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
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...
Jul 7, 2021 • 42min
#160 - Living in Rhythm with Jorge Ochoa, OTR/L, from TamboRhythms
Jorge Ochoa, an Occupational Therapist and musician, talks about the benefits of drumming for children with special needs, including improved mood and social-emotional skills. He also discusses how drumming can support the emotional health of adults, including easing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The episode includes heartwarming stories of children responding positively to drumming and a mini jam session.
Jun 30, 2021 • 29min
#159 - Tips for Oral Seekers! If You Don't Know If Your Child Seeks Oral Input, Listen Up!
“Why does my child chew on everything to the point of soaking their shirt and ruining objects?” - “How do I help a child who grinds their teeth constantly?” - “Will my child grow out of oral seeking tendencies?”If you have asked yourself any of these questions, then today’s episode is for you! Today we tackle the subject of oral seeking. We get a lot of questions from parents whose kiddos seek oral input. Today we break this down!From chewing/sucking non-food items to grinding teeth, overstuf...
Jun 23, 2021 • 49min
#158 - A Holistic Approach to Psychology with Dr. Lori Baudino, BC-DMT
Our episode today is all about a holistic approach to psychology! To help us broach this extensive subject, we got together with Dr. Lori Baudino to unpack the intricacies of the mind-body connection. Dr. Baudino is a licensed clinical psychologist, a board-certified dance movement therapist, and a mother of two. She shares what she has learned from her work as a psychologist from working with children in private practice, as well as in a hospital setting for over a decade. Lori exp...
Jun 16, 2021 • 24min
#157 - What is Constructional Praxis and Why is it Such an Important Skill?
Did you know Amazon's big sale, Prime Day is next week, June 21st and 22nd?While small, family-owned businesses like ours can sell products on Amazon, Amazon takes a big chunk of each sale from us.So, while Amazon has its sale next week, we're going to have our own sale at Harkla called (Anti) Prime Day where we'll have a big discount equal to the amount Amazon takes from us on sales.Click here to be notified of our biggest sale this summer:https://harkla.co/primeIn today’s episode, Rachel an...
