Episode 205: Understanding Sensory Challenges: Support for Kids and Families with Eva Lassey
/In this episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Eva Lassey, a dedicated Doctor of Physical Therapy and the Founder of DrSensory.com. Together, we’ll dive into the world of sensory challenges, discussing how to recognize them, support children effectively, and foster environments where kids with sensory needs can thrive.
Here are the key takeaways:
Understanding sensory challenges to support children's behavior
Defining and identifying sensory processing difficulties
Recognizing signs of sensory needs in children's behavior
Difference between sensory avoiders and seekers in children's behaviors
Using sensory diets and strategies to support children’s participation and thriving
Signs that indicate a child could benefit from pediatric PT
How parents can advocate for pediatric physical therapy referrals
Using sensory perspectives in parenting strategies
Overcoming sensory aversions and fostering collaboration in family tasks
If you enjoyed listening to Dr. Eva, you can visit her website drsensory.com, and connect with her on Instagram @drsensory and Facebook @drsensory.
Remember, understanding sensory challenges and using effective strategies can help children thrive and feel supported in their unique needs.
I would love to hear from you! If you have any questions you’d like to have answered on the podcast or any takeaways or wins you’d like to share you can leave me a message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/laurafroyenphd
TRANSCRIPT
Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either great joy or chaotic, overwhelmed. In one moment, you're nailing it and the next you're losing your cool. I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see balance is a verb, not a state of being. It is a thing you do. Not a thing you are. It is an action, a process, a series of micro corrections that you make each and every day to keep yourself feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.
Hello, I'm Dr. Laura Froyen and this is The Balanced Parent Podcast where overwhelmed, stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level. All delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, your life with openhearted authenticity and balance. Let's go!
Laura: Hello, everybody. This is Doctor Laura Froyen. And on this week's episode of the Balance Parent podcast, we are going to be talking about everything sensory, how to know if you've got a kiddo with sensory challenges, how to support them. What you know, difficulties might arise when a kid is having sensory challenges and then how to learn what your kid needs to be able to thrive. So to have this conversation, I'm so excited to be welcoming in Doctor Eva Lassey. She is a physical therapist who loves all things sensory and supports kiddos and their families who have sensory challenges. So, Eva, is it okay if I call you Eva, do you like Doctor Eva? Or Doctor Lassey? What do you prefer?
Eva: Eva is perfect.
Laura: Okay, perfect. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you. Will you tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you do?
Eva: Yes. Thank you, Doctor Laura. I appreciate you having me here. I am so excited. This is something I'm so passionate about and so just being on here and being able to talk about it. I'm just, I'm just really excited. So My name is Eva. I am a physical therapist and I've always had this passion for children and child development. And I think, I think part of that stems from being from such a large family. I have ten siblings and so having such an interesting upbringing, I feel like it just led me down this path of like whole body wellness and physical therapy. And then I use my career to then branch out specifically into children and how I can help them. And that is where my passion I feel is just fueled by becoming a mom and having children. And then seeing that like, not everyone has um the resources that they need and how many parents I see that struggle with their kids and just don't like they don't know where to turn to and they are just like grasping at straws sometimes. And when I got together with some of my therapy, like friends, we got speech therapists, occupational therapists, other physical therapists I realized how much we can offer. And that is why we created our resource platform which doctor Sensory, you obviously know. But so yeah, that's a little bit about me and I am just so excited to talk about children and country processing and parents.
Laura: Yes. Wonderful. Okay. So Eva, so I, when I sat down with families who are coming to me with kiddos with big reactions, challenging behaviors and lots of intense emotionality meltdowns or even just a lot of intensity, maybe some spirited temperament happening. I ask, I start by asking, you know, what is their sensory life like? You know, how do they experience the world? You know, is there anything you know, when I say like, do they have sensory challenges? Is there anything that pops into mind? And I'm kind of the reason I do that is because I know how hard it can be for kiddos who are having sensory processing challenges, either not getting enough input or getting too much input, how it can impact their behavior. But maybe we can talk just broadly for the listener on why we might think about sensory stuff when we think about challenging behavior or other struggles that kids might be having. How are they related?
