Limerick occupational therapist picks up national award

AN Occupational Therapy programme designed by a Limerick HSE professional has won a prestigious award.

Dearbhla O’Reilly, Senior Occupational Therapist with HSE West covering Limerick and Tipperary, picked up the 2025 Eva Duggan Award for her initiative The Self-Regulation Video Project.

It's a child-directed video resource to support self-regulation and empower children, families and schools with well-being and participation in everyday life.

The programme was initially developed within primary care, HSE Mid-West, to address the high need for sustainable self-regulation resources for schools and families.

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It will support neurodiverse primary school pupils across the country to understand and manage their regulation in a child-friendly and accessible way. As part of winning the award, Dearbhla will receive a €1,000 bursary towards developing initiatives to enhance paediatric service.

Dearbhla, who now works with the National Council for Special Education in Sustained In-School Therapy based in the HSE West Region, said: “I'm so delighted to receive the Eva Duggan Award for my project, a child-directed video resource to support self-regulation. Self-regulation... can be especially challenging for neurodivergent children, who may experience differences in sensory processing, attention, or emotional regulation.

“In my role with the NCSE inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, and this resource is one way to support that vision in schools. This recognition means a lot to me because it reflects the years I have spent working with children and building an understanding of what is needed.”

AOTI CEO, Odhrán Allen said: “I’d like to offer huge congratulations to Dearbhla on her award, which truly represent the vision of the Occupational Therapy profession in Ireland. I look forward to tracking the impact of The Self-Regulation Video Project in the coming years.”