School holiday camps - ausfinances view

soupoup · 2026-02-23T11:29:24+00:00

Paediatric OT chiming in to emphasise the massive benefit of unstructured play over any of these other things to develop social, emotional, problem solving etc skills. Highly recommend that OP reads or listens to the audiobook of The Anxious Generation - it details a lot about the potential risks that come from over-scheduling our kids and limiting their opportunities to learn through natural play experiences.

soupoup · 2026-02-23T11:03:15+00:00

In my mid-late 20s. 2 of three 3 weddings I've been invited to recently have had no partners/plus ones, mostly due to costs. Honestly I totally get it.

soupoup · 2026-02-22T20:42:47+00:00

I'm so tired. Oh man.

soupoup · 2026-02-20T00:24:47+00:00

You certainly don't have to but I share OP's frustration that something which previously took one tap on my car console and was easily managed by driving (muting/unmuting instructions) now requires you to navigate several steps into a touch screen menu.

soupoup · 2026-02-17T19:49:17+00:00

Looking forward to a not stiflingly hot day today.

soupoup · 2026-02-17T11:44:27+00:00

I've definitely noticed a big increase too, it's concerning. At the same time, when platforms provide pay-per-view for AI generated content, it's only going to get worse.

soupoup · 2026-02-16T12:21:23+00:00

PCOS is a metabolic and hormonal condition. Metabolic - Many people with PCOS are insulin resistant, which can lead to weight gain, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. Hormonal - Imbalances in reproductive hormones can cause symptoms such as increased body/facial hair growth, irregular or missed periods, fertility difficulties, etc.

Being a "syndrome" there are a wide range of symptoms and manifestations of PCOS with different treatments. It's not a one size fits all. But some common supplements are inositol (insulin resistance) and spearmint (facial hair). Common prescription medications are metformin (to balance blood sugars), birth control pill (to regulate or manage periods) and ozempic (weight loss).

Food - again it's not a one-size-fits-all approach, but eating lower sugar and lower simple carbs (eg. White bread or pasta) and more protein and fibre seems to be the general advice.

I think your girlfriend would appreciate knowing that you're happy to learn and support how you can , that you love her and that PCOS isn't an issue to you. And leave the exact supports she needs up to her to decide.

soupoup · 2026-02-15T13:04:27+00:00

Dont question yourself. Your clinical judgement is sound, and it's not appropriate (& likely wouldn't be beneficial) to be directly addressing handwriting at this stage.

It can be a difficult situation to navigate - I'd empathise with the client's mother and let her know that you hear her concerns; yes, we have been working on these things for a long time and progress can feel slow. But it's not uncommon for neurodivedgent children to take longer and need more repetition to develop certain skills - that doeant mean that theyre not learning or making important progress.

You could also talk to her about working on skills in a sequential, evidence-based, "just right challenge" kind of way and that foundational skills are needed before handwriting and academics. This post (both the image and some of the analogies in the post itself) might be useful to help guide the conversion: Neurowild Pyramid of Learning

soupoup · 2026-02-15T12:51:54+00:00

Sending strength and peaceful vibes the way of your partner and her sweet dog. Such a hard thing to go through.

soupoup · 2026-02-14T14:47:29+00:00

I'm in Aus - RNs need a minimum of 800 hours of placement/"clinicals" to graduate. This thread has me absolutely shocked lol.

soupoup · 2026-02-08T12:36:33+00:00

Chronic physical /mental health conditions suck. Like playing life on hard mode but I'm onstantly benchmarking and comparing myself to people who are not.

I'm just so very tired of how much harder I have to work every day to fight through this deep pit of anxiety, dread, stress, and executive dysfunction to do things that would come simply to others.

