The Better Behavior Show with Dr. Nicole Beurkens

My guest this week is Greg Santucci, he is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and the Founding Director of Power Play Pediatric Therapy in New Jersey. He has been an OT for over 20 years, and currently is a Supervisor of Occupational Therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey. Greg is certified in sensory integration and continues to maintain a caseload in the schools and outpatient sensory gyms where he works.  In this episode, Greg and I discuss how many of the approaches being used with children who exhibit challenging behaviors are outdated, they are not supported by current research, and there are many adults on the autism spectrum and with related kinds of issues who have started to speak out about the trauma they experienced during these kinds of therapies when they were kids. Unfortunately, these types of approaches continue to be recommended in schools, in some therapy settings, and at home, so I’m thankful for people like Greg who are advocating for developmentally and neurologically supportive approaches that actually meet the needs of kids. Learn more about Greg here. Connect with Dr. Beurkens on  Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com

This weeks question is from Elisa,  “My 14-year-old daughter doesn't like to go outside. She prefers being home and gets very uncomfortable in the spring and summer because she might sweat or because there are insects and bugs outside. She avoids any outdoor time now. I know it would be good for her to spend some time outdoors, and honestly, her anxiety about this gets in the way of activities she and our family need to do. Do you have any suggestions?” In this episode, I will address several possibilities for why children may resist going outside. Anxiety could be at the core of this issue but it could also be caused by sensory processing issues. Either way, there are plenty of things you can do to you can help your child work through these feelings. Going outside is a healthy and natural part of life with so many benefits so I hope this episode helps you and your children get outside more often.  You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question." Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com  

My guest this week is Debbie Reber, a New York Times best-selling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a top resource for parents like her who are raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has grown to be a top podcast in the iTunes Kids & Family category, with nearly 3 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. A certified Positive Discipline trainer and a regular contributor to Psychology Today and ADDitude Magazine, Debbie’s newest book is Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World. In this episode, Debbie and I discuss what parenting a neurodiverse or differently wired kid looks like in today’s world. We put aside the stigma, the school-enforced goals, and the “fix” your child model and focus on the child’s strengths and needs. The journey of parenting a differently wired child is a marathon, not a sprint, Debbie offers amazing resources on where to start and how to help your child thrive. Learn more about Debbie’s work here.   Follow Debbie Website Instagram @tiltparenting @debbiereber Facebook Twitter @tiltparenting @debbiereber Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?  My book Life Will Get Better is available for purchase, click here to learn more.  Looking for more? Check out my Blog and the Better Behavior Naturally Parent Membership- a resource guide for parents who want to be more effective with improving their child’s behavior.  Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here.

This weeks question is from Rosa,   "I’m very concerned about my 5-year-old son. For the past 3 weeks, he has changed his behavior to the point where he doesn't want to go to school, says he's having nightmares, doesn't want to sleep alone, has eyes ‘shaking’, a funny stomach and he's complaining that his eyes hurt. I'm worried.  He has never had these issues before. He did have some kind of flu illness about 3 weeks ago, and 2 weeks ago, he started in-person school. I don't know if those things are related or not, but I need to do something to help him.” In this episode, I will address a few things that might be going on here. There could be some psychological and/or physiological components to this sudden behavior change. It could stem from the illness she describes, from the anxiety of starting school, or both.  I’ll give her some tips on how to talk to her son about what she’s noticing and how to address these issues depending on where they stem from. It’s important to help kids develop coping skills, keep new activities to a minimum while they regulate, and keep an eye on their eating habits and sleep.  And finally, I’ll explain why it’s important to discuss this with the child’s teacher. I hope many parents find this example and these tips helpful!  You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question." Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com

My guest this week is Sheila Frick, an internationally esteemed clinician, lecturer, and pioneer in Occupational Therapy. Sheila has over 40 years of clinical experience, having worked in psychiatry, rehabilitation, and home health before specializing in pediatrics. Her expertise includes sensory processing dysfunction, sensory integration, and auditory interventions. Sheila is well-known for expanding sensory processing treatments to include sound interventions. She has trained over 15,000 therapists worldwide to implement Therapeutic Listening within their clinical practice. She lectures on topics like clinical neurology, respiration, the vestibular/auditory system, and various auditory interventions. She is also the creator and author of Listening With the Whole Body, along with several other books and resources. In this episode, Sheila and I discuss the connection between listening, sensory processing, sensory integration, and brain function. When most people think about sensory processing, they might think of things like sensitivity to touch or light, or maybe a child having a difficult time tolerating taste or textures in food, or maybe even somebody being overwhelmed by loud noises, but the auditory components of sensory processing go well beyond that, and we can actually use different aspects of listening as a therapeutic tool to support sensory processing and brain functioning. Learn more about Sheila Frick here.  Follow Sheila Frick Website Facebook Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?  My book Life Will Get Better is available for purchase, click here to learn more.  Looking for more? Check out my Blog and the Better Behavior Naturally Parent Membership- a resource guide for parents who want to be more effective with improving their child’s behavior.  Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here. 

