One Day You'll Thank Me

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host
Anna, teen co-host
Erin Grujic, Occupational Therapist

Tara, Anna, and Erin (our guest expert) discuss:

1. What is an occupational therapist? How do they support their clients?

2. What is sensory integration?

Erin notes that we have 7-8 sensory systems and some (or all) of these sensory systems can become easily overloaded, impacting our functioning if our brain misinterprets this sensory information as negative. If this happens, kids can get distressed, resulting in a fight-or-flight response that leads to crying, tantrums, covering their ears, refusing to participate, running away, or showing anger. Erin observes that quarantine--the disruption of routine--is contributing to an abbreviated "window of tolerance."

Erin provides a helpful analogy about us all having a "cup" that needs to be filled with sensory information. If the cup isn't completely filled (kids are under-stimulated), kids can seek more input. If the cup is overflowing, kids can get overwhelmed easily and want to avoid sensory stimulation.

3. How do kids develop sensory integration problems?

Kids benefit from having parents who can be responsive to child's sensory needs.Tara discusses having to modify her parenting style with her son, as he demonstrated sensory sensitivity as an infant and toddler. He found loud noises and having sun in his eyes to be distressing. Tara relates to this, as she's also sensitive to loud noises, sun in her eyes, fans blowing on her, etc.

4. Are kids with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, anxiety, or ADHD more susceptible to sensory integration difficulties?

Erin notes that it's essential to figure out the "function" of kids' behavior---what need are they trying to meet? For example, they may be seeking attention, sensory input, or avoidance of unpleasant tasks. We want kids have an increased "bandwidth" to tolerate sensory information.

5. What strategies can parents use in the home environment to support their children's sensory development?
    - recognizing triggers
    - using strategies to increase their bandwidth, or tolerance, of these triggers so kids can        stay at their "just right" level
    - make sure to PLAY with your kids; let them get messy and be a little bit risky
    - help your kids co-regulate---adjust their environment to set the stage for success

6. Do you ever feel that parents take it personally when their kids "misbehave" as the result of sensory issues?

7. What are some indicators that can help determine whether it's necessary to consult an OT about your child's sensory issues?

Erin notes that OT's can provide a comprehensive assessment to determine whether a child could benefit from intervention from an OT.

You can find more information about Erin and her mobile clinic at Sensational Path.

Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page.

If you'd like to try BARK, a dashboard that monitors content on your child's technological devices, please use the code QSG7JBW to get 20% off. If you'd like to try Circle Home Plus to set guidelines around when and where your kids spend their online screen time, use THIS LINK to get $20 off. I use both of these tools to protect my children.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit HERE or  HERE.

"One Day You'll Thank Me" is edited by Laura Bauder from PodcastHers.

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan - host
Brad Baldridge - guest expert
Parents, are you looking for the best way to pay for college that saves time, money, and stress?
Then you will definitely want to tune in to this episode with financial expert, Brad Baldridge.
Brad Baldridge, Certified Financial Planner®, is a College Funding Consultant specializing in late stage college funding planning and the chief podcaster of Taming The High Cost Of College. He provides customized planning using the latest financial aid, tax, cash flow and academic strategies.

Over the past 10 years Brad has directly helped hundreds of families plan and pay for college. He has provided in-depth college plans resulting in increased financial aid, scholarships, identification of the right schools at the right price, and better loans.

Tune in to learn:
- What can parents do when just starting planning for college - where do they begin?
- Some of the top strategies for saving and paying for college.
- That the price of the school isn't what they see on the website.
- What price they should expect to pay?
- How can families balance paying for college and saving for retirement?
- How many students are able to attend private college for about the same price as a public university?
- How do you navigate financial situations with a divorced parents?
To learn more about Brad and his services, Baldridge College Solutions.
Website - Forparents to learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's books, webinars, public speaking opportunities, and coaching/consultation services, Go HERE.
Facebook - HERE.
YouTube - HERE.
Instagram - HERE.
Website - To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's child & adolescent therapy services, visit HERE.
E-Course -To learn more about Dr. Egan's online mini-course called "Managing Your Family's Technology and Social Media", created to help parents eliminate power struggles.
Podcast edited by Christian Fox

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host and child & adolescent therapist
Anna, teen cohost
Celeste Osborne, LPC-S, Therapist

Hey Listeners, Anna and I are back again today and are talking with Celeste Osborne about depression in teens.

Especially during Covid-19, the topic of depression has become super relevant with everyone feeling isolated and school work keeping kids in front of the screen. The term depression is thrown around a lot in regular conversation and the goal today is to really define depression and make sure that we discriminate between the casual usage of the term and how we define depression as therapists.

Celeste shares with us the definition of depression, as well as, characteristics of someone (teens) with depression, things to look out for, risk factors, and practical steps that parents can take.

Depression is not moments of sadness, but persistent sadness. Tara and Celeste share examples of what they see with the teens and families that they work with and what you as a parent can be aware of and keep an eye out from their experience.

Oftentimes, parents feel that their kid is just being moody because they are a teenager and that's what teens do. They try to give them their space and privacy, but without being aware and not taking an active role in their lives, signs can be missed.

Other subtopics we touch on:
- The role that social media has on depression
- How medications can be helpful in some instances and the fears that many parents have  about medication
- After being depressed for extended periods of time, kids identify with that and when they  finally do get relief, they feel scared and not sure who they are anymore

We wrap up the episode discussing how getting a therapist involved could be beneficial and at what point should that be considered.

To learn about Celeste and her services visit her website, HERE.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.com

Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page and register for our FREE weekly parenting webinars HERE.

This episode is sponsored by Eaton Press. Eaton Press provides writing coaching, editing, and publishing services to help business professionals write, publish, and market their books as a tool to grow their business. Make your book happen.

Cast: Dr. Tara Egan, host
Dylan, middle school boy and Dr. Egan's son
In this bonus episode, Dr. Egan interviews Dylan, her middle-school aged son. Quarantine is still firmly in place, as COVID-19 cases in North and South Carolina are still rising at an alarming rate. Dylan reflects on his technology and video game usage during quarantine, noting that his time is limited, although time can be earned by having a productive day---participating in sports, finishing chores, and having a good attitude. He admits that he has a hard time entertaining himself without the use of technology but agrees that he has never been permitted to have unrestricted usage.
Dylan shares that he's been educated on how technology can "hurt your brain," and admits that his mood is impacted by gaming, especially if he loses. Winning video games feels good, but he realizes that he's never going to be good enough at Fortnite to "go pro," as his parents don't allot him enough time on the Xbox to get the practice he'd need.
Dr. Egan and Dylan discuss the role of video games and violence, noting that although kids who are more aggressive are attracted to violent video games, research hasn't determined causality. