A Parent's Guide to Child Development

Screens are addictive — and it’s by design. In this clip, pediatric occupational therapist Melanie Batista pulls back the curtain on what’s actually happening in your toddler’s brain when you take the screen away and the meltdown starts. It’s not random, and it’s not “bad behavior.” It’s a learned pattern. Every time a tantrum results in the screen being handed back, that outcome gets reinforced....

Screens are addictive — and it’s by design. In this clip, pediatric occupational therapist Melanie Batista pulls back the curtain on what’s actually happening in your toddler’s brain when you take the screen away and the meltdown starts. It’s not random, and it’s not “bad behavior.” It’s a learned pattern. Every time a tantrum results in the screen being handed back, that outcome gets reinforced....

Can a baby’s early experience of being touched, held, and moved affect whether the Moro and Fear Paralysis Reflexes integrate? Annamarie von Firley shares a personal story about her husband, who had an allergic reaction to a shot as a baby that left his skin too raw to be handled. Moro integration is often helped along by the repetitive picking up and putting down that happens during diaper change...

Is your child prone to tantrums? Do they wet the bed, struggle to focus, or get frequent ear infections? These may not be a random collection of problems. They can share a root cause: how your child breathes, especially while they sleep. Host Annamarie von Firley sits down with airway-centered dentist and myofunctional therapy provider Dr. Hana Khan to explain how mouth breathing develops, how to...

Have you ever wondered how infants begin to understand language before they can even speak? In this video, we explore how babies process sounds, recognize patterns, and begin developing the foundations of language from an early age. Lois Kam Heymann, M.A. CCC-SLP, is a Speech and Language Pathologist with over 30 years’ experience working with children with listening, hearing and learning challeng...

In this video, Marsha Familaro Enright discusses the Montessori approach to education and how it can shape the way children learn and develop. She explores the ideas behind Montessori schooling, child-centered learning, independence, and the educational environment that makes the Montessori method unique. Whether you're a parent, educator, student, or simply interested in alternative approache...

Cortisol has a bad reputation — but your newborn actually needs a spike of it right at birth. Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and founder of Early Roots, explains why: your baby goes from having everything done for them in the womb to suddenly running their own body, and that cortisol spike is what triggers the reflex behind their very first breath. 🧠 About Annamarie von Firley:A...

"I'm fine" is the answer everyone gives — even when they're not. Perinatal mental health expert Lynn Ingram McFarland explains the real question to ask a new parent, and the everyday signs (sleep, eating, routines) that say more than words do.🎧 Listen to full episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/157Uj6YKfSvZNlSidF4a8L?si=5WIA5RZ3Rgml5pHnKfgomgFollow us: FledglingsFlight.com...

Most parents spend months preparing for labor & almost no time preparing for what happens the moment it's over. But the hours right after birth are doing more developmental work than nearly any other stretch of your baby's 1st year — quietly shaping everything from feeding to sleep to how safe their nervous system feels in the world. In this episode, Emily Roper — who has personally at...

Constipation in kids is way more common than most parents realize — and it's often tangled up with potty training itself. In this clip, Potty Training Specialist, Tabitha Poole, breaks down why so many kids end up here, and what parents can watch for early.🎧 Full episode: "Master No-Tears Potty Training "

Doing your kid's executive function for them feels like love. Diana Pellicano, GrowNowADHD, explains why it's actually setting them up to flounder the moment they hit college — and what to do instead.🎧 Full episode: "Why Some Toddlers Become Disorganized Teens"

A toddler's tantrum & a teen's missing homework look like different problems. They're not. Host Annamarie von Firley talks with Executive Function Specialist Diana Pellicano about tracing one line from the high chair to high school — & what parents can do now to change where it ends up. You'll learn: • What executive function really means • What delays look like in toddlers...

