• The Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal

• Body Dreaming in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma by Marian Dunlea

Free Downloadable

And if you’d like a little inspiration to get your family outside, click here to get our FREE Nature Scavenger Hunt printable.

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