All Things Sensory by Harkla

Preparatory activities are the “warm ups” you incorporate into a treatment session. These activities should stimulate different sensory systems, wake up different muscle groups, and help the child prepare for functional, occupation-based activities. We dive into WHY we love preparatory activities and we give you our top 10 favorites that you need to include daily! This isn’t just for therapists -...

We LOVE answering your questions! Today’s episode comes from a listener who reached out with a question about a client they work with.“He’s 2 years old. Definitely has a large sensory cup. He is extremely rough and tumble. This kid has face planted on concrete and will get up and keep running. I tried a weighted vest on him but he ripped it off right away. I’ve informed mom about heavy work at hom...

A big piece of therapy is treatment planning - as a therapist, you spend a lot of time planning and executing treatment sessions for your clients. The more clients you have, the more treatment plans you have! It’s time consuming and can oftentimes be frustrating. We took 7 common treatment planning challenges and brainstormed ideas! The challenges we discussed ranged from lack of time, keeping it...

Whether you’re a new listener and new to the sensory world, or if you’ve been here for a while and are familiar with sensory processing, this episode is full of little tips and tricks for anyone navigating sensory processing challenges! The tips that we dive into:EmpathyJust right challengeFeeding the sensesWorking as a teamIn-person OTPrimitive reflexesSensory strategiesSensory breaksModification...

Larissa Geleris, MS, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist specializing in identifying and treating sensory processing dysfunction. She is passionate about supporting parents who are experiencing overstimulation, overwhelm, and dysregulation. She has written multiple courses, has been a guest on several podcasts, and runs an Instagram platform that provides practical and evidence-based strat...

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) occurs when the brain and the body cannot properly process and modulate the sensory input coming in. This causes a negative, adverse reaction to the incoming sensory input. This in turn negatively affects the individual’s life, on a DAILY basis. Sensory quirks are the smaller, less significant sensory things you seek out or avoid throughout the day. For example: c...

Hallie Bulkin MA, CCC-SLP, CMT™, QOM, COM® is a Business Coach, Podcaster, Feeding Specialist, Certified Myofunctional Therapist™, Certified Orofacial Myologist and Speech-Language Pathologist. Hallie is the founder and director of Little Sprout Therapy & Metro Myo, a pediatric practice providing virtual, in-home, and in-school: feeding therapy, orofacial myofunctional therapy, speech-language...

Today’s episode is a LIVE call with a 2-on-1 Mentoring client. The family provided us with details ahead of time, scheduled the session, and we jumped right into a brainstorming session! If you found this episode helpful and would like to hear more episodes like this, let us know! Make sure to check out all of our links below! Looking for more in-depth help? Sign up for 2-on-1 Mentoring With Us!!W...

What is a home exercise program (HEP)? Why are they so important? What are some things you can do to make them easier for families to carry over? Make sure to check out all of our links below! Looking for more in-depth help? Sign up for 2-on-1 Mentoring With Us!!We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3Be sure to check out t...

Diving into WHAT sensory overload is, HOW and WHY it happens, WHAT it can look like, and our top 5 strategies to help with sensory overload! Make sure to check out all of our links below! Sensory Diet Digital CourseLooking for more in-depth help? Sign up for 2-on-1 Mentoring With Us!!We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3...

Answering YOUR question today - how can I improve my daily documentation? In the field of OT, documentation is extremely important! Not only is it a way for us, the therapists, to keep track of what we’re doing and why, as well as to show that our clients are making progress, but it’s also important for insurance purposes. You know the saying “work smarter, not harder”?You can kind of apply that t...

We have several podcast episodes on primitive reflexes and several episodes on infants. But we recently realized that we didn’t have an episode on how primitive reflexes in infancy are connected to developmental milestones! So here it is! We talk about a variety of developmental milestones and how primitive reflexes are connected. Plus we give you some specific activity ideas to incorporate into i...

