Someone asked me what to do when one of their children was distressed by the other child crying. Their kids were 6 and 4, and so are mine. The 4 year old especially would cry quite often, and the parent wants to give the child space to cry and feel like all their feelings are … Read more
Did you know that yelling is, from a sensory perspective, a very regulating thing to do? That might sound weird and it might make your brain jump to conclusions that aren’t the same as exactly what I’m saying. But think about it for a moment, from a mental perspective of thinking of the mechanics of … Read more
Sometimes when I tell parents that it’s okay to wear earplugs in order to cope with their own sensory sensitivity/avoidance, they worry that they’re going to hurt their children or implicitly be telling their children that they’re too loud, too much, etc. My children have been around me wearing earplugs since they were 2 and … Read more
Here’s a tiny little “this is working for our family right now so maybe it will for someone else too”: Our only form of screen time for our kids right now is TV shows and movies. We usually stick to preschool shows, Pixar/Disney movies, and YouTube videos about how things work or “behind the scenes” … Read more
My coworker and friend walked into my office and said, “I just went to use the microwave and someone had just left it on one second!” My other coworker/friend agreed “Ugh, I hate that!” I sat there, knowing for certain that I was the one who had left it on one second. For a fraction … Read more
“They’re actually not playing dangerously.” I tell this to my own body. My own nervous system. My own fight-or-flight response. Because of the way the noise feels. It pounds against my ears. It sends jolts down my skin. What I want to do is hide. What I want to do is cry. What I want … Read more
This post has an audio and video recorded version for those who prefer to learn by hearing rather than by reading. Scroll to the bottom for the video of me reading it. A mom was asking me recently for any advice on convincing her husband to allow their children to feel their emotions without feeling … Read more
This post has an audio and video recorded version for those who prefer to learn by hearing rather than by reading. Scroll to the bottom for the video of me reading it. Someone recently asked me, “I want my child to know that they can feel their full range of emotions without any emotion being … Read more
In my recent experiment with consulting with a few people via email, I received this lovely question! The asker was asking about their child specifically, and their child is a young adult. However, the specifics of this question could apply to any child who is learning to use AAC to talk! Q: My child uses … Read more
This was a game-changer for me, so maybe it will be for you: You’re allowed to wear earplugs. It took until about 2021 for me to confirm something that I had suspected for a long time. I got my hands on an Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile Assessment and scored my own behaviors to see where I … Read more