Holistic regulation and co-regulation at home: Clinical reasoning and practical teaching tools (March 23, 2027)

Presented by: Elizabeth Bell, OT Reg. (Ont.) and Nicole Raftis, OT Reg. (Ont.)

Understanding why regulation varies across children, situations, and developmental stages can help occupational therapy professionals support participation in home routines and family life. Regulation is often addressed in fragmented ways, with sensory-motor, emotional, and cognitive factors considered separately. Building on occupation-based and developmental approaches to pediatric practice (CAOT, 2024; Cahill & Beisbier, 2020), occupational therapy professionals can utilize a clinically developed framework for understanding regulation through a holistic, developmentally attuned lens.

This webinar provides you with practical knowledge and strategies to support regulation in children and youth through a holistic, developmentally informed, and occupation-based approach. Regulation will be explored as an interaction among sensory-motor, emotional, and cognitive processes that shape participation in daily activities, learning, and social engagement. The webinar will introduce selected examples from a co-developed clinical reasoning and caregiver coaching framework: the Construction Crew and the Speeeed-O-Meter. Practice examples will illustrate how you can translate developmental and neuroscience concepts into shared understanding with children and caregivers, with a focus on co-regulation, caregiver coaching, and application within everyday home and family routines. 

  You'll learn to:

• Identify key sensory-motor, emotional, and cognitive factors that influence regulation in children and youth and describe how these factors interact within everyday home routines and family contexts.
• Describe how a holistic, developmentally attuned, and relationship-focused approach can support co-regulation, children’s self-understanding, caregiver coaching, and participation in home and family occupations.
• Apply an integrated clinical reasoning approach to case-based examples by considering why regulation challenges may be occurring, what regulation states are present in the moment, and how therapists can guide caregiver coaching and intervention planning.

Client age group

Young children (0-4 years), Children (5-12 years), Adolescents (13-19 years), Adults (20-64 years)

Areas of practice

Mental health, Neurodiversity, Parental health, Pediatrics, OTA

Level

Intermediate (3-5 years of experience in this specific practice area) 

Language

English 

Presenter

Nicole Raftis, OT Reg. (Ont.)

Nicole is an occupational therapist with over 30 years of experience in pediatric practice. She works closely with children, youth, and families, with a focus on developmental skills and mental health. She provides multifaceted services through her private practice, in school and community settings, including through Insight Psychology, and directs the Equine-Assisted OT program at Pathway Ponies. Caregiver coaching is central to her practice, which led her to co-found the TREEO OT Resource Library. Nicole is currently piloting a holistic regulation curriculum in school and clinic settings. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor at McMaster University, where she supports occupational therapy student practicum education and mentors early-career clinicians.

Elizabeth Bell, OT Reg. (Ont.)

Elizabeth is an occupational therapist with 35 years of experience in pediatric practice. She works closely with children, youth, caregivers, educators, and community partners, with a focus on sensory, motor, and regulation-related practice. She holds an MHSc in Bioethics and is currently a PhD student at McGill University in health sciences education, where her studies focus on ethics and knowledge practices. She has worked across private, interdisciplinary, and community settings, providing clinical services, consultation, and education. Elizabeth is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at McMaster University and is involved in occupational therapy teaching, mentorship, and practicum education. She is also a published author and a co-founder of TREEO OT.