Eva: Okay, I love this. So this is such an interesting question because when you look at all children, I feel like a lot of teachers and a lot of parents put their children into two buckets and it's usually my well behaved child or my challenge child, right? So you get like these two different buckets and unfortunately, sometimes the challenging kids don't get what they need like the good kids, what we classify as the good children in class and things like that. They kind of put them into this oh they're the best and they obviously get more attention sometimes. Whereas the challenging kids who are seeking input or like seeking different strategies to help themselves, like to navigate the world around them. They are the ones that really need our attention. And that is where I highly encourage parents to look at this idea of sensory processing. So I like to tell parents this is the spectrum like when you look at your child, even your child that you feel like always, you know, does what they're told and always like doesn't get into mishap, right?
Laura: Yeah, I will, I mean, I will, yeah, I will even say the kids who do well at school. So most of the parents that I work with their kid does really well at school and then comes home and loses it. And I would say that many of those kids also need support because they are just holding on for dear life, holding it together in an environment that is really challenging for them and then coming home and having that whiplash effect, you know that restraint collapses. And I mean, just because the kid is doing well in school doesn't mean that the environment that they're in is con you know, is the most supportive. It can be right.
Eva: Thank you for saying this. Yes, I feel like not everyone understands this concept of okay, so with sensory processing being a spectrum, you're having children who may be okay in those loud environments, but they may really struggle with something else like bright lights or the food that they're eating or the movements that they're going through. And so they get to this area of, okay, I've had it too much, but they don't understand that. So a lot of children have to be taught to understand that. So when they don't understand that they've hit their max, this is where the meltdowns happen. And a lot of the time I find myself like educating parents on the differences between a tantrum and a meltdown so that there is such a huge difference here. Tantrums have exactly like there's a purpose to it, whereas a meltdown is entirely opposite. This is like sensory overload and the child needs the space to express that, right? You almost have to let these meltdowns just happen sometimes, right?
Laura: And almost like a reset.
Eva: Yes. Yes. And you'll find afterwards like the child is like, okay, now I can breathe, but there's back to your question like there is so much that parents can do to help and educate even like the teachers, right? Teachers can totally be in this category too. So where they can help is figure out what your child needs, learn your child, right? Every child is so different in all categories, right? So when you're looking at a child, look at them broadly, what do they enjoy? What are their character traits? What do they do afterwards? You feel like they're thriving, they're calm, they're being able to have an actual conversation in peace instead of something where they're seeking an answer or they're seeking like, like the tantrum, like they want an end result, correct? Like, so this is where I highly encourage those parents to kind of look at that spectrum and we can talk a little bit more about that.
Laura: So can you just maybe define sensory processing difficulties for us just in a very general way? And then maybe we can dive into how to figure out where, like when our kids might be faced with some sensory difficulties.
Eva: Yes, definitely. So, sensory processing difficulties, we kind of like a new thing that people are just now coming to realize. Like back when like the DSM obviously, they don't have a diagnosis for this. You'll notice some states will actually, yeah, some states will actually have it. So, and it'll be completely separate from other diagnoses like ADHD like the anxieties, all of that autism, right? So you're going to have it separate and now they're finding new research, new research that shows that it is separate as well. You can have sensory processing difficulties and disorders whereas you don't have any of the other diagnoses. And so these are your kids or honestly anyone I like to say everyone is on the spectrum. Okay. We either enjoy too much stimulation or we enjoy too little or we're somewhere in the middle and there are so many categories we're talking about all of your senses, right?
We're even including things like proprioception. So like your balance and your body is knowing where your body is in space and like your touch and your hearing, right? And taste. Like there's so many categories and they're all, they're all spectrums. And so everyone is somewhere on this spectrum is what I like to say. And I'm just so glad that sensory processing is now coming to a place where people are listening and they're saying, okay, let's figure this out and how can we help our children?