This week's question is from Teresa, “My 10-year-old daughter can create huge messes, not only in her room but also in every room in her house, from the living room to the kitchen to the bathroom. She moves from one thing to the next so quickly that I could spend my whole day cleaning up after her.  I get that she has executive functioning problems associated with her ADHD, learning challenges, and trauma issues. However, even when reminded or when help is offered, she is extremely resistant and does everything from ignoring the request to refusing to completely flee the situation.  Even when I try the “When/Then” strategy, it can turn into a huge battle to try to get her to accomplish the clean-up that she's more than capable of. And most of the time, I offer to help and/or get her started. Is there a better way to hold her accountable for the messes she makes? I’ve tried doing clean-up several times a day so it's smaller, but the resistance is the same. We’ve tried talking when she’s in good spirits about how when everyone helps, we have more time for fun stuff together, but she just doesn’t seem to get it, and it's really wearing on me. Help.” In this episode, I provide proactive strategies, executive function skills strategies, and some reactive strategies for how to address this kind of situation. I hope parents everywhere will find these strategies to be helpful.  Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com

My guest this week is Michelle Winner, MA, CCC-SLP who specializes in the treatment of individuals with social learning challenges and is the founder and CEO of Social Thinking®, a company dedicated to helping individuals from four through adulthood develop their social competencies to meet their personal social goals. Michelle coined the term “Social Thinking” in the mid-1990s and since that time has created numerous unique treatment frameworks and curricula that help educators, clinicians, professionals of all types, and parents/family members appreciate that social capabilities are integral to a person’s success in life, socially, academically, and professionally. In this episode, Michelle and I discuss what social skills actually entail. Most people, including education professionals, believe that social skills can be taught the way other competencies are taught. Michelle has dedicated her entire career to helping school professionals and parents understand that social skills involve so much more. That’s why she created “Social Thinking” courses. Many people have the ability to hear their own thoughts, that inner voice, and observe their thoughts before speaking or taking action. This enables them to engage in a conversation, join a group, meet new people, etc. Michelle noticed early on that there are many people in the world, even high academic achievers, who do not possess this ability innately. So she has designed several programs, developed research, and written many papers on how to help people learn social thinking. Head over to SocialThinking.com for lots of free resources on this topic.

This question comes from Travis and Mandy: “Our son is 9 years old and has never slept well, even since he was a baby. He has always been very active, tends to overreact to even small things and is irritable most days. Since he has been in school, we’ve had concerns raised by his teachers every year about his difficulty with staying still, focusing, being impulsive and getting his work done. We definitely see these things at home when we try to get him to do homework or focus on things he doesn’t want to do. We're trying to get him to bed on time but he really struggles to fall asleep and then comes out of his room a lot.  He wants to get in bed with us, which we let him do most of the time so we can get some sleep. We’ve noticed that he moves around a ton during the night and we’re constantly getting kicked.  He wakes up grouchy most mornings and it's really hard to get him going. Our pediatrician and some family members have suggested that he probably has ADHD and maybe some other kinds of behavioral issues and should be evaluated, but I can't help but think that his bad sleep might have something to do with these problems. We’d love any insights you have on this. Thanks. Travis and Mandy.” In this episode, I will address several things that I recommend looking at in order to get an idea of the main issues that are keeping your child from a good night's sleep. These are things you want to consider before going in for some kind of mental health or behavior diagnosis. Things like physiological and psychological barriers that interrupt sleep, snoring, or night mares for example. I’ll talk about sleep routines, sleep quantity and quality, and of course nutrition.   You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question."   Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com

My guest this week is Dr. Julia Rucklidge, a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury, the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health, and Nutrition Research Lab, and co-author of The Better Brain. Julia completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Calgary, in 2000, she immigrated to New Zealand. Over the last twenty years, Professor Rucklidge has become well known for her research investigating the interface between nutrition and mental health and has published over 140 scientific papers. Julia is also the recipient of numerous local and international awards, including named as one of the top 100 influential women in New Zealand, and is frequently featured in the media discussing her work. Her TEDx talk, “The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health” has been viewed over 1.7 million times. She recently created a free EdX online course for the public on mental health and nutrition. Having witnessed conventional treatments failing so many people, Julia is passionate about helping people find alternative treatments for their psychiatric symptoms. Through her focus on translating research into practice, she hopes to help make nutritional interventions mainstream.  In this episode, Julia and I discuss the compelling research on the connection between nutrition and mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. There is definitive research that supports food and nutrition as a natural treatment for these issues and for too long this research has been dismissed. Julia is committed to ongoing research in this area and gives parents good reason to consider micro-nutrient therapy first before pharmaceuticals. Learn more about Julia Rucklidge...  Book - The Better Brain Instagram - @ucmentalhealthandnutrition Facebook - @mentalhealthandnutrition  Twitter - @JuliaRucklidge  Website  Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?  My book Life Will Get Better is available for purchase, click here to learn more.  Looking for more? Check out my Blog and the Better Behavior Naturally Parent Membership- a resource guide for parents who want to be more effective with improving their child’s behavior.  Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here. 

This weeks question is from Marisol, “I have felt for a while that my boys seem easier to manage when they haven't been eating a lot of sweets and junk food. One of my sons seems especially sensitive to food. He gets really hyper with sugar, and yet he really craves it. So it's hard to balance sometimes. He throws a lot of temper tantrums and gets upset really easily. His preschool teachers have noted he seems more irritable and acts out more than the other kids.  A big challenge is that my husband doesn't think there's any reason to consider food when it comes to our kids' behavior or health in general. He says they aren't overweight, so it's not a problem. He doesn't think there's any reason to consider the ways we feed the boys in terms of their learning and their behavior. I know this isn't true, but how can I get him to understand and help me make some changes that might help?" In this episode, I will address the food-behavior connection and will talk about why some parents resist changing their children's diet and how to get them on the same page. If a partner still doesn’t agree, I’ll give you some tips on how to keep moving forward with what you think is best for you and your children. You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question." Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com