Sensory Based Strategies for Kids: An Interview with Claire Heffron from The Inspired Treehouse

Calm and Connected Podcast

Does your child like to move and fidget a lot? Maybe lay upside down or spin around in circles? This isn’t just a random act of silliness or hyperactivity, they are likely gaining sensory input! In this episode, my guest Claire and I discuss proprioception, which is your body's ability to sense movement, action, and location. It's present in every muscle movement you have. Without proprioception, you wouldn't be able to move without thinking about your next step. We also discuss the vestibular system which functions to detect the position and movement of our head in space. This allows for the coordination of eye movements, posture, and equilibrium.

The topics we cover in this episode are;

Claire’s career background

Why it helps to work alongside different types of therapists

What differences therapists have noticed since COVID

Language skills and self regulation skills in children after covid

The challenges of moving from elementary to middle school

Our thoughts on teachers

Strategies that are helpful for children’s behavior and self regulation

The proprioception and vestibular systems

What is proprioceptive input?

Where is our vestibular system in our body? And how does it work?

How a weighted hall-pass can help you

What are Claire’s coping skills to find rest and peace?
And remember, do not forget about yourself, take a few minutes for you and have a little fun!

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About The Guest - Claire

Claire Heffron is a pediatric occupational therapist who has worked in school and community settings since 2005. She and Lauren Drobnjak (physical therapist) started The Inspired Treehouse in 2013 and have developed the business into one of the top online resources for pediatric therapists around the world. Claire and Lauren also opened a non-profit organization in Cleveland called The Treehouse, where they provide developmental playgroups for children of all ability levels.

Website - theinspiredtreehouse.com

Instagram - https://instagram.com/insptreehouse/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inspired.treehouse/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Theinspiredtreehouse

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/inspiredtreehou/

The Therapist Informed Classroom - self-paced, email-based course https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/the-therapist-informed-classroom

About The Host - Janine Halloran

Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children and adolescents for over 15 years. She loves to create products and resources, so she started two businesses to support families and professionals who work with children and teens. ‘Coping Skills for Kids’ provides products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. It’s the home of the popular Coping Cue Cards, decks of cards designed to help kids learn and use coping skills at home or at school. Janine’s second business ‘Encourage Play’ is dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! Encourage Play has free printables, as well as digital products focused on play and social skills.

Coping Skills for Kids - https://copingskillsforkids.com

Encourage Play - https://www.encourageplay.com

Interested in reading my books?

The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook/products/coping-skills-for-kids-workbook-digital-version

Social Skills for Kids - https://store.copingskillsforkids.com/collections/encourage-play/products/social-skills-for-kids-workbook

Connect with Janine on Social Media

Instagram: @copingskillsforkids

Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay