About

Jessica has been supporting children with learning difficulties for over 16 years. Her journey began in 2014 when she volunteered with children with intellectual disabilities in Peru, an experience that inspired her to pursue a Master of Occupational Therapy at the University of Sydney, which she completed in 2017. Jessica has worked across the lifespan in both government and non-government sectors, with a strong focus recently on early childhood intervention, paediatrics, and mental health.

Jessica’s passion for reading and writing led her to establish Thrive Learning Clinic in 2021. “As an occupational therapist, I bring a holistic, neurodevelopmental perspective to my work as an intervention specialist. I don’t just look at academic skills in isolation—I consider the underlying sensory, motor, and cognitive processes that support or hinder learning,” she explains.

Diagnoses Jessica Has Worked With

At-risk or emerging neurodevelopmental conditions

ADHD (all types, including combined presentation)

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Intellectual Disabilities

Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia

Vision-related learning difficulties

Anxiety disorders

Complex trauma from early childhood adversity (including domestic violence, foster care, and residential care)

Developmental coordination challenges

Additional Training

• Sounds Write (multisensory structured synthetic phonics), including Yr3-6 extension (morphology & vocabulary course)
• Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) approach (iMSLe)
• The Writing Revolution/Hochman Method
• DSF – Sentence Level Clarity & Talk for writing
• Sensory-motor approach to executive functioning (Maude Le Roux)
• Dibels 8^th Edition Training for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills
• Dyscalculia workshop (Judi Hornigold)
• Supported independent living (Verve OT Learning)
• NDIS functional assessments (Verve OT Learning)
• CPPACC4020 Provide access advice on building renovations (Access Institute)
• CPPACC5016 Provide expert access advice on renovations to private dwellings (Access Institute)
• Navigating home adaptations and minor modifications (Verve OT Learning)
• Navigating complex home modifications in the NDIS (Verve OT Learning)
• Talk Toileting (OTA)
• OT with children: Principles of assessment & intervention (OTC937)
• Vineland Training
• Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS)
  training
• STEP UP (Falls Prevention) Training
• Facilitating recovery in practice (Recovery model) training
• Advanced training in suicide prevention
• Motivational interviewing, integrated complex care and harm minimisation
• EMPOWER – Process Improvement Principles training
• Staying Connected When Emotions Run High (Benevolent Society)