A Sensory Emotional Lens

Have you ever watched a parent try to comfort a child who is completely overwhelmed — maybe during bath time, getting dressed, or when a shirt tag suddenly feels unbearable — and you can see the parent trying everything they can think of to help, but nothing seems to work?   Mom or dad might feel rejected, confused, or even a little helpless. But what if what looks like behavior is actually the ch...

In this special Valentine’s Day episode of A Sensory Emotional Lens, we explore the real first love the brain ever knows: the bond between parent and child.   Before hearts, flowers, and romance, the brain learns love through the senses. This episode dives into how touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste shape attachment, regulate the nervous system, and wire the brain for connection—long before we...

In this episode of A Sensory Emotional Lens, we’re continuing the Neurological Foundations series with a deep dive into how actions and behaviors are shaped by brain development.   AnnMarie is joined by Laura Baldwin, licensed professional counselor and registered play therapist, for a powerful conversation about how behavior is not “misbehavior,” but communication from a developing nervous system...

In today’s episode, occupational therapist AnnMarie Murphy is joined by Laura Baldwin, licensed professional counselor, registered play therapist, and beloved member of the Great Kids Place team. Together, they explore the neuroscience behind behavior—specifically how the brain’s structure, stress responses, and sensory processing shape the everyday emotional and behavioral reactions of our sensor...

We’re kicking off our new Neuroscience Foundations series—a deep dive into how the brain develops, processes sensory information, manages emotions, and shapes behavior. This foundational conversation explores why children don’t simply “know better,” how sensory systems guide development, and why understanding the nervous system transforms the way we support, teach, and connect with kids.   Drawing...

Winter sports often feel different for sensory kids—and parents notice it right away. Children who struggle with overheating, overwhelm, or emotional shutdown during other seasons may suddenly seem calmer, more regulated, and able to engage longer in cold-weather activities.   In this episode, we explore why winter can be so regulating, how different winter sports impact the nervous system, and ho...

In this special episode, AnnMarie Murphy, occupational therapist at Great Kids Place, invites our community to join a meaningful mission: Take Time to Play . This episode honors the life, work, and enduring legacy of Michele Parkins—visionary founder of Great Kids Place, devoted mother and wife, mentor, and passionate clinician whose life’s work was rooted in sensory-emotional engagement, relation...

November is a month of gratitude at Great Kids Place, and in this episode, AnnMarie honors the memory of Michele—our founder and mentor—who taught us to slow down, hold space, and see the world through a Sensory Emotional Lens. As we gather this month for her annual Thankful for You dinner, we reflect not only on the families we serve but also on the unique sensory emotional personalities (SEPs) t...

As we head into the holiday season, many families look forward to connection, tradition, and togetherness — but for sensory-emotional kids (and the adults who love them), this time can also bring overwhelm, unpredictability, and big feelings.   In today’s episode, we’re sharing practical tools to help your family enjoy Thanksgiving rather than simply get through it. We’ll explore perspective shift...

Transitions aren’t just tricky for kids — they challenge us as adults too! In this week’s episode, we explore how our own sensory and emotional profiles influence how we handle morning routines, unexpected changes, and the many moving parts of daily life.   When we, as caregivers, teachers, or therapists, start our day dysregulated, our stress can ripple outward — leading to co-escalation instead...

Transitions are a part of every moment — from waking up to heading out the door, from one activity to the next, and from one emotion to another. But while some transitions happen smoothly and almost unnoticed, others can feel like navigating a minefield.   In this episode we invite listeners to explore playing through transitions through a sensory-emotional lens. We’ll shed light on what makes tra...

In this final episode of our Screens with Purpose series, AnnMarie is joined once again by OT doctoral student Alexis Faria, and Geena Gaver, an OT at Great Kids Place, to explore one of the toughest challenges families face around screen time — helping kids transition off of screens.   Over the past three episodes, we’ve talked about why screen time matters, what it looks like in our homes, and h...