Laura: Okay. So what are some of the Hallmark things that you would want parents to be kind of like perking their ears up when they're seeing kids? Like one of mine is like if you've got a kid who is constantly crashing into things like to jump from high places seeking a lot of impact that they might be looking for more or increased proprioceptive input. So can you give me some other examples of things that are kind of just like Hallmark things to be on the lookout for that might make parents go like, oh that's why they're doing this thing.
Eva: Yeah. Yeah, most definitely. Okay. So how I like to classify it is okay. We have sensory avoiders and we have sensory seekers. So your sensory avoiders are those children who avoid the movement. So for example, if you pick up a child and you're tossing them in the air and they just don't like that. Right. They start to freak out. They honestly prefer those stable and more predictable movements. Those are your sensory avoiders. You can also look at them to touch. Okay. So some kids will not like, like the tags on their shirts or the textures and you'll find that your child just tears off all their clothes. As soon as they get home from school, I feel like a lot of parents are in that category, they're just ripping everything off. They know it's socially appropriate to be out, you know, in school and in environments wearing clothes, but as soon as they can be who they are, they don't like it, they don't want it. And so they will rip all of their clothes off.
Laura: Can I just be in this example? Can we just take a second and have a moment of compassion for these kids? Because I know for parents who are struggling to get their kids to keep their clothes on, it's hard like that. This is, this is a challenge, you know, that we want to be able to go outside and have clothing or like, you know, the temperature is changing right now. And so we're like moving from wearing short sleeves to long sleeves and how much of a challenge that can be for some parents but also like for the kids, can you imagine having to put something on your body that feels incredibly overwhelming to your, to your sensory system that feels like you're being tickled or touched in a way you don't like all the time and how much of a relief it must feel like to get that off of your body. I just, I have so much compassion for these kids who are like, and we expect them to go to school and learn while they are being tortured by the tags and seams in their clothes, you know. Oh yeah. Go ahead.
Eva: Can you honestly, it breaks my heart because and it breaks my heart more sometimes when like the people that they trust the most like parents, for example, like if they don't understand this idea and if they don't understand this concept, like I feel so sorry for the child, that's like, no, you have to keep it on. Okay. But where is their safe space? And so that's why I'm glad we're having this conversation because parents who are like, what do I do? I'm hoping that they can open their eyes to like, okay, no, my child needs it. So let's create a safe space where it's like, okay, let's find you something you do like to wear or it's okay for the next few hours to find we're at home. Yes, we're in a safe space like no one's coming home we're good. Like so, yes, I am so glad, but it is very heartbreaking for those children. I just can't imagine. And especially if a child doesn't know how to communicate that. Imagine not being able to communicate. Like, hey, I don't like how this feels. It makes me anxious. It makes me have overwhelming feelings. I just don't like it. I can't focus. I can't sit still.
Laura: Yeah. It is so hard when they can't articulate what it is. I think that's when we look at their behavior, right? And their behavior communicates, you know, we have to eat their behavior.
Eva: So, and that's where I'm a big proponent. Yeah.
Laura: Yeah. So like you think about teaching kids, yes, teaching kids, teaching grown ups. So when we have a sensory avoider, when it comes to hearing, they might not like loud sounds, they might cover their ears. They might be annoyed by things like the heater making a buzzing sound when it kicks on those types of things versus a sensory seeker or like a grocery store, grocery store might be really overwhelming or like the lunchroom at school might be really anxiety provoking for them. But in terms of a sensory seeker, those are the kids who maybe are loud, they're always tapping something, they're always, you know, is that right?
