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Clothing Sensitivities in Children (podcast)
The blog post, transcript and audio for this episode has moved and can be found here: [continue reading]
Author: Laura Petix, MS OTR/L
I’m an enneagram 6, so my brain is constantly moving. My OT lenses never turn off and I can’t “un-see” the sensory and other developmental skills that go in to literally every activity. I love taking what I see and breaking it down into simple terms so parents can understand what goes into their child’s behavior and skills.
6 Tricks to Get Your Child to Cooperate
Dealing with power struggles and push back from your child when you just want them to clean up, get dressed, [continue reading]
How to Talk to Your Child About Their Neurodiversity
When you have a child who’s neurodivergent, should you talk to them about their neurodiversity? When should you talk to them about their neurodiversity? And most importantly, HOW do you talk to them about it? [continue reading]
Quiet time for kids: Why you need it and how to start.
Even when young children drop their last nap, research shows it’s still important for their brain to have downtime and to rest. But how on Earth do you get a young child to stay in their room if they’re not napping? Keep reading to find out more tips. [continue reading]
Update on our Eval Journey
As a pediatric OT, I have had to jump through hurdles and hoops just to get medical professionals to actively listen to my concerns about my daughter.
Just when I thought I got the “golden ticket” for an eval, another hurdle pops up.
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When sticker charts backfire
As a former ABA therapist, current OT and mama to a 4 year old, I’m no stranger to sticker charts. [continue reading]
3 mistakes you might be making with your sensory sensitive child
CLICK TO READ TRANSCRIPT In this episode, I share clips from my recent masterclass that talks about the 3 biggest [continue reading]
Behind the scenes: Morning routine
If you follow me on instagram, you know that mornings before school are the hardest times for us. Now I’m [continue reading]
5 things to say to family members who always judge your child’s behaviors.
I’ve been getting a lot of requests lately from parents who are having a hard time explaining their child’s neurodivergent [continue reading]
How to get started with OT, and how it can change your life.
So you’ve identified some needs for your child, maybe fine motor needs, sensory needs, picky eating, or some other challenging [continue reading]
Why your child is a picky eater, and when to seek help.
Most parents deal with a picky eating phase, but some parents’ journey with their child’s picky eating is a little more severe than others, and we’re going to cover it all today. [continue reading]
Development of handwriting skills and when to seek OT support
Did you know that development of handwriting skills depends on a solid foundation of sensory processing skills?
Really, all of our motor output (both gross and fine motor) become refined and developed after sensory skills have been established. So, it’s pretty common for some kids with handwriting challenges to have underlying sensory processing issues.
Bed time battles: Practice strategies and when to work with OT, with Dr. Tina Bryson
Dr. Tina Bryson is going to share some strategies to help you with night time routine struggles. We’ll also talk about how this might look different or be a little harder with a neurodivergent child, and when you might benefit from seeking support from an Occupational Therapist. [continue reading]
What to do when your toddler hates bath time
Some toddlers hate bath time because of the transition to bath time, but some toddlers have sensory issues that make bath time hard. [continue reading]
The ABA Therapy Controversy
As an Occupational Therapist, I get asked all the time what my thoughts are on ABA, and if I think [continue reading]
Conscious Discipline with a Neurodivergent Child
Join me and the amazing Mr. Chazz Lewis as he educates us on what Conscious Discipline is, and what it isn’t…and more importantly, how you can apply conscious discipline methods to a neurodivergent child.