In this week’s episode of A Sensory Emotional Lens , AnnMarie Murphy and OT doctoral student Alexis continue the “Screen with Purpose” series — turning the focus from screens themselves to the children behind them.   Every child experiences screens differently. Some turn to them for comfort, some for excitement, and others for connection or escape. Through a sensory emotional lens, we can uncover...

In this week’s episode of A Sensory Emotional Lens, AnnMarie welcomes back OT doctoral student Alexis to continue the conversation on screen time — but this time, through the lens of what kinds of screens kids are using and where they’re using them.   Building on last week’s discussion about why kids are drawn to screens, this episode explores how the type and context of screen use can deeply infl...

Screens are everywhere—classrooms, living rooms, even in our pockets. But what makes them so appealing to our kids? And how can we, as caregivers, better understand the way children experience screen time through their unique sensory and emotional lenses?   In this episode, host AnnMarie Murphy is joined by Alexis Faria, doctoral OT student at Kean University, who has spent months researching scre...

With the start of a new school year comes new routines, transitions, and a whole lot of change—for kids and adults. In this episode, we explore the incredible power you hold—whether you’re a parent, therapist, teacher, or grandparent—in supporting children’s developing brains and bodies through a sensory emotional lens.   We’ll unpack how the brain develops, why kids can’t always do what we expect...

This episode is tender and deeply personal for all of us at Great Kids Place. Just over a month has passed since the loss of our beloved founder, host, mentor, and friend, Michele Parkins. Michele was the heart of this podcast and the soul behind so much of what we do. Her vision for play, connection, and sensory-emotional work continues to guide us, and today we honor her by exploring grief throu...

It is with the deepest sadness and heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our beloved founder, host, and guiding light, Michele Parkins .   Michele was the heart of A Sensory Emotional Lens, Great Kids Place , and a guiding light to so many families, therapists, and professionals. Her legacy of compassion, connection, and play will continue through the voices she inspired and the mis...

With summer often comes vacations, and it’s important to remember that Sensory Emotional Kids tend to express their SEPs more vividly during vacations. Why? Because vacations often involve a break from routine and a flood of novel sensory-motor, social and emotional experiences. These changes can bring out new or more intense social-emotional responses—some that may not usually show up in day-to-d...

Summer can bring freedom and fun — but with its new sensory and emotional experiences, summer can also be sensory overload, emotional fatigue, and unexpected challenges for kids with unique sensory-emotional profiles (SEPs). In this episode, we dive deep into how to support your child’s SEP through summer’s shifting routines, hotter days, unstructured time and newly structured time.  With summer b...

Summer can bring freedom and fun — but with its new sensory and emotional experiences, summer can also be sensory overload, emotional fatigue, and unexpected challenges for kids with unique sensory-emotional profiles (SEPs). In this episode, we dive deep into how to support your child’s SEP through summer’s shifting routines, hotter days, unstructured time and newly structured time.  With summer b...

Picky eating isn’t just about preferences — it’s about how a child is experiencing their world. Today’s episode is one that many of you have been requesting — we’re diving deep into picky eating, not from a behavioral or surface-level view, but through the powerful lens of sensory and emotional processing. This topic often resurfaces during times of change and stress — like the transition from the...

As we approach the end of the school year, many of us are preparing for big transitions—siblings coming home from college, summer camps kicking off, family vacations in the works, and those familiar routines starting to shift. So today, we're looking back at one of our most timely episodes—because it’s more relevant than ever. In that episode, we explored how changes in routine, while exciting...

Today, we’re tackling a phrase many parents and professionals hear — “This child is not sensory.” As awareness of sensory processing grows, more families and caregivers are trying sensory strategies to help children with regulation and participation. But when these strategies don't work as expected, it's often too quickly concluded that the child doesn’t have sensory needs. The truth? Sensory proc...

In this episode, we explore the concept of Sensory Emotional Engagement and its role in personality development. Our research team is examining how Sensory Emotional Engagement bridges gaps between sensory integration, mental health, and early relational health. The central idea is that personality forms through repeated patterns of behavior in response to sensory and social stimuli. The way we ta...