Shows / All Things Sensory by Harkla
All Things Sensory by Harkla
Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, CPRCS is a passionate pediatric therapy practitioner who answers your questions related to all things sensory, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care, nutrition, and health, from a therapist’s perspective. Providing raw, honest, fun ideas, and strategies, for parents and families to implement into daily life. Great for those who work with children with sensory processing disorder, special needs, autism, and ADHD. This podcast is brought to you by Harkla, where our…
Episodes
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#249 - Picky Eating from a Holistic Perspective with Ashley Thurn, MS, OTR @thewholisticot
Ashley Thurn is a mother to three little ones, a pediatric occupational therapist, and feeding specialist by trade. She has a background in nutrition, sensory…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#248 - Will My Child Grow Out of Sensory Processing Disorder?
Answering a listener question today - Will my child grow out of sensory processing disorder?SPD is a neurological disorder that affects how your brain…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#247 - Autism is Not a Burden with Jessie from @daily_dig
Jessie is a social media manager, work-from-home mother, Autism advocate, and accidental influencer. She’s the mother to a wonderful 4-year-old boy and she…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#246 - What Are Preparatory Activities and Why Does Everyone Need to be Doing Them?
Preparatory activities are the “warm ups” you incorporate into a treatment session. These activities should stimulate different sensory systems, wake up…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#245 - Therapy Case Study: 2 Year Old Sensory Seeker
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#244 - Treatment Planning Brainstorm Session
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#243 - 10 Tips if You're Starting Your Sensory Journey!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#242 - The Overstimulated Parent's Guide to Parenting with Larissa Geleris, MS, OTR/L from @steadyparents
Larissa Geleris, MS, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist specializing in identifying and treating sensory processing dysfunction. She is passionate…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#241 - Does Everybody Have Sensory Quirks?
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#240 - Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy with Hallie Bulkin
Hallie Bulkin MA, CCC-SLP, CMT™, QOM, COM® is a Business Coach, Podcaster, Feeding Specialist, Certified Myofunctional Therapist™, Certified Orofacial…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#239 - LIVE 2-1 Mentoring Session with Rachel and Jessica!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#238 - Tips for Making Home Exercise Programs Successful!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#237 - Sensory Overload- What it Can Look Like and How You Can Help!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#236 - Tips for Improving Daily Documentation in Pediatric Settings
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#235 - Primitive Reflex Exercises that Promote Developmental Milestone Acquisition!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#234 - Overcoming ADHD and Sensory Processing Challenges as a Professional, with Kelsea Newman, OTR/L
Kelsea Newman is an Occupational Therapist, Sensory Specialist, and Proud ADHDer. Her passion is spreading the word about the power of Sensory Therapy and…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#233 - ADHD in Adults with Dr. Ashley Houchin, Clinical Psychologist
Ashley Houchin is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training and experience in development across the lifespan. She enjoys working with…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#232 - Commonly Seen Retained Primitive Reflexes in the Classroom
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?…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#231 - Sensory Integration Basics- Everything You Need to Know About Each Sensory System!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#230 - Benefits of Intensive Therapy and Vestibular Rehab with Kali Jacobs, OTR/L
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#229 - Sensory Overload in Daycare- What You Can Do to Help
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#227 - Integrative Pediatrics with Dr. Joel Gator Warsh
Joel Warsh - aka DrJoel Gator - is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California who specializes in Parenting, Wellness and Integrative Medicine…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#226 - Teaching Your Child to Self-Regulate Using Sensory Strategies
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#225 - ADHD Tips, Tricks and Information
Diving into what ADHD is - from a diagnostic perspective and our clinical experience. Then jumping into some strategies, including neurofeedback, changing the…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#224 - Everything You Need to Know About Sensory Diets!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#223 - Tips for Implementing Sensory Strategies with Pre-Verbal Children
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#222 - How to Advocate for Your Child's Sensory Differences
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#221 - Is Your Child Aggressive? Try These Sensory Strategies!
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…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#220 - Understanding Emotional Intelligence and the Connection to the Sensory System
As COTAs, one of the things we’ve worked on with a lot of our clients is emotional intelligence - the ability to identify one’s emotions (and emotions in…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#219 - Tips For When Your Child's Sensory Preferences Don't Match Yours
Does your child seek out a certain type of sensory input that drives you nuts? Are your sensory preferences the complete opposite of your child’s? If so, this…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#218 - Easy to Implement After School Sensory Activities
Shop our Back to School Sale by clicking THIS link! Save 15% on ALL Harkla products, physical and digital! Sale ends Aug. 29, 2022! At school, a child is…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#217 - Recommended Products for Each of the 8 Senses!
We don’t typically recommend products but since a lot of you have asked for recommendations, here we go! We dive into products for each of the 8 sensory…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#216 - Activities to Support Interoceptive Processing- Your 8th Sense!