Mr. Chazz’s mission is to help adults truly see, guide and trust children. He is pushing the needle a little closer toward world peace. He goes by, “Mr. Chazz” and he even has a song to prove it. He has been a teacher of teachers and parents for a decade. He has worked with many schools, thousands of teachers and thousands of children. He has trained thousands of teachers in person and virtually. [continue reading]
Making the most out of OT services
Making the most out of your child’s OT services (that you had to fight tooth and nail for, go down very deep internet rabbit holes and stalk the local mom group just to find) is important, but how? In this episode, I’ll be answering common questions I get from parents, like what to do if your child isn’t making progress, how you can ask your OT to support you in non-traditional ways, when it might be time to take a break or pause from OT, and even some signs that you may need to switch therapists. [continue reading]
How to prepare your neurodivergent child for a Dentist/Doctor Visit
How can you best prepare your sensory child (and yourself) before a stressful event like going to a Doctor visit or going to the Dentist? I’ve got a list of practical tips and some mindset shifts that can set you up for success for the next time. [continue reading]
Is it a Meltdown or a Tantrum? Interview with Dr. AnnLouise Lockhart
Did you know that there’s a difference between a meltdown and a tantrum? It’s important for parents and professionals to differentiate between the two because it gives us so much insight into our children and allows us to better support them in the best ways. Listen to this episode’s interview with Dr. AnnLouise Lockhart to find out how to identify the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum and some important tips to keep you on the right track. [continue reading]
How to have the “sensory cup” talk
One thing I’m always preaching to my clients, my in person clients, my virtual parent coaching clients and the parents in the Sensory WISE Solutions program is that it’s important to have the “sensory cup” talk with your child. You know, as long as they have the language capabilities to understand. It’s important for your child to understand that their brain processes sensory input differently and it’s even more important for them to understand that there’s nothing wrong with that. Listen to this episode to see how I talk about it with my 4 year old. [continue reading]
Is it Sensory or Is it Behavior?
All behavior is a form of communication, but sometimes it can be hard to decipher what our children are communicating. When kids hit, kick, spit, punch, throw or push, parents often ask me, “is this sensory or is it behavior?”
I’m here to end that debate once and for all. Well, maybe not end it, but at least help you reframe it.
Because what the real question should be is “What is it my child is trying to communicate with me right now?”
Listen to this episode to hear more about the sensory and behavior link. [continue reading]
Accommodation vs. Exposure for Sensory Kids
So you have a sensory sensitive child who’s sensitive to seams of socks, mushy textured food, messy play, or toilets flushing. What should you do? Do you accommodate every environment and task for them so they can avoid the sensory triggers altogether? Does that make them spoiled? Should you force them to get used to it? Where do you draw the line? Listen to this episode to find out how I talk about accommodating vs. exposure. [continue reading]
The 2022 Mindset for Parents of Neurodivergent Kids
It’s so amazing how much a shift in mindset can positively impact progress in your own parenting journey as well as your neurodivergent child’s journey. Sometimes we can feel like we’re stuck, not making progress and we try to find all the right solutions and tricks and hacks, but what we need most is a mindset shift, or at least a mindset re-set.
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Having a mixed threshold child
One of the most common questions I get asked about is if children can have mixed thresholds, meaning seek some sensory input and be sensitive to others. The answer is yes! A child can have a whole grab-bag of surprises when it comes to sensory profiles and sensory processing challenges. Listen to the episode to find out more. [continue reading]
Motherhood: unscripted
My whole experience of motherhood has been completely different than what I had envisioned, and that’s okay, but it needs to be talked about. I don’t love this version of motherhood. I’m not enjoying the role I play as Mom. I miss the old me. Raising a neurodivergent child is hard. So many thoughts are unraveled in this episode, and I share a lot of vulnerable thoughts and feelings about motherhood, in an unscripted way. I also share a lot of confessions and frustrations that other moms have shared with me. [continue reading]
Tips for Building Self Regulation Skills
Co-regulation is something that will always be part of us as human beings. We are social beings and need the interaction, social transaction and intimacy and trust with another human being. But we can’t always rely on others to regulate ourselves, and we do want the ultimate goal for our children to be some version of self-regulation. I want to share with you what you can do now to build towards self regulation. [continue reading]
Surviving the holidays with an SPD child
Forget thriving, how can we survive the holiday season with a neurodivergent child? Well I don’t have a magic wand, but I do have some tips for you to hopefully set you all up for success. Here’s a hint- it all has to do with building in familiar routines. [continue reading]
The one thing you need to know about meltdowns
Out of all the social media posts, books, blogs, there’s just ONE thing you need to know about your neurodivergent child’s meltdowns, and that’s the fact that you can’t stop a meltdown. [continue reading]