All Things Sensory by Harkla

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,...

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...

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 poste...

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...

Today’s episode is an “interview” with Jessica! We’re chatting all about Gestalt Language Processing, using AAC in occupational therapy sessions, collaborating with speech therapists, transitions with non-speaking / pre-verbal clients, and more! Although Jessica is not an expert in language and communication, she works closely with an SLP who has extensive experience in GLP specifically. Everythin...

Have you ever wondered why we always recommend obstacle courses for kids during therapy and at home? It’s because they have so many benefits! Today’s episode is all about WHY obstacle courses are so beneficial and how to set up obstacle courses for all children! We talk about our favorite equipment pieces to use, how to identify the number of steps in the obstacle course, how to add a function-bas...

In this episode, we are answering your questions. We talk about strategies for helping an 8 year old with toileting skills, toddler sleep challenges, games that help with teaching the Zones of Regulation, how to help a 4 year old wake up easier, tips for parents who are ‘touched out’ with their sensory seeking child, and ideas for a toddler who seems extra clumsy. We’d love to answer your question...

Alex Doman is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, psychoacoustic music producer, and TEDx speaker with more than thirty years of experience in neurotechnology. His mission is to help others achieve their optimal potential and become the best version of themselves. The third generation in a family of pioneers dedicated to improving people's brain performance for over seventy-five years, Alex found...

We received a question from an OT practitioner working in the schools: What are some simple proprioceptive activities that I can do with my students that don’t require a lot of space or equipment? Tune in for a discussion all about proprioception and get some new ideas for using heavy work and deep pressure in the school setting. Make sure to check out all of our links below! We’d love to answer y...

Jewelisa Blanks, a respected public speaker and seasoned educator, has devoted her professional life to empowering teachers and students. A proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Jewelisa spent over seven years serving in the public education sector, fostering a deep understanding of the field over her ten years of educational experience. Leveraging her knowledge and experience, she has draw...

We are answering questions that we’ve received inside our primitive reflex digital course, Assessment And Integration Of Primitive Reflexes For Improved Independence In Daily Activities. One of our favorite things about our digital course is that you can ask questions inside the course, start discussions, and get feedback! In today’s episode, we talk about how to base a treatment plan and goals ar...

Dr. Jade Dandy is an Idaho native and fell in love with Naturopathic medicine at a young age. She graduated from National University of Natural Medicine (NUMN) in 2015. Focusing on chronic illness, she earned her Doctorates in Natural Medicine as well as Masters of Science in Integrative Medicine Research. Dr. Dandy is an advocate for her patients’ health journey, integrating western medicine with...

Check out our Autism Acceptance Month Sale, now through April 30, 2024 https://harkla.co/pages/aam-saleSave 15% on all sensory productsSave 20% on all digital productsWe recently completed a 2-on-1 mentoring session with a fellow OT practitioner. We discussed some simple activities to do with her young child as well as brainstormed ideas for her teletherapy clients! Some of the topics include: sea...

April is OT Month and we’re celebrating with a HUGE sale on our digital courses! If you’re an occupational therapy practitioner, you can earn your CE with our courses that are approved through AOTA!Check out the SALE here - https://harkla.co/pages/ot-month-saleSale ends April 14, 2024 at midnight! We received a message in IG asking about Brain Balance and how their company claims to “cure” ADHD.We...

Check out our newly re-launched digital course: Early Intervention Blueprint: Sensory and Developmental Milestones for Infants and ToddlersDesigned for new and expecting parents, as well as therapists and professionals working with children ages birth - 4 years. OTs and OTAs - earn 11 CEU contact hours through AOTA with this digital course! What is regression? Why do some children go through a reg...

Check out our newly re-launched digital course: Early Intervention Blueprint: Sensory and Developmental Milestones for Infants and ToddlersDesigned for new and expecting parents, as well as therapists and professionals working with children ages birth - 4 years. OTs and OTAs - earn 11 CEU contact hours through AOTA with this digital course! As pediatric therapists, we’re often asked about certain...

Get ready for an episode full of simple, straightforward activities using one piece of equipment - a hula hoop! We dive into the benefits of this single piece of equipment, why you should have one in your home and multiple in your clinic and school, and then we jump right into our 7 favorite activities using hula hoops! Some of these activities can be done independently while others will need some...

Our goal with OT when working with pediatric clients is to help the children and their families get through the day easier, learn the skills necessary for ADLs and IADLs, provide emotional regulation tools for all environments that the child is in, and ultimately be successful in all occupations of life that the child wants to participate in. Success is different for each child and each family whi...

Get ready for an episode full of simple, straightforward activities using one piece of equipment - a yoga/therapy ball! We dive into the benefits of this single piece of equipment, why you should have one in your home and multiple in your clinic and school, and then we jump right into our 10 favorite activities using a yoga ball! Some of these activities can be done independently while others will...

Sami Carrick is a Child Development & Certified Reading Specialist (M.Ed) who shares (research based) tips for busy parents to take a proactive approach to learning and reading in schools by building a really strong foundation in the younger years and really looking at the whole child. She believes that we can prevent a lot of learning struggles and help kids thrive by making some simple impro...

What is the Pyramid of Learning and why is it important? Williams and Shellenberger (1996) formulated this pyramid of learning and it highlights how sensory integration processing relates to the child’s learning process. This simple visual aide explains how academic learning, daily living activities (like brushing your teeth and getting dressed), even how your child behaves; it all grows and devel...

What are hypermobile joints? Who can they affect? What are the functional implications? We dive into these questions, the research, and some information that will be helpful if your child or your clients have hypermobile joints. We also talk about some of the challenges that can be associated with hypermobility. Things like strength training, swimming, nutrition, and finding the right footwear are...

We are so excited to introduce you to Jill Gockel, mom of 5, who left the corporate world at the end of 2016 to stay at home with her kids. In addition to raising her 5 kids, she also invests in real estate, has an online business, & is a continual learner. Our conversation with Jill centers around primitive reflexes. She explains how she first learned about primitive reflexes and the results...

What are some things that we often see in infants, toddlers, and school age children that indicate sensory processing challenges? We list out our top sensory processing red flags for infants, including colic, missed milestones, and challenges with feeding. We then list out our top sensory processing red flags for toddlers which include avoiding playground equipment, covering ears for everyday nois...

What is eloping? When we’re in therapy talking about eloping, it’s when the child runs. They run away from the task, they run away from the situation, or even run out of the building. There can be a variety of reasons for elopement - we dive into these reasons PLUS specific strategies for each potential reason, including: sensory strategies to help calm the nervous system, building rapport and pro...