All Things Sensory by Harkla

Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill, are two passionate Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants who answer your questions related to all things sensory, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care, nutrition, and health, from a therapist’s perspective. Providing raw, honest, fun ideas, and strategies, for parents and families to implement into daily life. Great for those who work with children with sensory processing disorder, special needs, autism, and ADHD. This podcast is brought to you by Harkla. At Harkla, our goal is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives.

#332 - 10 Things We've Learned in 10 Years!

We’re sharing ten things that we’ve learned in the past 10 years! We’ve been certified occupational therapy assistants for just over 10 years and we’ve learned so many things, it was very difficult to pick just 10! We talk about mentoring, asking questions, referring out, and MORE! We’d love to hear from you - Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube and let us know what you’ve learned in your career or what you’ve learned from listening to us!   LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form- https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram What We Really Do in OT

10-30
21:58

#331 - Listener Question: Tips for Understanding Sensory Challenges

We’re answering a listener question today - helping a parent understand how to help their child self-regulate, understand sensory challenges, how to find help, and how primitive reflexes might be connected to learning in school, specifically reading. This child was recently diagnosed with ADHD as well. We dive into using the Harkla Sensory Preferences Checklist (free download linked below), adding more sensory activities into the daily routine, how to improve emotional intelligence, and more!  LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Download Free Sensory Preferences Checklist Free Sensory Diet Webinar Sensory Diet Digital Course Build a Sensory Corner Free Primitive Reflex Webinar Free Classroom Webinar All About ADHD The Power of Vision Therapy

10-23
14:48

#330 - Crawling for Brain Development: An Interview with Rachel

Today we are chatting all about Rachel’s new curriculum: Crawling for Brain Development. Get the inside scoop on how Rachel created this book, why she is so passionate about crawling, and how you can get your hands on this amazing curriculum!  Crawling for Brain Development© is a 5-week, guided program designed for children and adults ages 3-100+. It will benefit individuals of all abilities, whether they crawled in infancy or not. Parents can implement the program at home, teachers in their classrooms, and therapists in their treatment sessions and home exercise programs. In 150 pages, you will learn therapist-directed activities designed to move the brain out of fight-or-flight and into a higher level of functioning!  LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Crawling for Brain Development Curriculum 

10-16
20:13

#329 - The Connection Between Sensory Over-Responsiveness and Anxiety

Today we’re talking about sensory over-responsivity (what is it? What does it look like? Who can it impact?) and the connection to anxiety.  We dive into 2 different research articles (linked below) as well as provide 3 tips: Develop individualized sensory diet routines and environmental modifications  Look into retained primitive reflexes, specifically the Moro Reflex Find simple ways to decompress and regulate the nervous system LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Free Sensory Diet Webinar https://harkla.co/pages/sensory-diet-webinar-opt-in Free Primitive Reflex Webinar https://harkla.co/pages/register-primitive-reflex-webinar-2023 Motion Sickness Toolkit https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/178-motion-sickness-toolkit?_pos=1&_sid=7ed041778&_ss=r Gravitational Insecurity https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/127-gravitational-insecurity?_pos=1&_sid=2ef95245b&_ss=r What is Sensory Overload? https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/237-sensory-overload-what-it-can-look-like-and-how-you-can-help?_pos=4&_sid=9ffc748d1&_ss=r Tactile Processing and Clothing Textures https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/171-tactile-processing?_pos=1&_sid=0286be9dc&_ss=r Picky Eating Strategies https://harkla.co/blogs/podcast/132-picky-eating-strategies-with-mckenzie-from-playingatyourplate?_pos=2&_sid=df36eafea&_ss=r Bean with Bacon Soup https://www.campbells.com/products/condensed/bean-with-bacon-soup/ Research Article #1 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10802-018-0502-y Research Article #2 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01942638.2016.1185504 The Anxious Generation https://a.co/d/djFiHkc

10-09
30:55

#328 -Q&A: Picky Eating, Success with School Line-up, and Fatigue During Sports

We are answering your questions in today’s podcast episode! Question 1: How to help with picky eating, specifically with fruits and vegetables. Question 2: How to help a toddler with daycare/preschool line up when it’s time to come back inside after playing outside. Question 3: Understanding if soccer is the ‘just-right’ sport for a child with SPD, Autism, and low muscle tone.  LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  All Things Sensory YouTube Channel Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Feeding and Meal Prep Making Kids Nutrition Easy Muscle Tone vs. Muscle Strength Buddy Timer (Amazon)

10-02
25:19

#327 - Sensory Bins Aren't Just for Toddlers! Sharing A Variety of Ways to Use Sensory Bins Therapeutically

