All Things Sensory by Harkla

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...

We are your podcast DJs and today’s episode is answering YOUR questions! We talk about challenges between young siblings, a 4-year-old Autistic sensory seeker, a sensory-seeking toddler who struggles at bedtime, strategies for a 2-year-old Autistic sensory seeker who will be traveling, and adopted children who are struggling due to drug exposure in utero! Some of the ideas we talk about for these...

Brittyn Coleman is a Registered Dietitian, Autism Nutrition Expert, and the Founder of the Nourishing Autism Collective. She helps parents of children with autism to nourish their kids confidently in a gradual, sustainable way. Through her practice, she has been able to support thousands of parents to expand their child’s diet in a sensory-friendly way and help them get the nutrients they need to...

Developmental delays can happen for a variety of reasons- there’s no one to blame and you are not doing anything wrong! We’re going to share some of the typical developmental milestones so you can identify if your little one is on track or a little behind, what you can do to support their development, and who to reach out to and get more help from. We dive into gross motor, fine motor, oral and fe...

What are primitive reflexes? Why are they important? What are the signs of retained primitive reflexes? How can you help a child who has retained primitive reflexesListen in and get the answers to these questions, and more! WATCH The Primitive Reflex Webinar and get access to the FREE downloads! Dive into the FULL digital course, Assessment and Integration of Primitive Reflexes for Improved Indepe...

What is a sensory circuit? We use this term to describe an obstacle course that is used for a sensory diet routine. A sensory circuit can be used in the clinic as a way to meet your client's sensory threshold. It can be used at home as your child's daily sensory diet routine as well! We break down how to create an effective sensory circuit using 5 steps: identify the child’s sensory preferences; c...

Check out our Holiday Sensory Survival Guide, on sale NOW! Shop During Harkla’s Christmas SALE! Save 15% on ANY order! Shop and Save Until Dec. 14, 2023! harkla.co/pages/christmas-saleShop and Save During Our Digital Course SALE - Save 20% on ANY Digital Course, Dec. 15 - Dec. 22, 2023. harkla.co/pages/digital-courses-holiday-salePrimitive Reflex Digital CourseToday’s episode is answering a questi...

Check out our Holiday Sensory Survival Guide, on sale NOW! Shop During Harkla’s Christmas SALE! Save 15% on ANY order! Shop and Save Until Dec. 14, 2023! harkla.co/pages/christmas-saleIn this episode, we explore the fascinating topic of organization of behavior in children and how occupational therapy can play a crucial role in addressing these challenges - and how parents can use the same strateg...

Check out our Holiday Sensory Survival Guide, on sale NOW! Shop During Harkla’s 12 Days of Christmas SALE! Save 12% on ANY order! Shop and Save Until Dec. 12, 2023! https://harkla.co/pages/12-daysAnswering a listener’s question in today’s episode:“I’d love it if you guys could dedicate an episode to all things relating to PERIODS.As my daughter is 11, I’m staring down the road and see this major l...

Check out our Holiday Sensory Survival Guide, on sale NOW! Shop During the Harkla Holiday Sale and Save 20% on ANY Order! Nov. 20-27, 2023Shop here - https://harkla.co/pages/holiday-saleThis episode is all about parenting while in survival mode. If you’re a parent who feels like every day is a struggle, or if you’re a professional working with families, this episode is for you! Listen in as we dis...

Tara Phillips is a speech/language pathologist and has run her own communication based classroom for 25 years. She was at the early elementary level for the first part of her career, and at the early childhood level for the last 10 years. Tara earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Her minor was in Early Childhood Education...

Today we answer your questions! First question: help for a 2.5 year old Down Syndrome child who drools constantly. Second question: why did we decide not to get our masters in OT.Third question: help for a 5 year old boy who displays a “humping” behavior. Fourth question: help with potty training in an outpatient pediatric clinic. We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this fo...

Occupational therapists have long recognized the benefits of incorporating sensory swings into therapy sessions. Platform swings, in particular, offer an unstable surface that challenges a child's body positioning, promoting improved motor planning, balance, coordination, and righting reactions. By engaging with a platform swing, children with sensory processing disorders can experience sensory in...

Today’s episode is a LIVE call with a 2-1 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, let us know! Make sure to check out all of our links below! We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3 Looki...

Sensory Diet Digital Course SALE Oct. 16 - 20, 2023https://harkla.co/products/sensory-diet-courseRebekah Springs is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#T1450) practicing in Portland, OR. She specializes in working with neurodivergent children and parents. She is trained in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) and in DIR/Floortime therapy, a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to working with...

Sensory Diet Digital Course SALE Starts October 16, 2023October is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Awareness Month. SPD is a condition that affects how the brain processes and responds to sensory information from the environment and the body. Individuals with SPD may have difficulty regulating and interpreting sensory input, such as touch, sound, taste, smell, and movement. This can lead to chal...

Today’s episode answers a listener's question - “Why does my 2-year-old say everything is hot? Is this a sensory thing or a weird phase?”We dive into the different phases toddlers can go through, gestalt language processing, fun activities that identify temperatures, and strategies for interoception. Make sure to check out all of our links below! Looking for more in-depth help? Sign up for 2-on-1...

David D. Nowell, Ph. D. is a clinical neuropsychologist in private practice in Northborough, Massachusetts. He offers consultations to patients on an inpatient rehabilitation unit and is an adjunct instructor in neuropsychology to graduate students in the Clark University psychology program. Dr. Nowell speaks internationally to clinicians on such topics as executive functioning and non-medication...

The scooter board is a common therapeutic tool used in just about every clinic and school. It’s a simple, effective tool that targets a ton of underlying skills. Because it’s one of our favorite pieces of equipment to use in a treatment session, we decided to dedicate an entire episode to it! We are giving you 5 fun, therapeutic activities using a scooter board that you should try including into y...