Sensory W.I.S.E. Solutions Podcast for Parents

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Parents, are you dealing with a kid who just constantly wakes up on the wrong side of the bed? NO matter what you do or offer them, they're just dysregulated no matter what.  This episode is for you. I'll help you make sense of those non-sensical moods and give you an action plan to hopefully curb some of that dysregulation.   Listen i...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode, I'm exploring an approach I've found really effective called collaborative problem-solving. I'll break down the steps so you can understand the process. And I'll share a real example from my own parenting journey - what happened when I tried validating my daughter's perspective and attacking the problem...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note!  I wanted to share a new concept I've been thinking about called the "nervous system budget." Basically, it's a way to visualize how different tasks and environments affect our nervous systems. I'll explain how we all have a limited amount of "nervous system cash" each day, and how certain things can cost more...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Dr. Alex Reed is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and support of neurodevelopmental diagnoses across the lifespan  Alex and I are both contributors in Dr. Becky’s goodinside community- a movement and platform that we really enjoy supporting. Alex and I have so many sideline conversations about neurodiversity and are cons...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Liliana surprises me every single day. She’s intelligent, well spoken, mature, empathetic and so so caring. You can see all of those qualities through her in this episode, which was in part created by you who submitted questions for her to answer! In this episode, you’ll hear Liliana give advice about What to do when you’re worried about going t...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! We cannot co-regulate our kids if we aren’t regulated ourselves. And most of us (I’m raising both of my hands here) need to make extra effort to activate our parasympathetic nervous system because our sympathetic nervous systems can go into overdrive so quickly as parents to neurodivergent kids. Chronic dysregulation and chronic sympathetic nerv...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Let's normalize screen time use in whatever way works for your family. I know as parents we are CONSTANTLY bombarded by a list of shoulds and shouldn’ts and really big, click-baity headlines that really create a lot of fear and guilt among parents. You see this for almost every childhood concern, but I see it a lot around screens. And in 20...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Dr. Joy and I chat about why nervous system regulation is so important for parents and kids to understand, and how you can start to explain it to them. We then touch on how you expand the knowledge of nervous system regulation into understanding that some brains and bodies are different, and their nervous system regulation (and finding the green...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Welcome to the 100th episode of the sensory W.I.S.E. solutions podcast! I'm so excited to celebrate this milestone with all of you. In this special episode, I'll be reflecting on our journey so far and sharing some of my favorite episodes and key stats from the past 100 shows. You’ll also get to hear from my 6 year old, Lilliana who sh...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode I chat with Kristi Palmer, founder of Kiva Confection edibles, about how cannabis products can be integrated into our busy lives as parents. Kristi shares how she uses edibles to manage the chaos of dinner time and her kids' bedtime routine. I also discuss how edibles help me relax in the evenings and get a great night'...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Listen to this episode if you’re looking for practical next steps after your child receives an autism, ADHD, anxiety or other DSM diagnosis. Listeners will learn how to navigate the many emotions that come with a diagnosis, as I validate the relief, validation but also overwhelmed, confused or worried feelings parents may experience. I recommend...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode, I break down the basics of sensory processing in a step  by step, easy to understand way. Learn how each of the 8 sensory inputs travel through our bodies, how the brain triggers a response and how that manifests in our behaviors. With this information, you’re ready to start tackling those behaviors from a more sensory informed...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Follow along as my husband and I do a quick recap of the 17 days I spent away from home while I was in the Philippines and Mark took on the role of default parent for our daughter Liliana. We discussed how he handled the daily routines like school drop offs and meals without any reminders from me. Mark shared some funny stories like when he trie...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! It’s one thing to be able to identify the best supports, tools and accommodations for your neurodivergent child, but I find that implementing it successfully in the classroom isn’t always easy. One of the things I recommend parents or teachers to do is to spend some time introducing the entire classroom to sensory tools, what they are, who they’...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode,I talk with Ina Chung, known as @theasianallergymom on Instagram. Ina shares her personal story of parenting her daughter who has food allergies to peanut, dairy and egg. She discusses how she educated herself on food allergies as a new mom and advocates tirelessly for inclusion of food allergy families. Ina offers practical tips...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Listen in as I discuss important signs parents can look for to determine if a therapist or clinic is neurodiverse affirming so they can make the most informed decision when looking into therapy providers for their neurodivergent child. Links: episode on making the most out of OT services **We are currently on a hiatus until 2025** Sensory Detect...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode, I explore one of the most nuanced topics in parenting - the use of labels for children. As an OT and mom to a sensory sensitive child, I've seen firsthand both the pros and cons that labels can bring. I discuss my own journey in understanding different perspectives on labels and how my views have evolved. Listeners will gai...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode, I share my top comebacks for dealing with judgmental comments about parenting a neurodivergent child. As parents, we've all experienced unwanted advice or passive aggressive remarks from friends and family about our parenting style or our child's behavior. But it can be hard to know how to respond without causing confl...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! In this episode, Laura Petix interviews Casey Ehrlich, a social scientist and expert in Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Casey shares her personal story of discovering her son's PDA diagnosis and journey to understanding. She discusses PDA as a dysregulated nervous system perceiving threats to autonomy. Casey provides 5 key accommodatio...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! I recently had an open discussion with my instagram audience on whether or not someone with a clinical diagnosis of anxiety would be considered neurodivergent. This stemmed from an inner conflict I was experiencing and trying to decide– am I neurodivergent?  I actually shared a more in depth view of where I stand on this topic personally and it’...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! It all started when a 4th grader at my daughter’s school asked me if I’m neurodivergent after I finished doing a read aloud of my book to their school. And I don’t know why but I stumbled over my words.  I kept thinking about it over and over again that day and then shared it to my stories with a question, am I neurodivergent?  **We are currentl...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! We talk a lot about noticing when your child becomes dysregulated and paying attention to their behaviors so you can identify a pattern, but what if the pattern isn't obvious? There are 4 main questions that you could be thinking about to help narrow down patterns around your child's behavior and I'm sharing them with you today. Y...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Are you searching for the answers to help stop a certain behavior that keeps coming up for your child? Maybe they’re always hitting or yelling; maybe they are getting notes sent home from school that they’re not paying attention or keeps disrupting class. Before you can look for solutions to stop the behavior, you need to understand why the beha...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Have you ever wondered how to help your child understand or process a certain life event, like when a pet dies, or when a friend moves away?  Or maybe you’ve wondered what’s the best way to prepare your child for something that’s going to happen like moving houses, welcoming a new sibling to the family or even going to the dentist? Perhaps you’v...

What'd you think of the episode? Send me a note! Have you ever used a combination of sensory inputs and sensory tools to build this ultimate, customized sensory strategy for your child? Mixing and matching, adding on or taking away sensory input?  If so- you’re already a pro at sensory layering. If not, give this episode a listen to understand how you can use what I call “sensory layering” to...