Curious if OT could help your child's struggles? Download Why Choose OT to find out!

Rebecca Ray Hodgson, a dedicated occupational therapist based in New Zealand, is a professional who works closely with neurodivergent and chronically ill adults. Rebecca brings her personal lived experience into the discussion, sharing invaluable insights into the nuanced world of rest.

Rebecca passionately unpacks the misconceptions surrounding rest in modern society and provides an in-depth analysis of the essential types of rest we often overlook. We dive into the societal pressures of self-care and the ways in which rest is misconstrued as a luxury, rather than a necessity.

• Rebecca Ray Hodgson's Background
• Modern Society's Misconceptions About Rest
• Reframing the Concept of Rest
• Types of Rest According to Rebecca's Model
• Spiritual Rest
• Physical Rest
• Cognitive Rest
• Emotional Rest
• The Importance of Rest and Self-Care
• Practical Strategies for Incorporating Rest

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• Different Kinds Of Rest - Chronic Resilience
• Resources Shop- Chronic Resilience: Lived Experience Occupational Therapy
• Keep A Balance Between Work, Play, Rest & Sleep- Saimaalife
• Chronic Resilient OT Website
• Episode 13: Beyond the Five Senses: Understanding Your Child's Interoceptive World with Cara Kosinski
• Episode 14: Outdoor Activities to Develop Interoception in Children with Guest Caroline Santangelo
• Episode 19: Understanding Screen Time Effects on Children's Development and Relationships
• Episode 28: Risky Play: Understanding the Benefits and Strategies for Safe Child Development
• Episode 30: Sensory Processing and Co-Regulation: Insights for Parents
• Episode 32: Homeschooling During Crisis: Finding Balance with Self Care and Family Support
• Connect with Sarah on Instagram

Rebecca, otherwise known as The Chronically Resilient OT, is a neurodivergent and chronically ill Occupational Therapist. She combines her clinical knowledge and lived experience to support neurodivergent and chronically ill clients in private practice and is passionate about educating other health professionals to improve care for a larger number of people.

• Connect With Rebecca on Facebook
• Connect With Rebecca on Linkedin

Curious if OT could help your child's struggles? Download Why Choose OT to find out!

I address how to help children navigate group participation designed for neurotypical children, such as Sunday school, sports and summer camps, and offer practical advice for parents. I share my personal experiences as a mother and educator and explore how identity and family stories contribute to a child's courage and belonging. Drawing inspiration from Amber Johnston's book "A Place to Belong," nurturing a strong, harmonious family story to combat societal pressures.

• Helping Children Navigate Participation in Neurotypical Groups
• Importance of family and faith in forming identity
• Double empathy problem: communication gap between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals
• Role play scenarios at home
• Focus on strengths
• Allow breaks for regulation
• Supporting an Autistic Child with Severe FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
• Reframe FOMO as an issue of prioritization and commitment
• Importance of teaching prioritization (executive functioning skill)
• Create rituals and visual calendars
• Addressing fear aspect of FOMO
• Coping skills and regulation techniques

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• Anxiety and Sensory-Based Coping Skills For Kids- The OT Toolbox
• Addressing Childhood Anxiety- OT Strategies For Calm
• The Anxiety Toolkit
• Episode 31: Cultivating Calm
• Connect With Me On Instagram
• If you need help implementing these strategies, book a call with me!
  

Curious if OT could help your child's struggles? Download Why Choose OT to find out!

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I am thrilled to celebrate episode 50, where I deep into your most pressing questions in a special Q&A session. As part of my mission to support the homeschool community, I address the everyday challenges families and caregivers face, offering encouragement, practical strategies, and a sense of hope.

I tackle important topics like maintaining motivation with therapeutic exercises, balancing the needs of sensory seekers and avoiders, and helping children cope with changes in their routines or environment.

• Maintaining Motivation for Exercises
• Balancing a Sensory Seeker and Avoider
• Challenges of managing different sensory needs
• Setting a family tone that respects everyone's needs
• Practical tips for balancing sensory inputs
• Coping with Changes
• Thanks to listeners for 50 episodes of support
• Brief mention of more questions to be answered in episode 51

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• Our New Concierge Services
• Episode 16: Navigating the Interoceptive Sense: Insights and Strategies for Parents
• Episode 32: Homeschooling During Crisis: finding balance with self-care and family support
• Follow me over on Instagram and lets connect!
  