Eva: Yes, 100%. So your sensory speakers, they love this. Okay. So you're talking about like they love spinning. They love jumping. They crave this sensation. They almost sometimes classify them as hypo-sensitive. So they need the stimulation that they're getting isn't enough. Correct. Yes, they want more. They need something to feel. Okay. So these are your ones, they're always touching if you notice a kid that loves hugs or comes at you and when they sit next to you, they put pressure into you. I mean, I feel like not everyone has this child but they do. They are there the parents that have it, they know it. Yes, they want to put their pressure into you. And you're like, why are you always touching me? And this is like where parents get touched out, right? The concept of like I'm done with touch, right?
But sometimes this is what your child needs. And so teaching them strategies to be like, okay, you need this or let me help you. Okay? So you give them these strategies, you create corners for them, you give them strategies if they're like a sensory seeker. Can you put a mini trampoline in your backyard? Can you put one in your room? Can you put one in their room? Can you create a swing? Can you provide the textures that they need? Can you put that in strategic places to where the child knows that when they have those feelings, they know where to turn to and they know where to go? To get that sensation that they are really craving if that makes sense.
Laura: Oh, it makes complete sense to me. And this is why. So my oldest is autistic and has sensory stuff going on. She's definitely a seeker when it comes to proprioceptive input and i'm an avoider when it comes to auditory input. And you know, so you can be both on like different sensory systems, right? But one of the, so she worked with an OT who really, really helped her learn what her body was asking for, in moments of this regulation. So watching TV, or movies was always like when she was younger was very, very challenging for her because it was a sensory experience that was very overwhelming and very just regulating when it was stopped. And so we put up a sensory swing, a lycra swing right next to where the TV was so that she could easily transition into something that would get her back into her body. I did not know how to do this all by myself. I learned this from my OT and it sounds like PTS do the same thing, you know, to help kids and parents learn to understand the signals that our kids are, you know, that the bodies are giving the kids and then how to meet those needs in a way that works for the family. Is that right?
Eva: Exactly. Exactly. So what you're specifically referring to is called a sensory diet and it is just like what does your child need and how can you accommodate that? So, those are the sensory diets that we speak of and that you've learned for your daughter, you know? And the cool thing is you probably thought about her. So she knows. Right. She, like, knows what she's feeling.
Laura: Yeah. Most of the time, and, yeah, I mean, she's a, she's becoming a teenager so now she's getting like new signals, you know, so as she's moving through puberty, which is its own learning process. But yes, yeah. Go ahead. Sorry.
Eva: Yep. That's exactly right. So I love that. That is, that is exactly what I want all parents to know is like, you can create these sensory diets for your Children to teach them and help them thrive and this is how they thrive, right? But as far as physical therapy, what I specifically like is the difference between like PT and OT would be PTS also look at balance and coordinations and the proprioception. So a lot of the time sensory processing kind of evolved into children who are either hiding away from activities with other kids or they are like, almost like not participating in how they should like in schools, right? So you'll notice like the child who doesn't like those extra movements and doesn't like the loud noise, you'll notice that they tend to hide away. Okay. But when they don't practice those things, they end up losing a lot. So if you notice they're not as coordinated, their balance is a little more off, they fall a lot more. It's because they're not getting as much of that involvement and that is where we come in. And I'm like, okay, what can we do to give you the same experience that you need to help grow your body? Right? Your body is constantly learning your brain and neuroplasticity, right? It's growing, it's changing, new connections are forming.
So how can we help those kids? And I love the idea of a sensory diet because those are things you can incorporate in PT I always say like if your child is struggling with balance and they're not getting it at school. Do PE at home create like putting tape on the ground, create a balance beam. If you have the resources, purchase the balance beam, you can easily create one though or do like the couch cushions on the floor and work on like hot lava and creating fun environments for them because you want these kids to be able to participate. So if they practice more at home, if you learn your child to know what they're craving, know what they need, know what they hide away from and what they hide away from. Learn strategies to help them, tolerate it a little bit more if that makes a little bit of sense. But yeah, that is how that is how kids will learn to participate and to be involved in these activities. And that is how they thrive. And that is when I see children happy and participating and making friends, that is what this world is about. We need relationships, we need community and we don't want kids to be isolated. And that is what we're specifically targeting with sensory processing.
