The Sensory Project

In today we dive into the benefits and uses of free play! Discover what it means to engage in free play and how to facilitate it in easy, fun activities with your kids. Learn about the skills children can develop during free play, from an increased attention span to building the capacity to negotiate with other children. We break down why a combination of structured play and free play is great for your child’s development as well as some tips on how to find a balance. Later, we disc...

We are joined by a very special guest from Australia! Kirstie Wishart is a teacher, sensory educator, educational consultant, and founder of the Starfish Store, an education sensory and specialized store based in NSW, Australia. Starfish offers one-on-one tutoring for people of all ages who struggle with learning disabilities. They also carry Harkla products! She talks about raising four sons, one of whom is dyslexic, while working in special education. You’ll hear Kirstie break down how she ...

The developmental milestones in the first 12 months of life are widely spoken about, but there are equally important, yet often overlooked, sensory milestones to be aware of. In today's episode, Rachel and Jessica explore the different sensory systems: auditory, visual, tactile, and more! We hear about the key developmental markers of each of these systems, along with some red flags to look out for. Rachel and Jessica also share some easy-to-implement activities for each of the...

Everyone knows the feeling of exhaustion that follows a few nights of poor sleep. For children and adults with sensory processing disorder, lack of sleep is a frequently occurring phenomenon which negatively affects the whole human ecosystem that surrounds them. Through gaining an understanding of his own sensory quirks, as well as his close friendship with a boy with Down Syndrome, Caleb Polley was inspired to found Cubby Beds, a company that makes medical beds of a very special kind.&n...

Surprise, surprise: all living human beings have a sensory system! You may have known that, but did you know that almost everything you experience in your daily life has sensory input of some kind? The simple act of waking up in the morning can entail the use of all eight of your senses, from auditory to tactile to vestibular. In today’s episode, you’ll receive a rundown of some of the countless sensory inputs that your system is receiving throughout a typical day. Some people’...

Today we are welcoming back the very first guest we ever had on this podcast, Gabriel Moreno! The world is suffering from a loneliness epidemic, and through Game Changers Idaho, Gabe is on a mission to remedy this by providing a sense of belonging through various sports programs. His optimism and enthusiasm are infectious and his mission “to find those who seek to spread goodness so that others may be fulfilled” is one that we can fully get behind. Gabe explains what Game Changers i...

There are a multitude of factors that impact children’s abilities to thrive in their daily lives. In this episode, Rachel and Jessica run through a few of the main ones; nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, and primitive reflexes. They share some useful advice for therapists and parents regarding how to help their children maximize benefits and minimize harm, one step at a time. The overall theme is the importance of focusing on the body as a whole, and addressing under...

What does it mean to live life in rhythm? Rhythm is something that is all around us, it’s in seasons of the year, heartbeats of our bodies, modulations of our speech, it’s even in our breath. In today’s episode we get together with Jorge Ochoa to talk about his work as an Occupational Therapist and musician and how he has been able to combine them by establishing TamboRhythms. Jorge recounts the many ways that drumming benefits young children, from having a positive effect on one's ...

“Why does my child chew on everything to the point of soaking their shirt and ruining objects?” - “How do I help a child who grinds their teeth constantly?” - “Will my child grow out of oral seeking tendencies?”If you have asked yourself any of these questions, then today’s episode is for you! Today we tackle the subject of oral seeking. We get a lot of questions from parents whose kiddos seek oral input. Today we break this down!From chewing/sucking non-food items to grinding teeth, overstuf...

Our episode today is all about a holistic approach to psychology! To help us broach this extensive subject, we got together with Dr. Lori Baudino to unpack the intricacies of the mind-body connection. Dr. Baudino is a licensed clinical psychologist, a board-certified dance movement therapist, and a mother of two. She shares what she has learned from her work as a psychologist from working with children in private practice, as well as in a hospital setting for over a decade. Lori exp...

