#182 - Tips to Help a Child with Auditory Hypersensitivity/Over-Responsiveness

by Jessica Hill, COTA/L & Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC December 08, 2021 1 Comment

#182 - Tips to Help a Child with Auditory Hypersensitivity/Over-Responsiveness

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Tips to Help a Child with Auditory Hypersensitivity/Auditory Over-Responsiveness

Welcome to the All Things Sensory Podcast by Harkla! Today, we’re talking about Auditory Hypersensitivity. We explain the auditory system, what it is, and how it works, before moving on to discuss the various signs that might indicate that your child has auditory sensitivities, and the adverse reactions that may result. We share some helpful tips on how to support your child with Auditory Hypersensitivity and tools that will help to ease or prevent an overstimulation reaction.

We always invite our listeners to ask questions for us to address in this podcast, and today we do just that. We touch on what you can do if you, as a parent, are becoming triggered by your child’s stims, and how to test if your child has not yet outgrown the Moro reflex.

Tune in for an insightful conversation about Auditory Hypersensitivity /Auditory Over-Responsiveness. Together were on a mission to help children and families, therapists and educators live happy, healthy lives.

Key Points From This Episode:

  • The interchangeable terms pertaining to auditory sensitivity.
  • The auditory system: what it is and how it works.
  • What happens when a child’s auditory system isn’t working correctly. 
  • Auditory Processing Disorder: what it is, and the importance of intervention or diagnosis.
  • Signs of Auditory Hypersensitivity, and the adverse reactions.
  • Recommendations and tools for parents of children with sensitivities to audio input.
  • The Listening Program: what it is. 
  • How incorporating auditory input into play activities helps the brain process auditory input.
  • How proprioceptive input helps to override overstimulation.
  • How visual schedules allow auditory sensitive kids to prepare for the unexpected.
  • “Name it, claim it and tame it”: Inform your child, and teach them coping strategies.
  • What to do when your child is in an overstimulated state, and why they need to be in control of how they choose to calm their body down.
  • The importance of designated spots for sensory breaks.
  • Suggestions for a parent who is overstimulated by their child’s stims.
  • How to test if an older child still has the Moro reflex.

Highlights:

Auditory Processing Disorder is when the child can hear just fine. They don’t have any hearing loss, but their brain doesn’t process the sounds, specifically speech sounds, when someone is talking to them.”— Rachel[0:02:58]

Incorporating more auditory input into play activities helps the brain process and understand auditory input.” — Jessica[0:15:45]

Proprioceptive input is the all-regulating, all-grounding input that helps to override overstimulation.” — Rachel[0:16:06]

A visual schedule lets the child know what’s expected.”— Rachel[0:16:36]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Harkla

Harkla on Instagram

All Things Sensory on Instagram

All Things Sensory on Facebook

Advanced Brain Technologies: The Listening Program

 

Check out our video on Auditory Processing & Our 5 Favorite Activities

 

Full Show Transcript 

Hey there. I am Rachel and I am Jessica, and this is All Things Sensory by Harkla. Together we’re on a mission to help children and families, therapists and educators live happy, healthy lives. We dive into all things sensory, special needs, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care and so much more. In each episode we share raw, honest, fun ideas and strategies for everyone to implement into daily life. Thank you so much for joining us.

 

[DISCUSSION]

 

[0:00:32.2] RH: Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of All Things Sensory by Harkla. This is Episode 182. Welcome, if this is your first time listening. Welcome back if you are a lifer. We’re glad that you’re here with us.

 

[0:00:46.2] JH: Yeah. Okay today we are going to talk about Auditory Hypersensitivity. First, we need to talk about the auditory system and how auditory system works. 

 

[0:00:58.8] RH:  I think two; we should break down the different terms that we interchangeably will use during this episode. And when we talk about this in practice as well.  So auditory, you said auditory hypersensitivity. It could be auditory sensitivity; it could be over-responsive to auditory input.

 

[0:01:18.3] JH: It could be auditory defensiveness. 

 

[0:01:21.1] RH: So, there are a lot of similar terms. But any of those terms that we use today, they mean the same thing. 

