Eva Duggan Award Winner Announcement 2025 - Dearbhla O’Reilly, Senior Occupational Therapist

A Child-Directed Video Resource to Support Self-Regulation

AOTI are delighted to announce that Dearbhla O’Reilly, Senior Occupational Therapist, is the winner of the Eva Duggan Award 2025 

Winner: Dearbhla O’Reilly, Senior Occupational Therapist 

Award-winning project: A Child-Directed Video Resource to Support Self-Regulation

The Self-Regulation Video Project will support primary school pupils in Ireland to understand and manage their regulation in a child-friendly and accessible way. It aims to support engagement in learning, play and daily routines. The project is led by Dearbhla O’Reilly, Senior Occupational Therapist.

It was initially developed within primary care, HSE Mid West, to address the high need for sustainable self-regulation resources for schools and families. Dearbhla now works with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in Sustained In-School Therapy (SIT). This team works within schools to build capacity and promote inclusive practice, helping teachers create classrooms where every child can participate fully.

Building on a prototype already created, the project is now being developed into a professional, child-directed video resource. It will use visuals, child-friendly narratives and neuro affirming language. The video will be narrated by primary school pupils in Ireland and designed for universal use across schools and homes. It reflects the Irish school context and is intended to remain sustainable beyond one to one therapy.

This project aims to empower children, families and schools with a practical, accessible video resource to support well-being and participation in everyday life.

The Eva Duggan Committee would like to thank all the other applicants for their excellent projects.

Dearbhla will be presented with her prize at the AOTI Annual Conference Dinner on Thursday 2nd October in the Mullingar Park Hotel.