Laura: Okay. I'm curious to know what a parent would be looking for, to know whether their child could benefit from working with the pediatric PT.
Eva: So you're looking for kids that they're seeking some? Okay. So how do I phrase this in a way that they do? The child is looking for something but they can't. Okay, let me rephrase this. So for example, your child really wants to play Foursquare. Okay? Your child looks like so much fun. I wanna participate, right? When you're thinking about children, you're looking at play-based therapy. So you're looking at having activities and fun things for them to participate in, to grow their systems, right? So the child cannot catch that ball no matter how hard they try, right? That builds frustration, that builds overwhelm and anxiety and then that is where they stop doing those things or your child that falls a lot, right? You'll notice like they just, they put their shoes on and as soon as they put their shoes on, they're tripping their way out that door with their backpacks on their back and you're like what happened? Like what just happened? Okay, these children that don't participate like that they end up having these balance issues and they end up having these issues where they're not able to do with the other children, what they feel they can't do if that makes sense.
Whereas with physical therapy, like, put your child in physical therapy, if you can, like if you have the resources or just learn strategies, but if you have the resources, oh my gosh, what pediatric physical therapy can do for your kids and occupational therapy? I'll be honest, they really work hand in hand. We work at similar things but they all work for the greater good of that child, right? But put them in and see the benefits if it doesn't work after a while, ask your child, like how do you feel? Are you able to do what you wanna do? Can you play this? What is something that you can do now that you were not able to do before that? Those are the beautiful moments.
Laura: Okay. So if you are thinking that your kiddo, maybe you could benefit from physical therapy, what would be so and let's say you need a referral from your child's family doctor or pediatrician. How could you go to the pediatrician and say in order to like get that referral because they don't always get them out so easily. Do you have any advice for parents who know who their kid have, you know, really feel like this is what their kid needs. How can we advocate for getting that referral from our doctors?
Eva: So the keywords here are activities of daily living for occupational therapy and a keyword for physical therapy is falling and I'm not being able to do what they need to do. Okay, so when you look at the medical profession, it is so challenging for parents, right? You want your child to get therapy? How can you get that? Like it is so incredibly challenging. What insurances will pay for therapy services is what does your child need to do or what does your child need in order to not just participate every day but be able to do what they need to do. So, activities of daily living is what I'm referring to. So can your child not, I don't know, like can they not eat properly because they can't sit up? Okay. That is important. They have to be able to sit up to participate, right? They have to sit up to eat, they have to sit up in class, they have to focus on things like that. Can they not brush their teeth? Can they not have a day without falling? Those are your key words. Okay. Use those words like, but be honest, obviously, like of course, yes, obviously. But look at your child like what do they need? And So this is where this is why I created Doctor Sensory. Okay. This is where my passion comes in because all of these parents can't get what they need. So how can we make it easier?
And so that is why we created Doctor Sensory. It is now up and coming because we want parents to be like, where can I get the therapy? And like they just go to one place and be like I found a therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist and a physical therapist. Like, right? Like we want it to be so accessible and that is why that is why we created it. So thank you for bringing this up because yes, parents need to know what to say to get it. And I am hoping that as things are changing and as the medical community is more realizing how much of an effect these therapies have on their children, that it'll be a lot easier. We want it to be easier. We want kids to get what they need. But parents, if you see your kids struggling, if you see your kids reacting to certain things and not being able to do what they want to do, do your best, you are your child advocate, you are likely their only advocate, do what you can do like you got it.
