Your Child is Normal: with Dr Jessica Hochman

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman talks with Mike McLeod about ADHD, executive function, and why grades are not the best predictor of long-term success. Mike explains why ADHD is less about “attention” and more about missing internal skills — including self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-evaluation — and how those skills show up a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with endometriosis specialist Dr. Iris Kerin Orbuch, author of Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life from Endometriosis and a key medical voice in the films Endo What? and Below the Belt . Dr. Orbuch explains what endometriosis is, why it’s so common yet underdiagnosed, and how it often first shows up in teen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with dietitian and author Kim Shapira whose book This Is What You’re Really Hungry For helps people rebuild a peaceful relationship with food. Kim shares how her own childhood health struggles and experiences with patients led her away from traditional dieting and toward an approach centered on trust, body awa...

Send us Fan Mail In this flashback episode, we are revisiting my interview with Dr Nicholas Kardaras (episode 100) to discuss screen addiction and children.  Dr. Nicholas Kardaras is an Ivy-League educated psychologist, an internationally renowned speaker, and one of the country’s foremost addiction experts.  He is the CEO and Chief Clinical Officer of Maui Recovery in Hawaii and Omega Recovery in...

Send us Fan Mail In episode 211 of Your Child is Normal, Abdullah, Emaad, Zain, and Qasim Ansari (Brothers spaning the ages of 10 to 17) hosts of the Holistic Kids Show podcast, share their journey of creating a podcast focused on health and wellness for teens. They discuss the importance of hydration, the impact of technology and social media, and effective parenting strategies. The conversation...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, I’m joined by speech-language pathologist and mom of three Melissa Minney , founder of Raising Little Talkers® and the Little Talkers® course for parents of babies and toddlers. Melissa has helped tens of thousands of families feel more confident supporting their child’s speech and language at home.  In this episode, we talk about: The most common speech concer...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 210 of Your Child is Normal is a conversation discussing everything you've ever wondered about UTIs!  It’s common for kids to occasionally feel discomfort when they pee — but how do you know when it’s something that needs more attention, like a urinary tract infection? In this episode, pediatrician Dr. Jessica Hochman talks with pediatric urologist Dr. Andrew Kirsch,...

Send us Fan Mail Today on Your Child Is Normal , I’m thrilled to re-air one of our most important conversations with Lenore Skenazy — author of Free‑Range Kids and president of the nonprofit Let Grow, which is leading a national movement to restore childhood independence. Lenore explains why when we trust kids to do more on their own, they grow stronger, more confident, and less anxious. She upend...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman welcomes back Dr. Nina Shapiro , pediatric ENT and author of Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child. If your child always sounds congested, snores at night, or breathes through their mouth, this episode is for you. Dr. Shapiro explains the most common causes of chronic nasal stuffiness in kids —...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with Dr. Nina Shapiro, pediatric ENT and author of Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child , now out in its updated edition. Together, they dive into one of the most common worries for parents: their baby’s breathing . Dr. Shapiro explains why newborns are “obligate nasal breathers,” wha...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 206 of 'Your Child is Normal,' the host welcomes back Devon, a toddler expert, to discuss her journey since the last time she appeared three years ago. During this time, Devon became a mother and wrote a comprehensive book titled 'Transforming Toddlerhood.' She shares her evolved perspectives on toddler behavior and parenting, emphasizing the signifi...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD is one of the most common concerns parents bring up—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. What does ADHD really mean? How is it diagnosed? And what actually helps kids who struggle with focus, organization, or impulsivity? In this episode of Your Child Is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman sits down with ADHD specialist Shirley Hershko, who brings both professional expertise...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Navidi is a GI psychologist and on this episode, he discusses the connection between GI disorders and psychology in children. Dr. Navidi explains that many GI issues in children, often fall under disorders of gut-brain interaction. He emphasizes the effectiveness of treatments like clinical hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over traditional dietary changes like t...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast episode, a pediatric gastroenterologist, Pediatric GI expert Dr. Victoria Martin joins me to demystify milk intolerance in babies—what FPIAP and cow’s milk protein intolerance really mean, why these diagnoses are tricky, and how families can find practical, evidence-based solutions.shares her expertise on milk intolerances in infants.  Dr. Martin emphasizes the imp...