Back in 2018, we did an episode on interoception, one of our hidden senses. Now, 4 years later, we’ve learned a LOT more about this hidden sense and we are…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#215 - 10 Easy DIY Sensory Activities for Kids of All Ages and Abilities
Sensory activities don’t have to be expensive! They don’t have to be Pinterest perfect either. Today we’re going to share 10 easy DIY sensory-based activities…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#214 - Proprioceptive Dysfunction + Activities to Implement
Back in 2018 we did an episode on the proprioceptive system and now it’s time for a re-do! This episode is all about proprioception - what it is, what it…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#213 - The Vestibular System: Dysfunction and Activities to Implement
Back in 2018, we put out an episode on the vestibular system - it’s been 4 years and it’s time for a re-do! In this episode, we dive into all things…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#212 - Gross Motor Basics + Our Favorite Activities
We’ve done episodes on fine motor skills but this is our first time diving into gross motor skills! There’s a LOT that goes into gross motor skill development…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#211 - Sensory Strategies for the Dentist
Does your child enjoy going to the dentist? Or is it a struggle every time?Or maybe your child hasn’t been to the dentist yet, but you’re nervous because they…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#210 - Tips for Middle and High School Students with Brittini from @playtheotway
Brittini Barnes is a pediatric occupational therapist who has been working in the pediatric setting for 6 years. She currently works with middle school and…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#209 - Sensory Strategies to Prepare the Brain and Body for Learning!
This episode is all about your brain - how your brain learns new things and how you can help improve your child’s success when learning new skills or cognitive…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#208 - Sensory-Friendly Benefits of Homeschooling with Mickey from @homeschoolingmyboys
Mickey Richards is a homeschool mama of four boys. Previously, she was a music teacher and now she coaches anxious homeschool mamas with resistant kids and…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#207 - Visual Motor Skills You Need to Know For All Ages!
This episode is all about visual motor - how you coordinate your vision to your movement. We dive into the different daily tasks that require visual motor…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#206 - Nature-Based OT and Mindfulness Tips with Kristin from @costalconnectionsot
Kristin Palen, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with over 19 years of experience solely in pediatrics. Kristin is the owner of Coastal Connections Pediatric…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#205 - Sensory Based Motor Disorder: A Subtype of SPD
There are several subtypes of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and in today’s episode we dive into Sensory Based Motor Disorder. We talk about dyspraxia and…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#204 - Why is Crawling a Beneficial Milestone For Most Children?
From a pediatric occupational therapy perspective, crawling is a very important milestone for MOST children. This is today’s topic and we encourage you to…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#203 Money Management for Therapists with Amirra, OTR/L
Amirra is the founder of Marvelous Mirracles and creator of The Mirracle Money Blueprint, an all-in-one comprehensive program designed to kickstart your…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#202 - Sensory Strategies for EVERY Classroom
Today’s episode is all about WHY we love sensory strategies for EVERY classroom!The idea is to create an inclusive, sensory friendly classroom that all…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#201 - Exploring the Nutrition + Genetics Component of ASD, SPD, ADHD and More with Dr. Hailey Arnold
Dr. Hailey Arnold is a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner; however, she is best described as an entrepreneur. Constantly finding solutions to…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#200 - Rachel and Jessica's Unique Journeys to OT Entrepreneurship
We’ve gotten asked many times about how and why we started our entrepreneurial journey. So today, we’re diving in! We started out as outpatient pediatric COTAs…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#199 - The 'Covid Regression' in Schools Explained by Kim Wiggins, Pediatric OTR/L
Kim Wiggins, OTR/L, is an experienced occupational therapist specializing in the treatment of children since 2001. She is a full-time therapist at a City…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#198 - A Day in the Life of a Pediatric COTA/L
We had someone message us asking what a day in the life of a COTA looks like!We (Rachel and Jessica) are both Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#197 - Is Misophonia Connected to SPD? Interviewing Dr. Jennifer Jo Brout, Director of International Misophonia Research Network
Jennifer Jo Brout is the Director of the International Misophonia Research Network. She is a New York State Certified School Psychologist, a Connecticut…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#196 - Skill Breakdown for Toileting- What Are the Underlying Skills Required for this ADL?
So many children struggle with the process of independence with toileting skills and we’ve talked about it in previous episodes - check out the show notes for…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#195 - Sensory Meets Fitness with Matt Sloan, COTA/L
Matt Sloan is a certified occupational therapy assistant specializing in sensory integration therapy. Matt is also a fitness professional, coach, and has…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#194 - The Just Right Challenge for Sensory-Based Activities - Just How Far Should You Push?
We got a question on instagram that we’re going to answer in today’s episode!When doing sensory activities, should I continue the challenging activities or…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#193 - Primitive Reflex Q&A with a Fellow Occupational Therapist
Today’s episode is a 1-on-2 with a fellow OT where we dive into all things primitive reflexes! We talk about a variety of challenges related to primitive…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#192 - When Should Children Establish Hand Dominance?
In today’s episode we dive into WHY we believe, and why research shows, that establishing hand dominance is vital to success with a variety of daily…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#191 - Toilet Training Tips for Everyone with Jessica, OTR/L from Rooted in Routine
Jessica Irwin is a childhood routine expert, pediatric occupational therapist, and lover of all things child development. She has worked in pediatrics since…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#190 - 10 Simple Hacks for Handwriting
Today we break down skills necessary for handwriting, and give you our favorite OT-based strategies for improving this skill! The title says 10, but let’s be…
- All Things Sensory by Harkla
#189 - 5 Do's and Don't's with your Infant & Toddler from an OT Perspective
We want to give you our top tips for infants and toddlers - based on our clinical, professional experiences as well as our personal experiences! Our goal is to…