Laura: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for that pep talk. So I, one of the other things that I, I think about a lot with when it comes to these kids. So we've been talking about how to kind of create a rich, and appropriate sensory diet. And in doing so the kiddo will maybe feel a little bit more comfortable and regulated in their bodies and maybe we will have less challenging behaviors going on. Tell me how it is. I think that so most of the people who are listening, expected parenting to be a little bit different than it turned out to be. They're looking to do things differently than how their parents did things. And at the same time, they want to raise kids who can be contributing members to a family. And I'm kind of curious about how this sensory perspective fits in with more general approaches to parenting and how we can use the sensory lens to inform how we approach things like discipline or cooper operation and collaboration with our kiddos.
Eva: Yes, I love this. So, since the Stanford study came out, they did a decades long study and they looked at children who thrive like adults. Okay. So when they looked at this, the biggest indicator of children that then grew to thrive in adulthood was participation in their home. So we're talking chores, we're talking about involvement in family activities. Okay? So when you look at your child and you see what they are struggling with and you see where they thrive you are the best person to choose a chore for your child. I feel really strange saying that but choose something for your child where when they do these things in the home, they feel not only that they are like, enjoying it in a way. I don't know if a child can enjoy throwing away the trash. But let's say they need that heavy proprioception. They need to lift those heavy objects. Okay? So now you give them something heavy to lift, you give them something heavy to drag, hopefully not tearing through the house to you know, the garage or the trash bin. So that is how you can include your sensory means with chores in the house allowing them to thrive. And I think I am a big believer in parents looking at every individual child and growing up in a family of 11 kids, I kind of was beginning to see the differences in every single child and what every child needs. This is almost, it almost traces back to like love languages and like what a whole child needs as far as like, do they need more touch or do they need more like words of affirmation or do they need more, you know, whatever else they may need? Right. So I think when you're looking at the child as a whole, you are the best person in the position as a parent to say, okay, you love doing this and you need help in doing this.
For example, you love, let's say you love loud noises but you don't like texture. Okay? So what can you do in the house that contributes? But also helps you thrive? So let's take sweeping, right? You've got noise, you have noise but you don't have to touch anything other than the broomstick. So if you consider something like that is like I, yes, yes, you love the noise like they love it. They're like, oh my gosh, like you'll notice my son loves it. He loves the vacuum. He will scream over the vacuum and you're like, oh oh my gosh, what are you doing? But like hearing those loud noises but not having to like touch, let's say doing the dishes like a child that does not like the feedback like through tactile stimulation. Like they don't enjoy that feeling, don't give them the dishes to do. Okay? Give it to some other child that you have that may or may not enjoy that tactile stimulation. But yes, that is how I believe parents can really start implementing that. I also when talking about parenting, I think one of my favorite things is Michelle Borba's book, The Thriver book. And it gives you some character traits to use for your child that you have to teach them, for them to um thrive in our world. And those include curiosity and integrity and those are just two of them. There's also perseverance and optimism. So, what you're looking for is when you're teaching your child to know themselves, like, what do you love and what do you not like? They become curious? Do I love this? And do I not ask your child? Can you figure out, tell me on a scale of how much you love or hate this? So, fostering that curiosity, think about how much more your child will participate in to determine whether they like it or not. I love beautiful things.
Laura: Yeah, I love what you're saying. And I love this idea of helping our children feel like they are a part of a family. You know, the word chores gets like a rap, like really bad rap, you know, in the parenting world. You know, I mean, even just thinking about doing chores for myself makes me not want to do them. I like calling them home care tasks because it is about caring for your home and not everything has to feel like a chore, right? So one of my kids who needs more heavy work loves to do things like shoveling or raking, she'll rake our whole backyard and it feels really good to her body. The other one, so one of my kids has a kind of a sensory aversion to kind of slimy, slimy things and so unloading the dishwasher when the dishwasher doesn’t really clean, the dishes is really hard for her. You know, but most of the time plates are ok. And so she does the plates on when it comes to unloading the dishwasher because sometimes it's the bowls that have stuff stuck into them and that's what she can't handle. You know, I mean, like, I like, you know, I think that there's this piece of, like learning how to be collaborative with our kids, learning how to be curious, like what's getting in the way of you being able to do this thing or what is your body asking for?