Did you know Amazon's big sale, Prime Day is next week, June 21st and 22nd?While small, family-owned businesses like ours can sell products on Amazon, Amazon takes a big chunk of each sale from us.So, while Amazon has its sale next week, we're going to have our own sale at Harkla called (Anti) Prime Day where we'll have a big discount equal to the amount Amazon takes from us on sales.Click here to be notified of our biggest sale this summer:https://harkla.co/primeIn today’s episode, Rachel an...

This episode is all about hand-eye-body coordination! To help us unpack this exciting and important subject, we have none other than Dr. Jacob Weiss, who is the Director of the HandEyeBody Academy! We talk about how he got started, his magical history as a professional juggler, and unpack how hand-eye coordination can be utilized for different contexts and issues. Jacob also situates his work in the realm of similar strategies, commenting on Bal-A-Vis-X specifically, and the founding principl...

Traveling can be quite challenging, so it's time to revisit this topic as the world is opening back up again and there are more opportunities to travel. Here we give you some helpful advice on how to put together sensory diets to help your kiddos feel successful during times of travel, and tips, tricks, and strategies to make your life and your child's lives just a little bit easier. You’ll hear about what a sensory diet is and how it can be used to help both kids and adults cope with traveli...

There is still so much to learn and share in the world of autism, parenting, and just pushing forward the conversation around difference. We are happy to welcome Kristi Brewer today, who is very difficult to put into a box! She is a mother to two daughters, weightlifter, CPA, business-owner, and all-around powerhouse for positive progress. Kristi admits when her second daughter was diagnosed with Autism she felt very overwhelmed and scared due to her ignorance on the subject. K...

Receiving a diagnosis for your child can elicit a wide range of emotions, and that is completely normal. In today’s episode, your hosts Rachel and Jessica, dive into ways to deal with your own feelings around the diagnosis, as well as the best things that you can do for your child once they have been diagnosed. The discussion dives into the importance of doing your research and finding a community; this can be found in online or offline groups. It just depends on what resonates with...

This is an extra special bonus episode with an incredible lactation consultant, infant massage instructor, and postpartum doula, Melanie Henstrom, on the subject of all things tongue-tie! Melanie lives and works in Boise, Idaho, specializing in teaching prenatal breastfeeding, educating professionals on tongue tie, and how to better support the breastfeeding dyad. This podcast is illuminating and potentially life-changing! Melanie shares her professional and personal journey with is...

Today’s guest, Dr. Sam Zink, is a dentist who focuses on airway dental medicine. Dr. Zink’s practice is rooted in the belief that all dentistry should support and enhance an optimal airway. In today’s episode, Dr. Zink shares how having his three sons struggle with upper airway resistance syndrome drew him into this specialization. We hear about why tongue and lip ties often go undiagnosed and the importance of finding a team that understands what it takes to diagnose and treat thes...

Back in episode 16, we talked about disciplining a sensory kiddo and it has remained one of our most listened-to episodes. So, we thought we would revisit the topic and incorporate some new ideas. Discipline is a tricky topic, and it presents challenges even without a sensory difficulty or diagnosis, so we are here to share what we think works best. We walk through a case study in a classroom setting, unpacking the child's response to being overstimulated and overwhelmed. It appears...

Aquatic therapy can be used as a treatment modality for Occupational Therapy and comes with a range of benefits for both adults and children. Today we sit with Nicole Nickell, an Occupational Therapist and founder of Lullaby Waters. In this episode, we take a deep dive into aquatic therapy and what makes it so impactful.We talk to Nicole about the genesis of Lullaby Waters, as we discover how her love for water-based therapy evolved from a stint at St. Luke's Rehab Institute. We the...

Today’s episode is about another primitive reflex: the palmar grasp reflex. Primitive reflexes impact so many things! Be sure to check out our 5-episode series on primitive reflexes (#100-104), as we continue our mission to get this information out there to everyone! The palmar grasp reflex happens when pressure is put on an infant’s palm & they reflexively curl their fingers to grasp whatever is in their palm. You’ll hear about all things related to palmar grasp reflex, in...