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate this 50th episode by sending in your questions. I appreciate all of you being on this journey with me and reaching this incredible milestone!

Curious if OT could help your child's struggles? Download Why Choose OT to find out!

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Homeschooling is about so much more than academics—it’s about connection, emotional regulation, and creating an environment where kids thrive. That’s why I’m excited to share powerful strategies from Marnie Love, a Connected Families coach and occupational therapist, who specializes in teaching self-regulation and reconciliation through creative approaches like pillow slugging, movement breaks, and connection over curriculum.

Sometimes, the most important lessons aren’t in a textbook but in the moments we connect and grow together. If you’ve ever struggled to balance academics with your child’s emotional needs, you’re not alone—let’s dive into how fostering connection can transform your homeschooling journey!

• Strategies to Help Children Manage Stress
• Importance of Teaching Life Skills
• Homeschooling Emphasis on Life Skills
• Equipping kids with skills for life success, even at the expense of some academic content
• ConnectedFamilies.org Resources
• Connection and Activities in Homeschooling
• Physical Activity for Emotional Regulation
• Affirmation and Encouragement
• Tailoring Activities for Homeschool Groups
• Multi-age group activities
• Addressing needs of sensitive and intense children
• Parenting Challenges in Homeschooling
• Incorporating Sensory Activities
• "Connection Over Curriculum" Concept

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• Connected Families Website
• Sensitive & Intense Kids Online Course
• Connected Families Facebook
• Connect with Connected Families on IG
• Episode 15: From Morning to Night: Incorporating Social Emotional Learning in Homeschool
• Episode 17: Neuro Affirming Homeschool Environments with Keisha Berry
  

Lynne Jackson​ has over 27 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist working with children with sensory processing disorder, ADHD (including her own kids!), OCD, ODD, and autism spectrum disorders. As a speaker, certified life coach, podcaster, and author, Lynne has helped thousands of parents learn to be peaceful, purposeful, and confident. In 2002, she and her husband, Jim founded Connected Families, a ministry that helps parents learn to embody God’s grace in the midst of family life.

Curious if OT could help your child's struggles? Download Why Choose OT to find out!

I'm thrilled to introduce Julia, a dynamic problem solver who has combined her background in education and fashion design to create sensory-friendly and adaptive apparel for children with tactile sensitivities. Julia's journey took her from a fashion design student at Cornell University to working in special education, where she saw firsthand the challenges faced by kids with sensory needs.

Her innovative clothing designs have no tags, flat seams, and include features like built-in sound reduction and adjustable compression, aimed at enhancing comfort and sensory regulation. Julia shares her inspiring journey, the impact of her designs in the classroom, and her vision for expanding her business to help even more families.

• Julia's Background
• Development of Sensory-friendly Clothing
• The realization of the clothing need in an autism preschool
• Producing adaptive apparel on a larger scale
• Combining sensory tools into comfortable clothing
• Innovative Features of the Clothing
• Benefits of these clothing
• Practical Applications in the Classroom
• Using compression shirts as part of a daily routine
• Initial small-scale production and trials in the classroom
• Leaving teaching to focus on expanding the business
• Future goals

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• How to Help Kids with Sensory Issues with Clothes
• Clothing Sensitivity Red Flags
• How To Handle Your Child's Sensory Issues With Clothing
• Episode 2: Decoding Behavior in homeschooling- sensory overwhelm, emotional control, perseverance
• Episode 14: Outdoor Activities to Develop Interoception in Children with Guest Caroline Santangelo
• Episode 30: Sensory Processing and Co-Regulation: Insights for Parents
• Shop Sensational You

Julia graduated from Cornell University in 2020 with a bachelor's in Fashion Design and minors in Human Development and Business. After graduating, she began teaching in special education with autistic students. She saw her students struggle with clothing and sensory regulation. She used her expertise in fashion to design a line of adaptive clothing to help them with their sensory needs and stay regulated.

At Sense-ational You, they are on a mission to increase the inclusion and academic success of autistic children through clothing that integrates sensory tools discreetly into the design for convenient regulation anywhere.

Connect with Julia here.