Achira’s Paediatric Occupational Therapist journey
16 May 2025
Where play meets progress: How Achira Kusal is helping children write their own success stories, one step at a time.
What does success look like in occupational therapy (OT)? Sometimes it’s a child reaching the top of a climbing frame. Sometimes it’s mastering a pen grip that will change their experience of school forever. For Achira, it is all of these moments and more. As a Paediatric Occupational Therapist at AnglicareSA, Achira helps children with developmental disabilities achieve milestones they never thought possible – until now.
Learning through play
Step into Achira’s office, where colourful foam shapes, hammock swings and cushioned floor mats create an inviting sensory environment. For this Paediatric Occupational Therapist, these carefully designed sensory rooms are essential to his
work – providing a stimulating setting where children with developmental disabilities can strengthen their cognitive functions, such as attention, memory and problem-solving skills.
“The children love being surrounded by so much colour. It’s great for them to climb onto things, try out different activities and play with new toys,” Achira said.
“It’s also a great marker for us to keep track of their progress – many of the children are non-verbal, so they show their improvement through actions. Things like not being able to climb the spider web at first, but over time, making it to the top. They get so excited. It’s like they’re telling us, ‘Look, I can do this!’”
Achira works with children aged 2-14, collaborating with other allied health professionals, such as speech therapists, developmental educators and behaviour support practitioners, across AnglicareSA to provide holistic care. Every child is
different, and Achira tailors his approach to their individual needs and goals.
“Working with them is the most fun part of my job. When I first meet a new customer, I find out what their interests are and bring activities that relate to them, so they’re very excited to join therapy sessions. It’s play-based most of the time – we do fun stuff. The children I work with are very excited to have OT.”
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Achira always knew he wanted to work in healthcare and pursued a Bachelor of Biomedical Science after leaving school. After completing his degree, he realised he needed to pursue further studies to get the hands-on experience he was looking for. To help decide his next step, he said, he consulted his family.
“I’ve always thought it would be rewarding to do something that would help people. When my father suggested occupational therapy, it was the first time I’d ever heard about it. But when I started researching, it sounded exactly like what I wanted to do.”
Achira completed his Master of Occupational Therapy in 2024. Having heard about AnglicareSA’s reputation for its great culture, he said it was the first job he applied for after his studies.
“The organisation is very supportive, especially when you’re starting out as a graduate. We get students consistently throughout the year, and many who do their placements gain permanent positions afterwards. It’s a great learning ground because the setting is quite fast paced, so you learn to manage your time very well, and you get so much support from supervisors and leaders.”
Achira acknowledged he was more of an introvert, but at AnglicareSA, he had been able to find his people. He said the collaborative and supportive environment made all the difference.
“It’s definitely the work culture and the people here. We share similar goals and purposes, which helps us relate to each other. That common ground helps me build relationships, especially since we’re constantly communicating about our shared customers. This collaboration is so valuable for providing the best care possible.”
The power of patience
Although Achira’s role is incredibly rewarding, it doesn’t come without its challenges. He reminds himself that helping children learn to express their emotions is all part of their unique journey.
“They do experience dysregulation sometimes – expressing their frustration through crying and not wanting to take part in the activities. It’s hard to see them go through that, but you learn not to take it personally. Working here, I feel like I’ve been able to understand my relationships with others better, become more emotionally aware and understand their perspectives. I’ve found that really valuable to apply in my personal life, too.”
Some days, Achira’s progress with clients happens in the smallest of steps. But, overtime, his persistence pays off in big ways. One recent success story is a wonderful example of how small improvements can make a lasting impact.
“I was working with a five-year-old who was experiencing delayed fine motor abilities, particularly in his finger muscles. He was holding a pen with all five fingers, and his parents were concerned about him being unable to write when he goes to school. After our work on finger strengthening and control activities, he’s finally holding the pen the right way, which is an amazing improvement that has huge implications for him.”
Achira finds deep fulfilment in mastering his craft and making a difference in children’s lives. It was why, when asked about his career growth plans, he said he was content to continue developing his skills and expertise in his current role.
“I’ve spoken to my supervisor, and she’s said there are opportunities to try out other areas if I want to, but I feel like there’s still a lot more that I can learn within this OT setting. I just love my team – I want to keep growing my confidence and skills here, and I can do that through the training opportunities we get at AnglicareSA.”