And how can we take that unique piece of it and really create a contribution to the family? Is, is lovely. I'm curious to know though, like, are there ways to help kids overcome some of these things? So like if for example, they're so so avoidant when it comes to like their clothes that they are stripping off the second they get home. Is there a way to help them be more comfortable in clothes? Beyond just trying to find the clothes that feel the best I like? Is there a way to kind of desensitize an over sensory sensitized person? Is there a way to help kids or even grown ups? Like, gosh, when I think about touching something slimy, like I have a very visceral reaction. Is there a way to help us overcome some of those things?
Eva: Yes, there is. And that is the beautiful thing about the human body is how much our body can get used to so to say, but also can overcome and how much like parents will always say like they used to hate this, but now that they can do this and that is like such a beautiful thing. Like for example, my son, he does not like funky textures. You should see his gag reflex if anything touches his hands or it's disgusting in a way. But then like showing him, well, look, you can build this out of the sand. And so I'll notice like he starts with two fingers and then like he touches a little bit more and then you'll notice he has his whole hands in it after, I mean, it takes a little time, but then he's building a little like a sand castle and things like that. So, working with your child, what they don't like, add in what they do like so add them together and very, very slowly. So for example, if your child does not like loud music but, and like the handle it, obviously, if you carry this into adulthood, how challenging is that when you have to go to the grocery store, when you need to go shop for something, if you have family dinners and things get a little loud and you can't handle that right?
So learning strategies to help, obviously, you wanna like if it's too overstimulating, you need to learn how to scale it back and bring it back. So this would be like your noise canceling headphones when it gets way over overwhelming, right? But you also want to teach them be like, okay, so you can't handle loud noises, but you really, really enjoy watching and let's say it's like they, they really like bright lights or they really like like from on the visual standpoint, they are a sensory like sensory seeker in regards to their visual simulation. But what can you do where it's like they are seeing something that's super bright, they're working on a really big puzzle that's like lots of colors or lots of painting and you play soft music in the background and you over time, you allow them to tolerate a little bit more and you'll kind of watch your child and you obviously have to watch and prevent that over stimulation to prevent that meltdown. But if you can, if you can play with that a little bit and then you can ask your child, do you hear the music playing? Do you like that song and include it in that? And that is how you can most definitely bring that threshold a little bit higher or a little bit lower for your child, whatever they may need. And so that as a parent, it obviously takes effort and it takes time and it takes love and care and like learning your child and spending conversations with them and spending time with them. But that is something you can do as they grow into adulthood that they know these strategies and they're able to tolerate more, to be able to participate.
Laura: Yeah. I love, I love that. I love the idea of teaching kids how to, to tune in, to themselves, tune into their bodies as to what their bodies are telling them and then figure out how to meet their needs and are there, you know, so this, I loved that description that you just gave. Is this something that you provide on your website that are there, are there resources that you have available for parents to go and, and figure out? Okay, so I've got a kid who is always crashing into me, what, what heavy work that might help him?
Eva: Yes, this is, this is a resource that we are building out and it's very, very strategic. It's for those parents, it's for the educators and it's even for the therapist, we want them to have access. So we have been focusing on different diagnoses and trying to figure out how to help parents feel like, okay, my child has this, what can I do or what can I learn more about? And so we are currently creating resources specific to sensory avoiders and sensory seekers and so on our Instagram, we've kind of started like, hey, if like fall, fall is coming or Halloween's coming, like, what can you do for your child to help them? Like, what costumes can you create that? Like, let's say you're celebrating Halloween and you're getting outdoors or it's now becoming fall and the weather is changing and they don't like those textures. Like what can you do? And so we're kind of providing tips and tricks and we're trying to include parents that way. And I think that is a beautiful, beautiful thing and I'm hoping that with continued growth that we can, we can be the resource that all parents are like. I know I need to know what my child needs right now. And so let me go here and specifically go to doctor Sensory as a resource because we want, we want parents to have what they need. We want teachers to understand all children, regardless of who they are, how they're acting, what they need, like, you know, you know, more than you did the day before.