 

[0:01:25.8] JH: Yes. Okay so the auditory system is how we hear noises in our environment. Basically, sounds are energy waves that move through the environment into our ears and then the sound waves travel through our ear structures through our inner ear structures, then they are transmitted to our brain where we process what the sound is, what it means, where it is from, how loud it is and then our brain processes an appropriate response.

 

[0:01:55.5] RH: Basically, we want you all to realize the difference between just what you hear and then processing what you hear and having an appropriate response to what you hear, the sounds you hear, the level of sound that comes into your brain. 

 

[0:02:13.4] JH: Yeah, we are not talking about hearing loss. That is something completely different. It is not within our scope of practice, hearing loss. So, we are talking about auditory processing. 

 

[0:02:26.5] RH: Processing what is coming in. We want to talk about what happens when a child’s auditory system isn’t working correctly. 

 

[0:02:36.0] JH: Yes. So, when the brain doesn’t process those signals appropriately, the brain gets overloaded with too many sound signals and the brain doesn’t know how to respond to a specific sound signal.

 

[0:02:51.1] RH: So, one term that we hear often, if you haven’t heard it before, that’s why you’re here, but the term is Auditory Processing Disorder this is when the child can hear just fine. They don’t have any hearing loss, but their brain doesn’t process the sounds, specifically speech sounds, when someone is talking to them. 

 

[0:03:12.5] JH:  Yeah, and this does require an official diagnosis and there’s a lot where that plays into Auditory Processing Disorder but just briefly, yeah, that’s what it is. 

 

[0:03:21.7] RH: Can I share a side note of the story?

 

[0:03:23.4] JH: Of course, always.  

 

[0:03:24.5] RH: Okay. I was doing my presentations at the college yesterday. After the second one a girl came up to me and was like, well, during the presentation we are talking about auditory stuff and she was like, “Yeah, I have Auditory Processing Disorder”.  We were talking about it a little bit, she came up afterwards and was talking about one of the activities that we were doing, the ‘stop, walk, wiggle, sit’ activity, and how I switch the instructions. She was like “I couldn’t do it. Like, I could not process it and I couldn’t figure out what to do, or how to do it.” She said, “I was so lucky to have early intervention and get diagnosed”. She’s not from here, which is probably why she got diagnosed. I am sorry. But she was just so appreciative to have strategies and tools to be able to process. She also said having masks on makes life way harder for her. 

 

[0:04:21.6] JH: I can imagine. 

 

[0:04:22.9] RH: Absolutely.

 

[0:04:23.7] JH: Sounds are muffled. That’s a great example of auditory processing disorder through, for sure. Okay, so now that we understand what auditory processing is and kind of how it works. Obviously, we did not go into a lot of scientific details. If you really want to do that, you can do some research online. So, let’s talk specifically about auditory hypersensitivity when the brain cannot process certain sounds, which causes adverse reactions. 

 

[0:04:51.0] RH:  So, hypersensitivity, defensiveness, overstimulation, over-responsiveness, it can look like a child who has a meltdown every time the vacuum or blender turns on. 

 

[0:05:03.1] JH: It can be a child who has a fight or flight reaction to the bell ringing at school every single time. 

 

[0:05:11.3] RH: It could be a child who cannot tolerate being in noisy environments, they show social anxiety, they have meltdowns anytime it’s time to go out in public. 

 

[0:05:22.8] JH: The one that comes up for me when we think about that is the pool, because most indoor pools have so much echo and it’s just very overwhelming.

 

[0:05:35.4] RH: Do you remember when I was doing swim lessons with Trip? 

 

[0:05:37.3] JH: I do. 

 

[0:05:38.0] RH: Was that your example? 

 

[0:05:38.9] JH: Yes. Well even me just going to the YMCA with my kid, you know? It’s so loud, it’s overstimulating to the auditory system. So, if your child has been in swim lessons and they have shown anxiety going to swim lessons, that’s definitely something to take a look at is the sound factor. 

 

[0:05:58.7] RH: Yeah. It can also look like a child who covers their ears during an activity that is not too noisy for anyone else, like flushing the toilet.

 

[0:06:08.5] JH: Yeah, think about like the public restrooms. It could look like a child who can’t focus on the task because of the sound of something in the room, say the overhead fan or even the refrigerator humming. Sounds that no-one else in the room notices, but this child cannot focus because of that sound. 