The number you've probably heard for postpartum depression — 1 in 5 — might be a serious undercount. Lynn Ingram McFarland, a certified perinatal mental health professional and three-time survivor herself, explains why the real number may be closer to 1 in 2, and why "common" and "normal" are not the same thing. 💛 Full episode on postpartum depression and perinatal mental...

Something most parents don't think about when it comes to the kindergarten cutoff: age isn't the same as readiness. Emily Roper — Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and founder of Early Roots — explains why kids, especially boys born right at the start of the age cutoff, may be significantly less likely to get an ADHD diagnosis if they start school a year later.🎧 Full episode on Attentio...

In this episode, Emily Roper returns to unpack the primitive reflexes most closely tied to attention & self-regulation, & why so much of what gets labeled ADHD, defiance, or a "difficult" temperament may actually be a nervous system that never finished developing the way it was supposed to. Host Annamarie von Firley sits down with Emily Roper, Neurodevelopmental Delay Therapist,...

A pediatric speech-language pathologist breaks down the exact word-count milestones that trigger a referral to speech therapy — and what's actually normal vs. worth a conversation with your pediatrician. From the full episode with Sarah Schmidt on building your child's vocabulary through reading — listen to the complete conversation on A Parent's Guide.

Ever wonder why your kid comes home from school completely wiped out — even on days they "didn't do anything"? In this clip from our episode on ATNR and learning challenges, Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and founder of Early Roots, explains why a nervous system that's constantly fighting an unintegrated reflex is doing invisible work all day long, even while si...

Struggling to read isn't always about intelligence — and messy handwriting isn't always about carelessness. For a surprising number of kids, the real culprit is a reflex that should have disappeared before their first haircut. In this episode, Emily Roper returns to unpack the Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) — the invisible thread connecting how your baby moved in the womb to how your...

A retained Moro Reflex isn’t a glitch. It’s your baby’s brain doing exactly what it’s built to do. Emily Roper explains why things like C-sections, four-step delivery, or being separated from mom can convince the brain it still needs that stress response, even years later. Full episode on the Moro and Fear Paralysis reflexes link below.https://youtu.be/dhCaBJ59bBATime Stamps:00:31 How can a trauma...

Why do some kids sail through development while others struggle with anxiety, sensory overwhelm, ADHD, or learning challenges? Often, the answer traces back to something almost nobody talks about: primitive reflexes that never fully integrated — and the risk factors that get in their way. Host Annamarie von Firley sits down with Emily Roper, Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist, certified Midwife's...

n this episode, Marsha Familaro Enright discusses Montessori's sensitive periods and the importance of early learning from birth through age 6 for language, movement, and sensory development. Understand how early experiences shape development and why the right environment supports learning during these formative years. Time Stamps: 00:12 Why is the sensitive period important in learning and de...

In this episode, Lois Heymann explains why everyday conversation with your kids matters for early language development and debunks the common misconception that children can develop strong language skills through screen time alone. Heymann also discusses the importance of building foundational speech skills at home and how real conversation builds vocabulary that schools can build on to develop re...

In this episode, Emily Roper explains the roles and development of the fear paralysis reflexes and Moro reflexes as well as its implications. Roper discusses how pregnancy, birth, and early infancy influence the stress response, sensory processing, attention, and emotional regulation. Emily also covers signs of retained primitive reflexes, their links to anxiety and ADHD symptoms, and ways parents...

In this episode, Lynn Ingram McFarland discusses how early screening helps identify mental health concerns, encourages honest conversations with providers, and how it can support parents throughout their pregnancy and postpartum journey. Time Stamps 00:50 Why is screening so important throughout the pregnancy and postpartum journey? 01:09 How does the process of perinatal mental screening look? 02...

In this episode, Gabreile Nicolet explains” intermittent reinforcement in children and how inconsistency encourages persistence. Nicolet also emphasizes that understanding the emotional needs behind a child's actions can improve communication and self-regulation. Time Stamps 00:02 Why children ask the same question over and over even after you have told them ‘no‘? 01:15 What happens when a par...