Laura: Okay. I love that. Thank you so much. I just pulled up your website too. I'm looking at it right now. It looks lovely. I love that you can learn by diagnosis and you've got all of these diagnoses in here. I love that. This looks amazing. I'm excited to check it out and learn more from you guys. Are there any other places?
Eva: Thank you for bringing it.
Laura: Oh, no, go ahead.
Eva: I was just gonna say thank you for being on the forefront of helping parents. I think that's like more people kind of come to know about sensory processing and know what to do. I think that it will help the parenting journey get easier. I think your podcast talks about being a balanced parent and as a verb and like, you're learning how to be like, you're constantly in like working with that balance, right? And so helping parents, I kind of know that this is like a step that they could take to help in that process because parenting is hard, you know, it, I know it, we all know like it's a lot harder than any of us thought before we got into it, right? We thought we could handle it all and then we got into it and we're like, oh my gosh, what is this to you? Yes. Humbling. Teaching like, oh gosh, overwhelming at times, we learn a lot about ourselves and we learn where we fall short every single day.
Laura: Absolutely. But it's so it's, it's so rewarding. So thank you for providing these resources. I think so many parents need to know what's, you know, what's out there and what's available. And that I love, I really want to put kind of sensory issues in people's awareness because if they are dealing with a spirited or intense child who has big up and down reactions or big behaviors or big challenging behaviors, big explosions. Likely there's something happening in the sensory realm that could be helpful and beneficial.
Eva: Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. And I'm hoping that parents can be like, not see their child as a troublemaker. Like don't, don't classify your child. Your child hears you. I am a big believer in how your child hears what you're saying about them and they conform to what you say about them. So as a parent, I am a big believer in tell your child the good things, letting them hear the good things about them. Like I really enjoy that. You love hugs like I love your hugs. I really enjoy that. You love to jump like it, it makes me so happy to see you jumping all of the time. Like bring the child into a positive light and let them hear the best things about them and that is where a child can grow to be like, oh yeah, I really do like jumping and then they start to notice their body doing it a little bit more. So yes, thank you. I'm sorry. I'm like, I'm so passionate about this and they're bringing up all of the best points.
Laura: No, Eva, you're so great. It was so fun talking to you. So other than drsensory.com, is there anywhere else that our parents can go to learn from you and keep the conversation going.
Eva: Yes, I would be happy. We answer all questions on our Instagram, Doctor Sensory. We also have our email if anyone prefers it is hello@dcotorsensory.com. But our Instagram is this growing place. We get messages all the time. Like how do you do this or what are some strategies and tips for this? And then we will do the research and then we post it as a post and that way it's always there and parents can look back at it and we'll bring it back to the forefront like a story. And so I'm just excited. I hope that people learn more. I hope that people want to learn more. And if, if anyone wants, we would love to connect with you over either email on our website or even on Instagram.
Laura: Great. Thank you so much, Doctor Lassey. It was so fun to talk with you.
Eva: Doctor Laura. You too. You can clearly tell. I got really excited. So, thank you, Doctor Laura.
Laura: Oh my gosh, it's so much fun when we geek out about things we love. It's good.
Okay, so thanks for listening today. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and if it was helpful, leave me a review that really helps others find the podcast and join us in this really important work of creating a parenthood that we don't have to escape from and creating a childhood for our kids that they don't have to recover from.
And if you're listening, grab a screenshot and tag me on Instagram so that I can give you a shout out um and definitely go follow me on Instagram. I'm @laurafroyenphd. That's where you can get behind the scenes. Look at what balanced, conscious parenting looks like in action with my family and plus I share a lot of other, really great resources there too.
All right. That's it for me today. I hope that you keep taking really good care of your kids and your family and each other and most importantly of yourself. And just to remember, balance is a verb and you're already doing it. You've got this!