 

[0:06:29.3] RH: So, it can also look like a child you cannot focus on the conversation because there is other noise nearby, this is me. If someone is talking to me and I can overhear another conversation, I cannot focus on the first conversation because I am like “What are they saying over there? I can’t tune it out now, I can’t stop listening.” 

 

[0:06:46.9] JH: Yeah, yeah. Is that just because you want to eavesdrop though? 

 

[0:06:50.0] RH: It is a little bit of both. Especially if that other conversation is more interesting than my conversation.

 

[0:06:56.6] JH: For sure, for sure. Okay so, it can also be a child who can’t sleep because of the noises in the house that are too loud. So, this is going to be even after you have made sure that there is no extra noise, the TV is not on, music’s not on, maybe you even have a sound machine on, but the child can hear the house creaking or they can even here the electricity running through the house because EMS, but that’s another topic. But if your child is struggling to sleep because they complain it’s too noisy, it could be a sign of auditory sensitivity. 

 

[0:07:27.6] RH:  Yeah, that’s a lot. But one thing to note is that kids who experience this auditory hypersensitivity, they can often have similar hypersensitivity to other systems, like their tactile system or vestibular system, but they can also have under-responsiveness to different senses as well. So just because they are over responsive to auditory input, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be over-responsive to everything. Most people have mixed responses. 

 

[0:07:59.5] JH: Yeah. Okay so some of the adverse reactions, including what we just mentioned, can look like meltdowns or tantrums.

 

[0:08:09.0] RH: A fights flight or freeze response. 

 

[0:08:11.7] JH: Social anxiety and covering ears in public places.

 

[0:08:16.3] RH: Poor attention and focus. 

 

[0:08:18.3] JH: Challenges completing daily tasks such as eating, brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, showering, getting dressed, sleeping, all of those daily routine tasks. 

 

[0:08:26.6] RH: You can see crying or refusing certain tasks.

 

[0:08:31.5] JH:  Anger, aggression, aggravation, just being cranky.

 

[0:08:36.6] RH: You can also see a child shut down or elope or like run away from the situation. 

 

[0:08:42.8] JH: These are all signs of just overstimulation from auditory input. The brain cannot process what is coming in and so the child has to have some sort of reaction. It’s not an appropriate reaction but it’s all they can do in the moment.

 

[0:08:55.7] RH: Yeah, I definitely have some auditory sensitivities, and I can tell you, I get frustrated and angry when I’m overstimulated, for sure

 

[0:09:05.2] JH: Well, we all do, I think. But to auditory input especially. 

 

[0:09:08.5] RH: Specifically, yes. 

 

[0:09:10.8] JH: And I think it is important to remember too that, if your child has an adverse reaction one time to an auditory, to a sound, doesn’t mean they are necessarily sensitive to that sound. It has to be something that happens every single time.

 

[0:09:26.3] RH: And it significantly impacts their ability to get through their day, like their ADL’s, brushing their teeth, going to the bathroom, showering. 

 

[0:09:34.7] JH: School, social situations. 

 

[0:09:37.1] RH: Playing at the park, going to soccer practice, when they blow the whistle at soccer practice. 

 

[0:09:42.7] JH: That is pretty loud. 

 

[0:09:44.4] RH:  If your child experiences this, or if you are starting to notice that your child has some sensitivities to auditory input. Here are our recommendations.

 

[0:09:53.2] JH: This is why you’re here. 

 

[0:09:54.6] RH: This is the rapid-fire activity strategy. 

 

[0:09:58.2] JH: So, we always say rapid fire, but we never actually do rapid fire anymore because we always explain.

 

[0:10:03.3] RH: I know.

 

[0:10:04.1] JH: So, we tried to do rapid fire, but not feel like it’s not really rapid fire. 

 

[0:10:07.6] RH: No, we have to, we’ll do a disservice, if we don’t explain these.

 

[0:10:10.6] JH: But I still like calling it rapid fire. 

 

[0:10:12.0] RH: Yeah yeah. Okay first one, The Listening Program by Advanced Brain Technologies, you guys we talk about this company, this program all the time, we’ve been using it for years. There are other therapeutic listening programs out there that are great and work well. This is just one that we have found. We love the company. I use the program myself. 