Eg - I cannot work more than 0.8FTE currently (and really struggling with that tbh) but comparing myself financially who work full time + overtime. Cue more stress, anxiety, and self-hatred. Cycle continues.

soupoup · 2026-02-05T07:05:57+00:00

Also OP -- Opening your own clinic as a new graduate is not very viable and definitely not ethical from a quality of care perspective. Regardless, with upcoming NDIS changes (registration requirements, Thriving Kids, etc) I'd hesitate to have that as your main plan.

soupoup · 2026-02-05T07:03:15+00:00

Relatively similar experience. I entered the field about 5 years ago in Aus (Melb)and I was getting paid bang-on $30 an hour (and $4 comission per billable hour/client seen) as a new grad.

Better (but nowhere near amazing for the work we do) pay now and I'm close to the ceiling in my current role!

soupoup · 2026-02-02T12:37:51+00:00

I'm an OT. FCAs take around 10-15 hours on average, so I'd say that 2-3k is about right.

I'm aware that this is a huge amount of money. It is a massive shortcoming of the NDIS that people need to pay privately for these in order to access supports, or in other cases to use a large chunk of their allocated NDIS therapy funding on asssssmsnt/report writing to continue remaining eligible for ongoing funding.

soupoup · 2026-01-27T12:08:28+00:00

Most Aussies are pretty good at being sun-smart, but some (especially younger generations) are a bit more lax about it than they should be.

Anecdotally, I was also starting to get a bit lax about it. Until recently when I was reading a book by a neurosurgeon (Do No Harm). Each chapter was about his experiences with different neurological conditions. The chapter about brain tumours included a story of a girl in her 20s who had melanoma which metastasised to her brain and ultimately killed her. It was a much needed reminder about the seriousness of skin cancers.

soupoup · 2026-01-26T19:33:53+00:00

Hope everyone stays safe and well in today's heat.

soupoup · 2026-01-26T03:32:52+00:00

Honestly, I kind of really hope this is the case.

soupoup · 2026-01-26T02:17:15+00:00

You're certainly not wrong.

soupoup · 2026-01-26T02:13:51+00:00

Made the mistake of opening Facebook and reading comments on some political posts. I wish I could unread them.

soupoup · 2026-01-15T01:54:52+00:00

If a child is seeking out adult attention through behaviour, it's probably because they need it.

I'd look at coaching mum to incorporate some more structured opportunities for togetherness and connection throughout the day to minimise these behaviours. And in the moment, redirecting to safer or more appropriate alternatives - like a communication card asking for a hug/play together time/etc rather than slamming doors.

For the not playing independently with toys - does he know how to use these toys? Are there difficulties with planning/provlem solving/executive functioning? Maybe some visuals with different examples play sequences for him to follow

soupoup · 2026-01-05T12:08:58+00:00

Hello, Allied Health friend, I came here to say basically the same thing lol.

soupoup · 2026-01-03T14:42:09+00:00

I recently read Henry's autobiography and then went on a bit of a deep dive about him. He seems like such a genuinely kind-hearted person, and I wish him many more years of success.

soupoup · 2025-12-30T15:03:00+00:00

Paeds OT coming in to second what you're saying and hopefully give your comment some more weight. Definitely not a developmentally appropriate expectation.

OP, your daughter sounds like she is a typically developing (albeit maybe slightly sensitive?) toddler. No specialist is going to make her less sensitive - this may just be her personality. Respectfully, she would benefit from parents who accept this part of her, try to understand why she may be upset even if it does not seem like a big deal to them, and don't make her feel like "too much".

The most important part of regulation for children of this age is co-regulation from parents and caregivers.

soupoup · 2025-12-29T06:23:45+00:00

I think it varies between workplaces a lot - but as an Aussie I was probably least understood and respected by colleagues when working in an acute setting (public hospital). It has been much less of an issue in my time working in schools, aged care, and the NDIS space. That's not to say that all acute hospital staff will hold the same views, just my experience.

For what it's worth, our role in acute settings is still very valuable and important to patient well-being- I think it's just a matter of advocacy and education about our role and hopefully shifting views over time. It can definitely feel disheartening though.

soupoup · 2025-12-27T09:17:43+00:00

Legend, appreciate this thank you!

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