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
Apr 22, 2020 • 49min
#93 - Self-Injurious Behavior with Danielle Delorenzo
Danielle Delorenzo has a dream - to empower all individuals with the tools necessary to facilitate independence, maximize educational potential, foster positive overall development, and support optimal emotional regulation necessary to navigate through life and be as successful as possible! Listen in to hear her talk about her personal journey as well as how you can help those around you. Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla.Co/Podcast.Brought To Yo...
Apr 15, 2020 • 21min
#92 - Sensory Strategies for Separation Anxiety
Does your child (or client, or a family member) suffer from anxiety? What about separation anxiety? Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants often work with children suffering from separation anxiety - it can significantly affect a child’s ability to participate in daily life tasks such as birthday parties, school events, and can even prevent their parent / caregiver from getting some much needed alone time. Additionally, the parent / caregiver of a child who suffers ...
Apr 8, 2020 • 60min
#91 - Making Peace with Challenges: An Interview with Jeff Goelitz from Heart Math Institute
Have you ever heard of HeartMath? If not, you need to check them out ASAP! But first, listen in while we chat with Jeff Goelitz, the Director of Education at the HeartMath Institute. He is full of valuable information and has a real passion for helping people. Be sure to check out the show notes and all of the links at The Sensory Project Blog. Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla.Co/Podcast.Brought To You By HarklaThis podcast is brought to y...
Apr 3, 2020 • 31min
#90 - BONUS! Teletherapy for OTs and Parents!
WELCOME to our first bonus episode! We are so excited to send this one out into the world and hopefully provide you with valuable information regarding teletherapy! Take notes and make sure to check out our FREE Teletherapy Guide over at thesensoryprojectclub.com/freebiesBe sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla.Co/Podcast.Brought To You By HarklaThis podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live hap...
Apr 1, 2020 • 59min
#89 - Learning From Our Sensory Mentor: Gwen Wild, MOT, OTR/L, Founder of Sensational Brain!
This week on The Sensory Project Show, Rachel and Jessica chat with Gwen - the mastermind behind BrainWorks, the Sensory Diet Tool for therapists, parents, educators, and caregivers! Not only is Gwen the creator of Sensational Brain (a website with a variety of resources including handouts and webinars), but she’s also a speaker, Occupational Therapist, and someone who is passionate about helping children and families. Listen in for a fabulous conversation!Be sure to check out the show ...
Mar 25, 2020 • 37min
#88 - Is it Sensory or Behavior? The #1 Question We Are Asked!
If you struggle to identify your child’s negative actions as “sensory related” or “behavior related,” this episode is for you! A sensory related behavior will frequently manifest differently than a behavior related action - meaning the child’s sensory system is overloaded which causes them to have a meltdown. A behavior related action is typically related more to a want that the child has and that they will attempt to seek negative attention to achieve the want. If that’s not confusing ...
Mar 18, 2020 • 38min
#87 - Why Does Your Child Sit Like That and What is it Telling You?
As therapists, we oftentimes focus our treatment sessions on building strength and endurance in order to improve a child’s ability to attain and sustain a postural position. For instance, we want to improve a child’s ability to sit upright at their desk in order to focus well in school. This means we must identify any compensatory strategies in order to identify the muscles that require extra strengthening. But what does this mean for parents and educators? Well, in this episode we will go th...
Mar 11, 2020 • 56min
#86 - Crossing Midline of the Body with The OT Butterfly
Laura, a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, discusses the importance of crossing midline in a child's development. They explore specific behaviors and movements to determine if a child may benefit from OT. They also discuss their career transition and online business, OT Butterfly, and share ways to incorporate crossing midline movements into daily activities.
Mar 4, 2020 • 35min
#85 - Creating Your Own Sensory Motor Experience
We believe in creating experiences for the children we work with. We even have an episode on how to create experiences (make sure you check that one out!)! We also believe that movement = learning. So, when we can put those two things together, we create an incredible opportunity for growth! A sensory motor experience is, quite simply, a movement sequence that helps to improve attention, praxis, coordination, and executive functioning. We are OBSESSED with creating new sequences that ta...
Feb 26, 2020 • 29min
#84 - What is the Olfactory System & Tips for Success
This week’s episode is brought to you by a listener question - Why do children struggle with smells? What can be done to help a child tolerate the variety of smells in a school lunchroom? Our sense of smell - our olfactory sense - plays a huge role in our daily routines, including eating and social situations but also when we clean, walk through the store, and even sleep! So when our sense of smell is over-responsive, it can cause some serious challenges! Be ready to take some notes and...
