

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

Jun 26, 2024 • 18min
#314 - Increasing Motivation to Complete Challenging Primitive Reflex Integration Activities
Free Primitive Reflex WebinarPrimitive Reflex Digital CourseOne of our favorite things about our digital courses is that you can ask questions and start conversations inside of the course! We have a comment forum within each module of each course, and we LOVE getting in there to answer questions, brainstorm, and chat about progress!Today’s episode is a conversation about a question that was posted inside of our primitive reflex digital course. We talk about different reflexes, different chall...

Jun 19, 2024 • 47min
#313 - Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to the First Three Years
Joel Warsh, MD, is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California, specializing in Parenting, Wellness, and Integrative Medicine. He grew up in Toronto, Canada, and completed degrees in Kinesiology, Psychology, Epidemiology, and Community Health before earning his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He completed his Pediatric Medicine training at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) and worked in private practice in Beverly Hills before founding his current p...

Jun 12, 2024 • 23min
#312 - Supporting Gestalt Language Processors in Occupational Therapy Sessions
Today’s episode is an “interview” with Jessica! We’re chatting all about Gestalt Language Processing, using AAC in occupational therapy sessions, collaborating with speech therapists, transitions with non-speaking / pre-verbal clients, and more!Although Jessica is not an expert in language and communication, she works closely with an SLP who has extensive experience in GLP specifically. Everything she shares is from her personal and professional experiences. She knows that she has more to lea...

Jun 5, 2024 • 21min
#311 - Teaching You How to Set Up Obstacle Courses that Target Multiple Goals
Have you ever wondered why we always recommend obstacle courses for kids during therapy and at home?It’s because they have so many benefits!Today’s episode is all about WHY obstacle courses are so beneficial and how to set up obstacle courses for all children!We talk about our favorite equipment pieces to use, how to identify the number of steps in the obstacle course, how to add a function-based play component, how to add different transitions into it, and MORE!We’d love to answer your quest...

May 29, 2024 • 19min
#310 - Answering Your Sensory and OT Questions
In this episode, we are answering your questions. We talk about strategies for helping an 8 year old with toileting skills, toddler sleep challenges, games that help with teaching the Zones of Regulation, how to help a 4 year old wake up easier, tips for parents who are ‘touched out’ with their sensory seeking child, and ideas for a toddler who seems extra clumsy.We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3Brought To You B...

May 22, 2024 • 41min
#309 - In-Home Neurofeedback Training with Vital Neuro Headphones ft. Co-founder Alex Doman
Alex Doman is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, psychoacoustic music producer, and TEDx speaker with more than thirty years of experience in neurotechnology. His mission is to help others achieve their optimal potential and become the best version of themselves. The third generation in a family of pioneers dedicated to improving people's brain performance for over seventy-five years, Alex founded Advanced Brain Technologies and co-founded Sleep Genius and Vital Neuro. Doman’s production cr...

May 15, 2024 • 34min
#308 - Simple, Effective Heavy Work Activities in the School Setting
We received a question from an OT practitioner working in the schools: What are some simple proprioceptive activities that I can do with my students that don’t require a lot of space or equipment?Tune in for a discussion all about proprioception and get some new ideas for using heavy work and deep pressure in the school setting.Make sure to check out all of our links below!We’d love to answer your questions on the podcast! Fill out this form -> https://harkla.typeform.com/to/ItWxQNP3Brough...

May 8, 2024 • 41min
#307 - Social Emotional Learning, Sensory Corners, and Fidgets with Jewelisa Blanks, M.Ed, Founder of Gifts of Joy
Jewelisa Blanks, a respected public speaker and seasoned educator, has devoted her professional life to empowering teachers and students. A proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Jewelisa spent over seven years serving in the public education sector, fostering a deep understanding of the field over her ten years of educational experience. Leveraging her knowledge and experience, she has drawn on cutting-edge emotional health research to affect meaningful change within the education syst...

May 1, 2024 • 30min
#306 - Curious About Primitive Reflexes? Answering Common Questions!
We are answering questions that we’ve received inside our primitive reflex digital course, Assessment And Integration Of Primitive Reflexes For Improved Independence In Daily Activities.One of our favorite things about our digital course is that you can ask questions inside the course, start discussions, and get feedback!In today’s episode, we talk about how to base a treatment plan and goals around retained primitive reflexes, how to test for reflexes when the child struggles with following ...

Apr 24, 2024 • 52min
#305 - The Future of Preventative Health Through Gene Snips with Dr. Jade Dandy, NMD, MSiMR
Dr. Jade Dandy is an Idaho native and fell in love with Naturopathic medicine at a young age. She graduated from National University of Natural Medicine (NUMN) in 2015. Focusing on chronic illness, she earned her Doctorates in Natural Medicine as well as Masters of Science in Integrative Medicine Research. Dr. Dandy is an advocate for her patients’ health journey, integrating western medicine with time-tested natural medicine to bring patients back to optimal health. It is her strong belief t...