We are answering a listener question today! Is there an age limit when it comes to sensory bins? Are sensory bins beneficial for older children? How can we make sensory bins beneficial and fun for a variety of ages?We dive into the benefits of sensory bins, including tactile modulation and visual processing. Then we talk about our favorite ways to make sensory bins fun and engaging for older children, including following a recipe, using a blindfold, and adding it into an obstacle course!  LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram 5 Ways to Use a Sensory Bin Messy Play All Day Picky Eating Resources Executive Function Skills Improve Classroom Engagement - Free Webinar

09-25
21:05

#326 - Spelling to Communicate with Kinsey Showers

Kinsey Showers is an S2C practitioner based in Utah. She began her spelling journey in 2018 when she was working at Invictus Academy Tampa Bay, a school for students with sensory motor differences. She is also a cohort leader and mentor for the International Association for Spelling as Communication. Kinsey is very passionate about communication rights because that's what communication is- a right! She is so thankful to work with nonspeakers and their families. Kinsey’s background is in education and she has worked in both private and public school settings. While the main focus of S2C is not necessarily to provide an education, she is passionate about advocating for her clients in whichever educational space they are in. LINKS Follow Kinsey on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kinseyshermansen/ The International Association for Spelling as Communication  We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla Website  Harkla YouTube Harkla Instagram

09-18
51:31

#325 - The Connection Between SPD and Learning Challenges

Today’s episode we’re answering a listener's question about how sensory processing challenges affect learning and higher-level cognitive skills. We dive into the connection between vestibular processing and cross or mixed dominance.  We talk about research that has been done in this area as well as what it all means. Then we jump into strategies that we would recommend for this family, including vestibular-based activities, bilateral integration activities, looking into primitive reflexes, and more! LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Mixed (Cross) Dominant The Pyramid of Learning SPD Training When Should Children Establish Hand Dominance? Vestibular Dysfunction  5 Bilateral Integration Activities  Multi-Sensory Processing Activity Course The Power of Vision Therapy Advanced Brain Technologies Safe and Sound Protocol  Crawling for Brain Development

09-11
19:31

#324 - 5 Tools to Improve Executive Function Skills in the School Setting

Shop the Harkla Back to School Sale - Save 15% on physical products and save 20% on digital products through September 8, 2024  https://harkla.co/pages/back-to-school Executive function skills are the higher level cognitive skills that are required for every day tasks. These skills begin to develop in toddlerhood and aren’t fully developed until a person is in their 20s! For students in the classroom, executive function skills are required for everything from social interactions, to navigating between classes, to turning homework in on time. In today’s episode, we’re giving you a breakdown on the importance of executive function skill development, how to teach these skills, and 5 tools and strategies to incorporate into the classroom to help students develop and improve their executive function skills.  LINKS Improving Focus and Behavior in the Classroom - Digital Course for Teachers, Therapists, and Professionals Working in the School Setting https://harkla.co/products/classroom-sensory-training We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3  All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram Executive Function Skills and More 7 Executive Function Strategies The Zones of Regulation Just Right Curriculum The Alert Program Free Visual Schedule Template

09-04
23:21

#323 - Reflex Integration Through Play with Kokeb McDonald

Special gift from Kokeb: “Harkla25” for 25% off of RITP at Home Family Bundle - https://www.integratingreflexes.com/family-bundle/ Kokeb Girma McDonald is a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of the Reflex Integration Through Play™️ (RITP) program. She is the mother of two wonderful children, and has extensive professional experience working with young people of all ages and backgrounds since 2004. Recognizing the need for practical and universally accessible primary motor reflex integration programs, Kokeb created the Integrating Primitive Reflexes Through Play and Exercise book series and the Reflex Integration Through Play™️ method to empower and reassure frustrated parents, and to offer fellow professionals a tool to expand their clinical reach. LINKS We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3 Follow Kokeb on Instagram www.instagram.com/reflexintegrationthroughplay/ RITP Certification and Coaching https://www.integratingreflexes.com/certification/ RITP books, game, and books https://www.integratingreflexes.com/shop/ https://www.integratingreflexes.com/ All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram ⁠ ⁠Harkla YouTube Channel⁠ ⁠Harkla Website⁠ - Shop Sensory Products! ⁠Harkla Instagram

08-28
48:13

#322 - Using Play and Connection for Successful Sensory Diets

We received a question on Instagram: “Help! My child won't participate in their sensory diet!” And today’s episode is all about how you can help your child complete their sensory diet routine so they feel more cool, calm, and regulated! First we talk about play - this is a child’s main occupation - and how using play during the sensory diet is the #1 way to get them involved.  Then we talk about the sensory activities that your child seeks out - what are they? Add those activities into the daily routine for the sensory diet!  We also talk about emotional intelligence, using visuals, and more! LINKS Creating Sensory Diet Routines We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form - https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3 All Things Sensory Podcast Instagram  Harkla YouTube Channel Harkla Website - Shop Sensory Products! Harkla Instagram What it Means to Meet the Sensory Threshold The Zones of Regulation

08-21
20:20

#321 - Brain Mapping with Dr. Laura from Connect My Brain

Dr. Laura Hanson, D.C., MS, QEEG-DL, D.I.C.C.P., NDT, BCN, CAS is a board-certified chiropractic pediatric diplomate, QEEG diplomate, and Neurofeedback specialist. In addition, she is a neuro-developmental therapist, holds a Master’s in Sports Health Science with a concentration in Nutrition, and is a Certified Autism Specialist. She has held faculty positions at both Palmer College and Life University from 2003 until 2012 and is recognized domestically and internationally through her persona...

