Welcome to another episode of Helping Kids Thrive. Today’s strategy for ensuring our kids flourish centers around the idea of helping them stay organized. We’re joined today by a special guest, Emily Waples who is a pediatric occupational thera

087: Not All Children Learn Language The Same Way

Nov 30th, 2023 27m 54s

Not all children learn language in the same way. Neurotypical children usually learn through analytic language processing (also known as bottom-up processing), while children with autism who are verbal, are more likely to use gestalt language p

086: How Do I Deal With My Child Being Excluded?

Oct 26th, 2023 27m 58s

Being rejected is never easy, and it can be especially soul-crushing for children. How do you, as a parent, ensure that you are there for kids in their time of need, without adding fuel to the fire? To help us get to the bottom of this question

085: Easing After School Transitions

Sep 21st, 2023 21m 59s

For many kids, getting home after school can be a stressful period. There is so much to process from the school day and if the after-school transition isn’t properly managed, a child may feel too overwhelmed for anything other than a meltdown.

084: Rethinking Behavior Management

Jul 6th, 2023 38m 19s

Guest: Kelly McGuinness, LCSW, CEIS Most of us parent using behavior management techniques that we learned during childhood or have read about in a parenting book (okay, instagram, let's be real ;)) but have you ever stopped to think about if t

083: Empowering Your Child's Sense of Self

Jun 22nd, 2023 30m 51s

Guest: Melanie Almada, LMFT

082: Auditory Processing & External Microphone Technology

Jun 15th, 2023 22m 37s

Guest: Dr. Dawn Aerts, AuD Approximately 5% of children struggle with processing auditory input but are never given a formal diagnosis or intervention options that can help. This is because when hearing concerns are expressed, a child is sent t

081: Benefits of Nature for Mental Health

May 25th, 2023 25m 42s

Guest: Stephanie Fisher, MHC, LPC Being in nature has many benefits for our mental health including stress reduction, boosted mood and focus, and connection with community. Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin and Vitamin D, producing pos

080: Setting Up Your Environment for Mental Wellness

May 11th, 2023 29m 32s

Guest: Morgan Johnson, MS, LCSW Ever notice a connection between your physical space and your mood? You're definitely on to something. In fact, research indicates that our physical enviroment can have an impact on our anxiety, stress, mood, and

079: Supporting Children with Nonverbal Autism

Apr 27th, 2023 32m 19s

Guest: Samantha Russell, OTR/L, Pediatric Occupational Therapist Autism affects 1 in 36 children, and about 25-30% of those children are nonspeaking. In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, host and speech language pathologist, Nicole Pounds, M

078: Supporting Siblings of Children with Special Needs

Mar 30th, 2023 23m 40s

Guest: Gena Mann, special needs parent of 4 During this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole is joined by Gena Mann, one of the original co-founders of Wolf+Friends and special needs parent of 4. Together they discuss the nuances of parentin

077: Speech Delay in Toddlers - When Should I Be Concerned?

Mar 9th, 2023 19m 37s

Guest: Kristina Parro, M.S. CCC-SLP During this episode, Nicole chats with Kristina Parro, M.S. CCC-SLP, a mom and pediatric speech language pathologist, about speech delay in young children. Kristina gives an overview of typical communicatio

076: How to Support Children Who Stutter

Feb 23rd, 2023 33m 28s

Guest: Matt Maxion, M.S. CCC-SLP During this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole is joined by speech language pathologist, Matt Maxion, M.S. CCC-SLP to discuss how to support children who stutter. As a person who stutters, Matt offers person

075: Why I Believe Parents Are The Best Advocates for Their Kids

Feb 9th, 2023 15m 39s

Guest: Nicole Pounds, M.S. CCC-SLP Join Nicole for the very first solo episode of Helping Kids Thrive as she shares her experience advocating for her child to receive a medical procedure that he needed despite the team not initially being on bo

074: Promoting your Child's Development Through Cooking

Dec 22nd, 2022 27m 20s

Guest: Amanda Unrau, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist ‘Tis the season to be messy! With the holiday season right around the corner, the kitchen once again becomes the busiest area of our homes. How about considering training little che

073: Toy Recommendations from an SLP + OT

Dec 8th, 2022 26m 46s

Guest: Samantha Russell, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist & Olivia Holubeck, MA CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist Looking for some last minute gifts this holiday season? This week on the podcast, Nicole is joined by occupational therapist, Sam

072: Growing Your Support System

Nov 23rd, 2022 26m 54s

Guest: Stephanie Fisher, MHC, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor Raising children with special needs can be overwhelming and isolating. Parents often feel guilty about the extra support that their family requires so sometimes they try to carr

071: My Friends Wanted Me to Cure My Son's Autism with Bleach

Nov 10th, 2022 33m 20s

Guest: Katie Emde, Autism Parent + Disability Advocate Entering a new and unfamiliar world can be challenging. When you’re just beginning, it can get lonely and confusing. As a parent of a child with special needs, you need to find the right su

070: How is ADHD Related to Sleep?

Oct 27th, 2022 25m 41s

Guest: Steven Nava, NCSP, Nationally Certified School Psychologist October is ADHD awareness month. ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. According to the CDC, in 2016, 6.1 million children in the US had been

069: How a NICU Stay Affects Development Later in Life

Oct 13th, 2022 28m 29s

Guest: Denise Minyard, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist There are approximately 15,000,000 premature births globally every year. With this statistic, an infant’s stay at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is not uncommon. Having e

068: Ten Ways to Help Your Child's Speech and Language Skills Right Now

Sep 29th, 2022 29m 56s

Guest: Kristina Fuentes, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist Having a breakdown in communication with your child can certainly get frustrating, for both the parent and the child. Communication should never be underestimated as just an exch

067: Remote Schooling for Children with Disabilities

Sep 15th, 2022 24m 25s

Guest: Stacey Lotshaw Special Education Teacher at Stride Many parents are unaware of how to access educational services that are appropriate for their disabled children's needs. Even more challenging is to find remote learning options for disa

066: Realistic Screen Time Tips

Sep 1st, 2022 37m 25s

Guest: Jesse Ferrell, MHS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist It’s undeniable in this day and age that gadgets and screen technology have become a staple in many family households, often used by parents to help entertain their kids. But with

065: Cyberbullying + How to Help Your Child

Aug 18th, 2022 29m 7s

Guest: Kelly McGuinness, LCSW, CEIS, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Bullying is a stressful and traumatic event for our children to go through in places like school. But when you throw in the internet and its anonymity, this turns our children

064: One Mom's Story with Out-Of-The Box Advocacy

Aug 4th, 2022 29m 13s

Guest: Rachel Heinz, Special Needs Parent + Disability Advocate While it can be challenging to navigate parenthood as a special needs parent, it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. When we get involved together as a community and begin to sup