Send us Fan Mail Feeding kids well is foundational to health—but real-life meals can feel hard. Pediatrician Dr. Reshma Shah , co-author of Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families , joins Jessica to share simple, evidence-based ways to make family meals more nourishing and less stressful. We cover how to “add in” plants without power struggles, realistic swaps kids accept,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we welcome Dr. Bianca Edison, a pediatric sports medicine and orthopedic physician, to discuss the critical issues surrounding youth sports. Dr. Edison shares her journey into sports medicine and emphasizes the importance of balancing athletic activities for young athletes. The discussion covers overtraining, the significance of rest and recovery, the impact of bu...

Send us Fan Mail Rethinking ADHD: Diagnosis, Treatment, and What Families Should Know - A Conversation with Paul Tough In this special 200th episode, Paul Tough discusses his recent article on ADHD that has sparked significant debate. Paul explores questions like whether we're over-diagnosing ADHD, the rising diagnosis rates, and the nuances of treatment. Highlighting both the benefits and li...

Send us Fan Mail Car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids, teens, and young adults — but so many are preventable. In this episode, I sit down with my dad, pediatrician Dr. Andrew Matthew (and the safest driver I know!), to talk about what parents and teens can do to stay safe on the road. Using information from this recent article: Motor Vehicle Crash Prevention , New England Journal...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode of Your Child is Normal , Jessica Hochman, MD, talks with Amy Chinian, founder of My Hair Helpers, about the truth behind lice—what they are, how they really spread, and why they have nothing to do with hygiene. Together, they bust common myths (spoiler: you can stop bagging stuffed animals for two weeks), explain the most effective ways to check for lice, and sha...

Send us Fan Mail When kids need anesthesia for a medical procedure, it’s normal for both them—and their parents—to feel anxious. In this episode of Your Child is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman speaks with pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Jacqueline Drummond Lewis (aka Doc JC), author of Adventures with Doc JC: The Unseen Planet . Together they explore what anesthesia actually is, how it works in kids,...

Send us Fan Mail This week on Your Child is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman welcomes back Lynn Lyons—licensed therapist, author, and host of the Flusterclux podcast—for a surprising and eye-opening conversation about clinical hypnosis for kids. You might associate hypnosis with stage tricks or pop culture shenanigans, but as Lynn explains, it's actually a science-backed, deeply therapeutic techn...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Your Child is Normal , Dr. Jessica Hochman is joined by Dr. Tara McCannel—retinal surgeon, ocular oncologist, and co-founder of Seyhart Acupuncture in Santa Monica, California. They discuss how acupuncture can be a powerful, evidence-informed, and low-risk option to support anxiety—especially in children who present with physical symptoms like headaches, stomach...

Send us Fan Mail Anxiety is the most common mental health challenge kids face—and it doesn’t just affect them, it impacts the whole family. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Eli Lebowitz, the clinical psychologist behind the SPACE program (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), about how parents can help reduce their child’s anxiety—not by changing their kids, but by changing their o...

Send us Fan Mail Friendship is one of the most important parts of childhood—and yet, many kids struggle to make and keep friends, especially in today's tech-heavy world. In this episode, I talk with friendship expert and podcast host Nina Badzin about how parents can support their children's social lives. We cover how to help kids initiate plans, what makes a healthy friendship, why bein...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode of Your Child Is Normal , pediatrician and mom of three Dr. Jessica Hochman explores a summer parenting dilemma almost all families face: what to do when kids say, “I’m bored.” Rather than seeing boredom as a problem to fix, in episode makes the case that it’s actually a gift. Drawing on developmental psychology and research, she explains how boredom helps chi...