

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

Mar 3, 2021 • 50min
#142 - Interview with Sonia Story: Why Movement is Essential for Development
In our early stages of development, we all have a template in our brains that guides how we move. And the movements we make based on that guide are called innate rhythmic movements. This set of movements helps us go from being defenseless babies to developing skills like walking, speaking, and even coping with stress. Today’s guest is Sonia Story, an expert in innate rhythmic movements and the creator of the Brain and Sensory Foundations course, and she joins us to help us learn more abo...

Mar 1, 2021 • 19min
BONUS: We’ve Got Big News for the Podcast!
We've got BIG NEWS to announce to everyone during this podcast episode!We're joining the Harkla Team as in-house content creators, experts, and podcast hosts! This means we're changing the name of the podcast to All Things Sensory by Harkla!Like we mention in the episode, to celebrate we're having a big sale on all of our Harkla products:One month free to the Harkla Sensory Club (which was The Sensory Project Club)25% off all of our digital courses15% off Harkla Therapy Products and Supplemen...

Feb 24, 2021 • 19min
#141 - Honest Strategies to Combat Sibling Rivalry
We are often asked about how to deal with fighting between siblings and how to help them get along better. First off, it’s always useful to remember that fighting is a natural and inevitable part of life between children, and it’s just a matter of making sure that the difficulties that do arise are within a reasonable limit and are not dangerous. When a child has sensory challenges, these kinds of conflicts can be exacerbated and in some cases may be harder to deal with; sensory pro...

Feb 17, 2021 • 36min
#140 - Interview with OT Entrepreneur Reema Naim from OT Studios LA
A career in occupational therapy can take on many different characteristics and trajectories. Our guest today, Reema Naim, is a great example of this and she shares her unique path and how she built a business and lifestyle around her passions and strengths. We hear from Reema about her early forays into the world of health and the different exploratory steps she took before settling into the role of an OT. Reema was able to open her own clinic, and since then has increasingly pursued wo...

Feb 10, 2021 • 30min
#139 - Easy Ways to Incorporate Speech Into Play for All Ages
Facilitating speech for your child or the child you care for can be loads of fun, and in today’s episode, hosts Rachel and Jessica cover a whole bunch of activities that can incorporate language into daily tasks. While we don’t focus specifically on language development - but rather verbiage - some of these tasks may help your child with enunciation, so there should be something for everyone! We kick off the show by diving into our first exercise: sequencing through singing. We talk...

Feb 3, 2021 • 57min
#138 - Learning More About ABA with Whitney - @thespectrumcompass
Former special education teacher Whitney Sarnowski discusses ABA therapy for children with Autism. The episode covers the importance of early intervention, breaking down misconceptions about ABA, personal experiences in special education, choosing the right therapy, different placement options, and the benefits of ABA for children.

Jan 27, 2021 • 35min
#137 - Sleep 2.0: Sensory Strategies for Better Sleep Quality!
Back in 2018, we released our third podcast episode all about bedtime and sleep. This episode is an updated version of that episode - Sleep 2.0! Get ready for a discussion on WHY many children struggle to get a good night’s sleep as well as our fav tips, tricks, and strategies to help the entire family feel successful with bedtime. This podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this thr...

Jan 20, 2021 • 1h 2min
#136 - Balancing Screen Time & Play Time with Rachel McFedries
This episode is an incredible conversation with Rachel McFedries - Rachel is passionate about helping parents of children ages birth - 7 years balance screen time and play time. Because parenting these days can feel overwhelming and energy-draining, screens can become the “easy” answer. As a result, some children are experiencing more screen time than ever before. Rachel’s passion began 4 years ago with the birth of her third child - she was really struggling to limit screen time for her...

Jan 13, 2021 • 30min
#135 - Why We Love the Draw a Person Test for More Than Testing Purposes!
Learn how drawings can provide insights into a child's development. Discover games and activities to improve body awareness. Understand the importance of teaching children about their bodies. Plus, get a discount on Harkla sensory products.

Jan 6, 2021 • 57min
#134 - Torticollis, Plagiocephaly, and Infant Development with Baby Begin!
Today we have an incredible conversation with Jennifer Barnard, an Occupational Therapist who is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of plagiocephaly without a helmet, while treating torticollis quickly and effectively. You can hear the passion in her voice so make sure you check out her website and start following her on Instagram after listening to today's episode! Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla.Co/Podcast. Brought To You By Harkla This podcast is...