 

[0:10:33.9] JH: We interviewed the creator, they’re awesome. Yeah, they are great. So, send me the first one to check. 

 

[0:10:40.9] RH: Let me quickly explain what it is. It is acoustically modified music that helps to retrain the brain to work on not only the auditory sensitivities, but speech and language and executive functioning and creativity and focus, and behavior and sleep. All of the important things that we want to work on, it’s like a workout for your brain. 

 

[0:11:01.4] JH:  Something else that you can try is over the ear noise cancelling headphones. These are great to use at home, especially if you’re going to vacuum, your child can wear the noise cancelling headphones while you vacuum, or while they vacuum if it’s their chore. If it’s socially appropriate, they can use them out in public and this is a good one too during a sit-down focus tasks like homework. Over the ear noise canceling headphones can be great to drown out all the other noise that’s in the environment so they can actually focus on what they’re doing. 

 

[SPONSOR MESSAGE]

 

Okay, we just want to take a minute and talk to you about our company, HARKLA.  Our Mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. Not only do we work to accomplish this through the podcast, but we also have therapy products, digital courses and a ton of free resources on YouTube and our website to try to bring holistic care to you and your family. Listeners of the All Things Sensory Podcast get 10 percent off their first purchase at Harkla with the discount code SENSORY. We would highly recommend checking out some of our best-sellers like the Compression Sensory Swing, the weighted blankets and, of course, our course on sensory diets and primitive reflexes. The cool thing is that one percent of each sale gets donated to the University of Washington Autism Center, to support autism research and fund scholarships for families in need, to receive in-clinic therapy for their children. Learn more about Harkla and all we have to offer at harkla.co and use the code SENSORY to get 10 percent off your first purchase, that is S. E. N. S. O. R. Y. for 10 percent off. And don’t forget that all Harkla orders come with a lifetime guarantee and free shipping. All right let us get back to the show.

 

[DISCUSSION CONTINUED]

 

[0:12:55.6] RH: So, going along with that one, if you have over the ear headphones you might want to pop in some calming music. Out in public, it’s socially acceptable to have headphones on, ear buds in. Everyone just walks around these days with ear buds in, it is kind of annoying, but it’s normal, it’s typical, it’s cool, it’s the cool thing to do. But you could include this as part of the 504 or an IEP for the kiddo at school. Especially where they’re completing tasks that need focus and it’s not like during a lecture obviously.

 

[0:13:26.5] JH: Yeah. Okay so we love activities with the metronome.  Metronome activities are great for a variety of reasons, but they can help with some auditory hypersensitivity. It just helps process auditory information better. It helps the brain understand the auditory input that is coming in and they can also help with focus and attention as well.

 

[0:13:49.7] RH: Yeah, that rhythm is so beneficial. Okay, another one you can try is a white noise machine. There are some awesome ones on the market these days, but just having that in the background can be really helpful. So, another one that is a little bit odd is humming. I just feel like it's a great tool for a kiddo to have in their back pocket if they are feeling overwhelmed by auditory input. They can hum and it will kind of drown out the noise that’s bothering them or the background noise that they can’t focus. They can hum and focus on that noise instead of the background noise that’s overwhelming for them.

 

[0:14:26.9] JH: Totally. So also incorporating more auditory input into play activities. A good example here would be using, like playing the drumming game. If your child is doing a drumming game and they are in control of how much sound they’re making, you can come in and take a turn and make different volumes of that sound to help them learn to modulate different volumes. 

 

[0:14:56.2] RH: One holiday game I remember doing is putting different bells in boxes.

 

[0:15:01.8] JH: Oh yeah. 

 

[0:15:02.9] RH:  And then, like you know, put one bell in this box and then three bells in this box, seven bells, and you have to shake the bells and listen to the different sounds that they make and try to identify how many bells are in each box. 

 

[0:15:15.4] JH: Yeah, another one that we’ve done before, I think you came up with this activity a long time ago. It was a Halloween activity, and you made a CD with Halloween sounds. 

 

[0:15:24.6] RH: Yes. 