08-14
55:39

#320 - Creating Effective and Fun OT Sessions in the School Setting

Improving Focus and Behavior in the Classroom Digital Course for Educators and TherapistsSchool is about to start for many families, so today’s podcast episode is all about how to create effective occupational therapy sessions in the school setting.If you’re a therapist working in the schools, this episode is full of tips and strategies for implementing sensory integration and primitive reflexes into your weekly treatment sessions.We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out th...

08-07
23:55

#319 - 5 Sensory Strategies for Teachers to Implement into the Classroom Immediately!

School is almost here and we’re diving into 5 things that teachers can do in the classroom to help their students!We talk about adaptive seating, using regular sensory breaks, finding different ways to establish natural consequences within the classroom, keeping recess, and more!Improving Focus and Behavior in the Classroom Digital Course for Educators and TherapistsWe’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3Brought To Yo...

07-31
20:03

#318 - What's Next? Maintenance Program After Integrating Primitive Reflexes

Today we’re answering a question that we received from Instagram: “Can you talk about the end point of reflex integration work. What does that look like?”We chat about what a reflex integration program looks like and how to create a “maintenance” program afterwards.Be sure to check out all of the links below!Free Primitive Reflex WebinarFull Primitive Reflex Digital CourseWe’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3Brought...

07-24
16:06

#317 - Equine-Assisted Therapy in OT and PT

Watch this video - https://youtu.be/PkylhDc0sOY?si=k7gjWbpOixhbWLYrRenee Anderson has been a physical therapist since 2017. She worked in an orthopedic outpatient setting until early 2021, and then started to work at HETRA (Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy) as a therapist utilizing horse movement in her treatment. She loves to see the progress her participants make after riding horses and developing trusting relationships from having the same participants every week.Dr. Kaiti Otte ...

07-17
54:29

#316 - Supporting Mixed Sensory Needs in Children and Adults

We talk a lot about sensory seekers and sensory avoiders, but it’s very common - and to be expected - that a child will have mixed sensory needs.What does this mean exactly? And how can we help provide the just-right sensory input to help a child feel calm and regulated when they have mixed sensory needs?!In this episode, we talk about personalized sensory diets, proprioception, visual schedules, and primitive reflexes!Free Sensory Diet WebinarWe’d love to answer your questions on the podcast...

07-10
25:30

#315 - Pediatric Pelvic Health Occupational Therapy with Quiara Smith, OTR/L

Quiara Smith an Expert Pediatric Pelvic Health Occupational Therapist who is the CEO/Director of Aloha Integrative Therapy, the first boutique private OT practice exclusively created to treat children with toileting difficulties, pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction, and bowel and bladder disorders. Quiara has been a practicing pediatric OT for over 14 years. Quiara is passionate about creating and holding safe and inclusive space, in order to provide holistic and integrative approaches to pedi...

07-03
46:35

#314 - Increasing Motivation to Complete Challenging Primitive Reflex Integration Activities

Free Primitive Reflex WebinarPrimitive Reflex Digital CourseOne of our favorite things about our digital courses is that you can ask questions and start conversations inside of the course! We have a comment forum within each module of each course, and we LOVE getting in there to answer questions, brainstorm, and chat about progress!Today’s episode is a conversation about a question that was posted inside of our primitive reflex digital course. We talk about different reflexes, different chall...

06-26
18:16

#313 - Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to the First Three Years

Joel Warsh, MD, is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California, specializing in Parenting, Wellness, and Integrative Medicine. He grew up in Toronto, Canada, and completed degrees in Kinesiology, Psychology, Epidemiology, and Community Health before earning his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He completed his Pediatric Medicine training at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) and worked in private practice in Beverly Hills before founding his current p...

06-19
47:26

s b

This podcast is incredible. Rachel and Jessica pack in so much information in a fun, friendly and easy to process way. As a preschool teacher I have learned so much that has helped me better understand my children's behavior and needs, and have actionable ways to help them.

01-16 Reply

Alexa Garza

My first child is a sensory kiddo and this podcast along a few books I've discovered have been lifesavers. I've been so lost, confused, stressed and everything else you could think of. these ladies are amazing at explaining all the things.

07-13 Reply

Becky

Love this podcast

08-29 Reply

Rachel Walker

I love that I found this podcast!! I’m currently attending school for pediatric occupational therapist assistant.

07-11 Reply

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