North Nowra, NSW
Connected Kids Occupational Therapy is owned and operated by Claire Scanlon. Having grown up on the South Coast, Claire is passionate about supporting children and their families to experience joyful, purposeful and connected lives.
Connected Kids supports children to participate in the occupations of childhood, including play, social connection, daily living, learning, community participation, sleep and rest. Claire has a particular interest in sensory processing and integration, emotional regulation, developmental trauma, primitive reflex integration, interoception, visual and motor skills, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
Claire holds a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Wollongong and a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Sydney. During her psychology studies, she worked as a Play Therapist with autistic children, which inspired her to pursue occupational therapy. Claire has worked across home, school, clinic and community settings.
In 2022, Claire co-founded Kindred Therapy, a collaborative allied health clinic in North Nowra, alongside Emma Arntz from Raised with Joy Speech Pathology and Catheryn Russell from South Coast Kids Occupational Therapy. Kindred brings together occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists and dietitians who work collaboratively in a neurodiversity-affirming and family-centred way.
Claire is also the creator of Tech Club and Adventure Crew, group programs designed to help neurodivergent children and teens connect through shared interests, build friendships and develop confidence, communication, teamwork and practical life skills.
Claire has experience supporting children with a range of diagnoses and developmental differences, including autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, intellectual disability, dyspraxia and Developmental Coordination Disorder, developmental delay, developmental trauma, anxiety and emotional regulation difficulties, and visual, motor and coordination challenges.
Professional Development
Claire is committed to lifelong learning and has completed extensive professional development across sensory integration, emotional regulation, trauma-sensitive practice, anxiety, feeding, motor development, visual processing, interoception and neurodiversity-affirming care.
Her training includes:
Claire also regularly engages in webinars, professional reading and collaborative learning to ensure her practice remains informed, reflective and child-centred.
As Director and supervising Occupational Therapist, Claire provides clinical oversight to Allied Health Assistants Nicole and Maree. They participate in weekly supervision sessions to discuss the children they support, plan upcoming sessions and review and update therapy plans.
Claire, Nicole and Maree also complete weekly continuing professional development together, exploring assessment tools, therapeutic approaches, clinical models and intervention strategies. This ongoing learning supports the team to strengthen their clinical reasoning and provide thoughtful, individualised and evidence-informed support.
Nicole is a calm yet bubbly Allied Health Assistant with a passion for supporting children and their families. With a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and more than 15 years of experience in the field, she brings a strong understanding of child development and a warm, playful approach to her work.
Nicole has completed a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy) and has commenced online university studies, with the long-term goal of becoming an Occupational Therapist.
She believes strong, trusting relationships are at the heart of effective support. Nicole has completed additional training in Circle of Security, as well as professional development in primitive reflexes in 2024, an online course in visual perception in 2025, and participated in a team-based Introduction to DIR/Floortime professional development day in 2025. This professional development supports her relationship-based, playful and developmentally informed approach when working with children and families.
Nicole is a big kid at heart and can often be found scooting down hallways or diving into crash mats with a smile. Outside of work, she enjoys coffee, running, playing tennis and curling up with a good book. Her playful nature, professional dedication and genuine care make her a valued member of the Connected Kids team.
Maree is an Allied Health Assistant at Connected Kids Occupational Therapy who brings a big heart, creative spark and love of the outdoors to her work. With a background in outdoor education and therapy assistance, she is passionate about helping children build confidence and everyday skills through movement, play, experiential learning and meaningful connection.
Maree completed a four-day Introduction to Occupational Performance Coaching course and participated in a team-based Introduction to DIR/Floortime professional development day in 2025. This professional development supports her collaborative, relationship-based and developmentally informed approach when working with children, families and educators.
After travelling and moving around quite a bit, Maree has now settled in the beautiful Shoalhaven, where she has happily swapped suitcases for sandy feet. Outside of work, you will often find her hiking, walking her dogs, kayaking, snorkelling or gamely learning to surf—with plenty of wipeouts and laughs along the way.
She is always up for an adventure, especially if snacks are involved.
Maree Bowley supports the Connected Kids team with accounts and financial administration. She helps keep invoicing, payments and account processes organised and running smoothly, providing valuable behind-the-scenes support to the team and the families we work with.
Emily Curtin is an Administration Assistant at Connected Kids Occupational Therapy. She supports families with enquiries, appointments, forms and general administration, helping ensure communication and day-to-day processes are clear, welcoming and well organised.