03/11/2026
It’s Developmental Education (DE) Week! So what is a DE?
DEs are holistic disability specialists, allied health professionals, and so much more.
My DE background is grounded in my previous career as a teacher at TAFE Qld. I was an educator then, and I’m an educator now, just with a different focus.
Every person I work with is different, so their sessions focus on whatever skills, supports, and strategies they need to build.
No two days look the same. I might be:
🐴 Practising mindfulness, breathwork, and calming the mind and body in between sessions with the support of the horses
🎀 Learning how to plait using the horses
🎃 Supporting emotional regulation by using Halloween to talk about emotions such as scared, frightened, and fear
🚜 Building and teaching employability skills
🎨 Running play based sessions in the comfort of the air conditioned room in our therapy space, learning colours through multisensory techniques
👣 Learning about differences and sizes with water footprints made by my foot, a small participant’s foot, and a chicken’s foot
💻 Working online via telehealth, anywhere in Australia, to teach executive functioning skills such as problem solving
Different people, different goals, different settings. The common thread is teaching skills that make everyday life more achievable and more meaningful.
Happy DE Week to all my fellow Developmental Educators! 💛