Kelsea Newman is an Occupational Therapist, Sensory Specialist, and Proud ADHDer. Her passion is spreading the word about the power of Sensory Therapy and empowering kids and adults everywhere by learning how to live a Sensory Lifestyle that nourishes their unique Sensory and Nervous System Needs! You can find all of her links below. SHOP the Harkla Digital Course Holiday Sale NOW Through Dec. 23,...

Ashley Houchin is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training and experience in development across the lifespan. She enjoys working with individuals on a wide range of issues and has a passion for neurodivergence, women's health, parenting struggles, and child advocacy. She has more than 10 years of clinical experience and has worked in various settings including assessment clinics,...

Today we’re going to dive into what happens when a child has retained primitive reflexes and they are in school - what does this look like? What does it mean? And how can teachers help? Challenges at school that may seem like behaviors or even other diagnoses, such as ADHD or Anxiety, even SPD, could really be related to those underlying reflexes that never were integrated. SHOP the Harkla Holiday...

This episode is all about sensory integration and sensory processing - what it is, what it looks like, and what happens when there is dysfunction in one or more of the sensory systems. This is a re-vamp of Episode 2 - What is Sensory IntegrationLooking for more in-depth help? Sign up for 2-on-1 Mentoring With Us!!We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://h...

Kali Jacobs, OTR/L, MSc. OT, OT Reg. (Ont.), received her Masters of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto in 2012. She founded the SMILE Therapy for Kids OT department and trained all OTs across three clinics. Kali has training in sensory integration, including the Astronaut Program, as well as the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) app...

We had a question come through on Instagram about how to help a child with sensory overload in the daycare setting - so we’re diving into WHY daycares can be overstimulating and what you can do about it! Whether you’re a parent or caregiver, working in a daycare or preschool setting, or a therapist - this episode has tips and tricks for everyone! Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at...

Joel Warsh - aka DrJoel Gator - is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California who specializes in Parenting, Wellness and Integrative Medicine. He grew up in Toronto, Canada and completed degrees in Kinesiology, Psychology and Epidemiology, and Community Health before earning his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He completed his Pediatric Medicine training at Chi...

We talk a LOT about how to help YOU - the adult - identify your child’s (or your client’s) sensory needs / preferences. But what about teaching kids how to become independent with identifying and meeting their sensory needs? That’s what today’s episode is all about! Diving into WHY it’s important to teach our kids about their emotions, their sensory needs, and how it’s all connected. Plus we give...

Diving into what ADHD is - from a diagnostic perspective and our clinical experience. Then jumping into some strategies, including neurofeedback, changing the environment, working on executive functioning, and MORE! Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla. Co/Podcast. Brought To You By HarklaThis podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with spe...

We have an episode on sensory diets - episode 39 from 2019 … it’s time for an update! Sensory diets are the series of sensory activities and strategies that you use to help meet your sensory needs and feel regulated throughout the day! This episode dives into the research as well as how to create a sensory diet for your child! Be sure to check out the links below! Be sure to check out the show not...

We received a question on Instagram about what sensory strategies we would recommend to help a child who has lower cognitive abilities or who is non-speaking or pre-verbal. We’ve had many, many clients who had learning disabilities, used AAC devices because they didn’t communicate verbally, or who struggled overall with communication - expressive and receptive. In this episode, we’re going to draw...

We received a question about how to best explain to others that your child has sensory needs and differences to those who just don’t understand it. Or to those who think your child is misbehaved. So, we’re diving into this topic - how to explain and advocate for your child’s sensory differences! We talk about some verbiage to use, we provide you with a free download (link below!), and just an over...

We are your podcast DJs! We had a question from someone on Instagram asking about strategies for a child who becomes aggressive towards themselves and others when they are in a meltdown. We dive into the WHY behind aggressive behaviors and chat about some strategies you can try. We’d love your feedback! Share this episode on Instagram, tag us @allthingsensorypodcast, and let us know your thoughts!...