All Things Sensory by Harkla
Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC & Jessica Hill, COTA/L
Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill, are two passionate Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants who answer 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. At Harkla, our goal is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 15, 2021 • 59min
#170 - A Conversation Around Parenting & Neurodiversity with Megan from On The Hard Days
Raise your hand if you’re raising a neurodiverse child. Now, raise your hand if this experience has ever made you question your abilities as a parent. You are not alone! Even if it feels that way sometimes. When you finally talk to another parent who gets it, it can be a powerfully validating experience, which is why today’s guest has created a special resource for moms raising out-of-the-box kids, where they can find support and encouragement from others who are going through the same t...
Sep 8, 2021 • 22min
#169 - Sensory Strategies for Kids Who Struggle With Haircuts
Haircuts can be challenging, even for those who don’t have sensory processing challenges! From prepping kiddos for the overstimulating environment of the salon to taking along some preferred sensory activities to help them override the noxious stimuli of light touch or vibrating clippers, there are so many ways to make this process a bit easier, but one of the biggest takeaways from this episode is teaching parents, caregivers, and therapists how to communicate with and support the child...
Sep 1, 2021 • 56min
#168 - Virtual Happy Hour with OT Entrepreneurs Alexi and Marlee from SENSE-ational Spaces
We are excited to offer 10% off of the base package fees for the first 10 people to book by September 30, 2021 using our special promotional code: ALLTHINGS10 - just got to the SENSE-ational Spaces website, linked below! Imagine your home, or the school you work in, has a dedicated space for children with sensory needs or a purposeful space for children without special needs. SENSE-ational Spaces is the company looking to meet this increasingly pressing need. The company’s founders, Alex...
Aug 25, 2021 • 28min
#167 - Facilitating Free Play! Our Favorite Tips, Tricks and Strategies!
In today we dive into the benefits and uses of free play! Discover what it means to engage in free play and how to facilitate it in easy, fun activities with your kids. Learn about the skills children can develop during free play, from an increased attention span to building the capacity to negotiate with other children. We break down why a combination of structured play and free play is great for your child’s development as well as some tips on how to find a balance. Later, we disc...
Aug 18, 2021 • 46min
#166 - Education + Sensory with Kirstie Wishart, Founder of Starfish in NSW, Australia
We are joined by a very special guest from Australia! Kirstie Wishart is a teacher, sensory educator, educational consultant, and founder of the Starfish Store, an education sensory and specialized store based in NSW, Australia. Starfish offers one-on-one tutoring for people of all ages who struggle with learning disabilities. They also carry Harkla products! She talks about raising four sons, one of whom is dyslexic, while working in special education. You’ll hear Kirstie break down how she ...
Aug 11, 2021 • 45min
#165 - A Deeper Look at Sensory Milestones & Red Flags to Note
The podcast discusses the importance of sensory milestones in the first year of a baby's life. It explores auditory and visual system development, red flags to look out for, and suggested activities for each system. The hosts also cover the significance of the tactile system, sensory sensitivities, and the importance of early intervention and sensory experiences.
Aug 4, 2021 • 53min
#164 - A Sensory Friendly Bed for Children and Adults of All Ages and Abilities, with Caleb Polley, CEO and Founder
Everyone knows the feeling of exhaustion that follows a few nights of poor sleep. For children and adults with sensory processing disorder, lack of sleep is a frequently occurring phenomenon which negatively affects the whole human ecosystem that surrounds them. Through gaining an understanding of his own sensory quirks, as well as his close friendship with a boy with Down Syndrome, Caleb Polley was inspired to found Cubby Beds, a company that makes medical beds of a very special kind.&n...
Jul 28, 2021 • 21min
#163 - A Look into Daily Sensory Processing for Adults + We're Sharing Top Secret Information!
Surprise, surprise: all living human beings have a sensory system! You may have known that, but did you know that almost everything you experience in your daily life has sensory input of some kind? The simple act of waking up in the morning can entail the use of all eight of your senses, from auditory to tactile to vestibular. In today’s episode, you’ll receive a rundown of some of the countless sensory inputs that your system is receiving throughout a typical day. Some people’...
Jul 21, 2021 • 53min
#162 - The Vision Behind This Inclusive Sports League - 2.0 with Gabriel Moreno, Founder of Game Changers Idaho
Today we are welcoming back the very first guest we ever had on this podcast, Gabriel Moreno! The world is suffering from a loneliness epidemic, and through Game Changers Idaho, Gabe is on a mission to remedy this by providing a sense of belonging through various sports programs. His optimism and enthusiasm are infectious and his mission “to find those who seek to spread goodness so that others may be fulfilled” is one that we can fully get behind. Gabe explains what Game Changers i...
Jul 14, 2021 • 28min
#161 - Finding the Underlying Cause of Challenges by Looking at the Whole Child
There are a multitude of factors that impact children’s abilities to thrive in their daily lives. In this episode, Rachel and Jessica run through a few of the main ones; nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, and primitive reflexes. They share some useful advice for therapists and parents regarding how to help their children maximize benefits and minimize harm, one step at a time. The overall theme is the importance of focusing on the body as a whole, and addressing under...