 

[0:15:26.1] JH: I know it is past Halloween by the time this episode comes out, but you can do this for anything. It doesn’t have to be holiday specific. But make a CD, you’ll find YouTube sounds of different sounds and play them and have your child identify what the sound is.

 

[0:15:40.6] RH: Yeah, that was a fun one.

 

[0:15:42.3] JH: Have them imitate the sounds as well. So just incorporating more auditory input into play activities helps the brain process and understand auditory input. 

 

[0:15:53.3] RH: Yeah, I remember doing like a creaking floor.

 

[0:15:56.5] JH:  I just remember Adie made like pictures with it. 

 

[0:15:58.6] RH: Yes, well having them draw the sounds would be a cool activity too. So, another one would be heavy work because that proprioceptive input is the all-regulating, all-grounding input that helps to override that overstimulation.

 

[0:16:15.0] JH: Going right along with that would be chewing gum or using a chew tube or a chew item of some sort.  You are going to get a lot of proprioceptive input through the jaw with these activities as well. 

 

[0:16:25.1] RH: Visual schedules. 

 

[0:16:26.9] JH: We have a whole episode on visual schedules. 

 

[0:16:29.6] RH: It’s weird to be thinking about a visual schedule when we’re talking about the auditory system. But hear me out; a visual schedule lets the child know what’s expected. And maybe they’re at school and in their 504, or maybe they do not even need a 504 or combinations for this but the teacher lets them know that there is going to be a fire drill today or the school bell is going to ring, right? So, you can put on their visual schedule, math, recess, fire alarm, lunch. So that way they can see what is expected of them and they can know, “Okay, I need to be prepared. I’m going to put my headphones on”, yada yada yada, and they’ll have a little bit more control over the unexpected.

 

[0:17:15.1] JH: Definitely. I think using visual schedules to identify how loud a certain environment is going to be, could be helpful as well. So, if you are going to the grocery store, maybe you have a specific picture that says, “It’s going to be a medium sound at the grocery store”. And then when you go to the pool, you have a symbol that says, “It’s going to be really loud at the pool” so they know where they’re going, and they can know to anticipate how loud it will be in that particular environment.

 

[0:17:42.0] RH:  Then they could also have a visual with some of their different tools for them to choose from. So, you can have a little Velcro strip with headphones, music, humming, chewing gum and they can pick which one they want to do. 

 

[0:17:55.3] JH: That is what I was just about to say. Teach your child these strategies. So, teach them, if it is appropriate, teach them that they hear sounds differently. You know, teach them that their brain thinks that some sounds are too loud and that’s why they get fearful. 

 

[0:18:11.3] RH: What did we hear? Lori said this name it, claim it and tame it. 

 

[0:18:15.7] JH: Yes, so don’t shy away from it right? Teach your child that this is how their auditory processing system works; this is how their brain processes auditory information. There is nothing wrong with it, all it means is that we need to have some strategies in place for those environments and those sounds that are triggering. And teach your child the strategies, have available as a visual schedule, have them available in the car, at school. But giving your child some control and also having your child choose what makes them feel calm. Because everyone’s different, you know, so a child has a fight or flight response to the loud auditory input at the pool, do they know three things that they can do to help themselves feel calm and regulated? 

 

[0:19:03.2] RH: I love that. Last one is having a designated spot for brain breaks and sensory breaks. And it is important to agree upon these and plan these breaks and these places out before the child becomes overstimulated. Because, if there’s anything you need to remember from this podcast it is so hard to have a conversation with a child, it’s so hard to reason with a child when they’re in that shut down, overstimulated mindset.

 

[0:19:31.8] JH: It’s impossible.

 

[0:19:35.3] RH: So, plan it out, that’s why we say use visuals, talk about it beforehand, talk about it when they are calm and as few words as possible when they are overwhelmed. Show them the visual, let them choose; let them have control over how they calm their body down. I would be pissed is someone was telling me what I have to do in order calm my body down. It’s not your body. It’s my body. 

 

[0:20:00.3] JH: Yeah, that would not work.

 

[0:20:02.4] RH:And these kids love to be able to choose these activities on their own and to have that independence.

