Helping Kids Thrive

Guest: Brya Hanan, M.A., LMFT

We all have days as parents where we just don't feel good enough - and what we do on those days makes a huge difference.

In this episode, Nicole is joined by Brya Hanan, a mom and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Together they share Brya's top 5 tips to moving forward on those days when you don't feel like enough:

1. Use Affirmations and Have a Growth Mindset
2. Celebrate Yourself
3. Tap Into Your Inner Child
4. Accept That Everyone Has a Bad Day
5. Take Action on Your Needs and Feelings

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Guest: Veronica Smitley, SLP & CF Fighter

Have you ever had a recommendation from a doctor that you felt uncomfortable with? Has your child needed something at school that you didn't know how to ask for?

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Veronica Smitley, Speech Language Pathologist and CF Fighter, shares her story of self advocacy as she has navigated her life with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. She shares insight into areas of her life that she has advocated in, specific ways that she built relationships and communicated her needs, and things she advocated for in medical settings, school settings, and with her peers.

Listen in to our conversation to learn all about the importance of not only being an advocate for your child, but also teaching your child to be an advocate for themself.

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Guest: Carey Llufrio, M.Ed, BCBA

Tantrums are a normal part of development, so all parents will experience them at some point in their parenting journey, but knowing what to do and how to help your child through this stage is key.

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole is joined once again by Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Carrie Llufrio, to provide information for parents specifically around tantrums. During this episode, Carrie reviews the 4 functions of behavior and helps us get to the root of our child's tantrum so that we can help our kids in the most significant ways possible.

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Guest: Elizabeth C. Hamblet, College Learning Disabilities Specialist

Do you have a child who is graduating soon and will need accommodations in college? In this episode, Nicole speaks with author and speaker, Elizabeth Hamblet, a college learning disabilities specialist with 20+ years of experience about the transition from high school to college for young adults with disabilities. She breaks down what this process looks like and demystifies college disabilities services (Sneak Peek: An IEP or 504 plan does not follow you to college) so that students and their families feel more prepared as they make the transition from high school to college.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Elizabeth Hamblet's Advisory Website
• From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities (book authored by Elizabeth)
• College Transition & Accommodations Information Facebook Group
• Unofficial Explanations of College Typical Vocabulary
• Moving From High School To College Accommodations: Changes in Vocabulary and Expectations (Blog Post)
• Are Different Disability Types Approved at Different Types of Colleges? (Blog Post)
• The (Surprising?) Similarity in Accommodations Not Commonly Granted at College for LD or ADHD (Blog Post)
• Don't Make Assumptions From Online College Accommodation Lists for LD and ADHD (Blog Post)

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Guest: Lidiette Hamilton, M.A. CCC-SLP

In US households, over 350 languages are spoken and about 10% of students in US schools are considered English Language Learners. The languages these families choose to expose their children to impact their education, their future, their identity, and their connection with their families. Many of these families have concerns about what their child's language development should look like as they learn two (or more) languages.

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole talks with certified bilingual speech language pathologist, Lidiette Hamilton, about bilingual language development. During this episode, Lidiette addresses several myths surrounding language development for children learning multiple languages at once, gives insight into the research on this topic, and answers questions commonly asked by parents who are concerned about their children's language development.

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Guest: Melanie Almada, M.S., LMFT

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole sits down with Marriage and Family Counselor, Melanie Almada, to discuss how parents can harness the power of mindfulness practices in their families.

Benefits of mindfulness include:

• Reduced chronic and acute stress
• Decreased risk of anxiety and depression
• Improved concentration and focus
• Increased productivity and flow
• Increased emotional regulation
• Increased relaxation
• Better Sleep

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Sesame Street Monster Meditation
• Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda (children's book)
• Breathe With Me Barbie
• Calm App
• Om the Otter (children's book)
• Zenimals

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Guest: Andrea King, M.A. CCC-SLP

April is Autism Awareness Month. Join Nicole as she chats with Speech Language Pathologist, Andrea King, about autism. In this episode, they discuss:

• Developmental markers for autism
• How to get an evaluation for your child
• Ways the community can come around a child with autism
• Teletherapy intervention to improve outcomes for children with autism

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Teletherapy Use for Students with ASD (research white paper)
• CDC Early Intervention Contact Information by State
• Parent to Parent - Parent Mentor/Support Program
• Labeled and Loved - Nonprofit organization surrounding families of children with disabilities to provide support and community

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Guests: Dr. Elizabeth Washington and Dr. Karen Watts

Schools around the world jumped online with no warning last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic and - as one of our guests today, Dr. Karen Watts, puts it - attempted to build the plane while flying. So, now that our education system and traditions have really been stretched as a result of the pandemic and we have had to think outside the box for the last year to serve children well, we as a culture have to ask the question of how to do this in the best way possible - especially if your school district intends to continue with aspects of remote support moving forward.

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Directors of Special Services, Dr. Karen Watts and Dr. Elizabeth Washington, join Nicole in a discussion around how to really incorporate remote services well into school cultures. In this episode, they talk at length about what this process looked like at their schools and some best practices for integrating remote support and working together as a team consisting of remote providers, school staff, and families.

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Guests: Dr. Karen Watts, Director of Special Services, and Dr. Elizabeth Washington, Director of Special Services

So, you have concerns about your child and their educational development, but you don't know where to start. Do you make a referral or is that the school's job? Who determines what services your child gets? How does the evaluation process work? What's a parent's role in all of this?

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole talks with two Directors of Special Services from school districts; Dr. Karen Watts joins from a school district in Maine and Dr. Elizabeth Washington from a school district serving primarily military families in Missouri. During the episode, they give a look into the process of special education evaluations including who makes decisions, what steps a student goes through before determining if they qualify for services, timelines, and more.

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Guest: Amy Schnacker, OTR/L

Did you know 3-5% of children have been diagnosed with a feeding disorder?

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, occupational therapist, Amy Schnacker explains the difference between a picky eater and a problem feeder. She and host, Nicole, explore when a parent should seek help for concerns with their child's feeding and Amy gives expert tips on things parents can do at home to help their children explore new foods (remember: You don't have to be neat when you're learning to eat!) and things to keep track of prior to having a feeding evaluation for your child.

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