 

[0:20:08.4] JH: Well, they need it. They need that control especially when their environment is out of control and causing them distress. So yeah, having a designated spot for those brain sensory breaks and a calming place like whether it is the car or the bathroom or you know, when you’re out in public, identify a cave. If you get over stimulated from all the noise here today, what are we going to do? Where are we going to go? 

 

[0:20:34.1] RH: I have got a body sack in my backpack; you just climb on right in.

 

[0:20:37.6] JH: That seems the perfect idea. Okay, so hopefully some of these are helpful. Hopefully you got some new ideas. We would love to hear from you. If your child struggles with auditory sensitivity or if you struggle with auditory sensitivity, what are your strategies? What helps you? Let us know, but don’t leave yet.

 

[0:20:56.0] RH: Don’t leave yet because we have two questions that we are going to answer from Instagram. And one of them, I think, is very connected to this episode today. It can be. 

 

[0:21:08.1] JH: It definitely is. So, we got this question in our DM’s and we actually we messaged her back, because we wanted to help her own spot. But then we thought this would be a good one to talk about on the podcast for anyone else who maybe struggling with this as well. So, our dear friend, our listener said, “Are there any suggestions for a parent who is triggered by their child’s stims?” 

 

[0:21:29.0] RH: Now stims can be different for every child. If we’re going to talk about this as it relates to the auditory system, if the child’s stimming, maybe they yell or they scream or they spin something that makes a lot of noise, you know, the parent can be overstimulated. I say overstimulated rather than triggered, because I am assuming that’s what is going on.

 

[0:21:52.4] JH: It could be, yeah. 

 

[0:21:53.2] RH: That is what I am kind of thinking is the situation, right? 

 

[0:21:56.0] JH: It could be, I mean she did not specify.

 

[0:21:58.6] RH: So, suggestions for her, it’s kind of the oxygen mask thing, right? I know, I know it comes out. 

 

[0:22:05.4] JH: That is so true.

 

[0:22:06.8] RH: Being able to have tools in your back pocket to regulate your body as the adult. Your brain, maybe you need a listening program. But taking that time to take care of yourself and to fill up your cup before you help your child. I can’t give too many suggestions because I don’t know exactly what the child’s stims are. 

 

[0:22:26.3] JH: I know, yeah. You got to really personalize. I think you have to figure out why you’re triggered, why you’re over stimulated buy it. When we first got this question, my initial thought was like almost at the PTSD trigger response. So, my suggestion was, seek out some therapy for yourself and counseling. Because it if is like a PTSD response, and you are going into a fight or flight and you do not know what to do, it could help to talk to someone about that. But if it is just your sensory system becomes over stimulated by what your child is doing then identify which sensory system is becoming overstimulated and identify strategies for that. 

 

[0:23:01.6] RH: We do have a podcast episode about some parenting and PTSD. And how challenging it is and can be having a child with different abilities, trying to parent them and knowing your history and just having that traumatic response anytime something comes up. 

 

[0:23:24.0] JH: Yeah, yeah. I think that’s a good question. I’m sure there is a lot of other individuals, parents, therapists, everyone who can identify with that. Okay, so our second question was, “My child is a year old, he sleeps on his stomach, so I never notice anything, but in the car, he was jerking awake a lot, kind of like the Moro response. So, the question here is, does my child still have the Moro reflex?”

 

[0:23:51.2] RH: So, one thing that I want to point out, is when the Moro reflex integrates, it doesn’t mean that we do not startle to anything ever again. We all transition, well, we should transition from the Moro reflex to a more mature startle reflex. 

 

[0:24:12.3] JH: We all startle at sudden noises or sudden movements, it’s a very natural response. 

 

[0:24:18.3] RH: It keeps us safe. 

 

[0:24:20.3] JH: So, without more specific details on this, it’s really hard to say, I mean, were you driving over a bumpy road? Was there a lot of noise that jerked him awake? 

 

[0:24:32.2] RH: Is this the only time that you see that startle response in that car when you are going over bumps. Like, can he see out the window? Or does he have a screen on the window? So maybe adding more visual input so we can see where he is going would be helpful. 

 

[0:24:44.6] JH: Yeah, definitely a hard one. But I think that we cannot assume that he still has a Moro reflex just because of this one situation. Because it could just be a typical response.

 

[0:24:57.7] RH: Yes, and he is one year old, so it is a little bit more challenging to formally test his Moro reflex.

 

[0:25:06.8] JH: I think what you could do if you really want to know, is you could grab a therapy ball. Sit him on a therapy ball and gently, slowly roll him backwards over the ball so he is lying on his back and going upside down over the ball. He might not like it the first, one, two or three times. But if he starts to tolerate it and enjoy it, then Moro reflex might be integrated but if he screams and cries, hesitant, he doesn’t like it, he hates it.

 

[0:25:32.6] RH: Is rigid in his body.

 

[0:25:34.8] JH: You could tell he’s just having a big adverse reaction to moving into that position, the Moro reflex still might be there. I say might, because we are not diagnosing. If you want us to answer one of your questions on the podcast, send us a DM, let us know. I do think that answering your questions on the podcasts is helpful because, guaranteed, there are other people with these exact same questions. So, we would love to answer your questions on the podcast. 

 

[0:26:03.7] RH: If you could leave us a review on iTunes that would be fan-freakin-tastic. We would love to hear your thoughts, just pop in there for a minute and leave some stars, leave a comment, let us know. 

 

[0:26:14.3] JH: Leave five stars. 

 

[0:26:17.0] RH: Yeah, that’s all I have. 

 

[0:26:19.5] JH: You can even just say, I left five stars because Jessica told me to, and that’s fine, that’s totally fine.

 

[0:26:23.7] RH: I have to listen to Jessica. Cool, well that’s it. That’s all we have for you today; we’ll chat with you guys next week.

 

[0:26:30.1] JH: Okay, bye. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to All Things Sensory by Harkla. If you want more information on anything we mentioned in the show. Head over to harkla.co/podcast to get all the show notes. 

 

[END OF DISCUSSION]

 

[0:26:43.1] JH: We always have the show notes and links, plus full transcripts to make following along as easy as possible for everyone. If you have follow-up questions, the best place to ask those is in the comment on the show notes, or message us on our Instagram account, which is @harkla_family. If you just search Harkla, you’ll find us. 

 

[0:27:03.0] RH: Like we mentioned before, our podcast listeners get 10 percent off their first order at Harkla. Whether it’s one for our digital courses, one of our sensory swings, the discount code SENSORY will save you 10 percent. That code is SENSORY. Head over to Harkla.co/sensory to use that code right now. So, you don’t forget. 

 

[0:27:26.1] JH: We’re so excited to work together to help create confident kids all over the world and work towards a happier, healthier life. 

 

[0:27:32.6] RH: All right, we’ll talk to you guys next week. 

 

[DISCLAIMER]

 

Just a friendly reminder: this is general information related to occupation therapy, pediatrics, and sensory integration. We do not know you or your child therefore we do not know any specific needs. Therefore, you should always refer back to your pediatrician and occupational therapist for more information.

 

 

BORING, BUT NECESSARY LEGAL DISCLAIMERS

While we make every effort to share correct information, we are still learning. We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art. One doctor / therapist may have a different way of doing things from another. We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidenced based as possible. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your children. Consult your child’s pediatrician/ therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Rachel Harrington, Harkla, Jessica Hill, or any guests or contributors to the podcast, as well as any employees, associates, or affiliates of Harkla, be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast.

Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.


This podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.

Jessica Hill, COTA/L & Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC
Jessica Hill, COTA/L & Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC

Rachel Harrington, COTA/l, AC, CPRCS, and Jessica Hill, COTA/L, CPRCS are Harkla's in-house Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA) and Certified Primitive Reflex Clinical Specialists. They have been working with children for over 6 years in outpatient settings. They specialize in creating easy-to-digest, actionable content that families can use to help their child's progress at home. Jessica and Rachel are the in-house experts, content creators, and podcast hosts at Harkla! To learn more about Jessica and Rachel, visit the Harkla About Us Page. Make sure to listen to their weekly podcast, All Things Sensory by Harkla for actionable, fun advice on child development.


1 Response

Alison
Alison

January 11, 2022

Thank you for sharing your skills and expertise.
I’m a Grammy , trying to learn ways to interact with the wee ones in my life😁

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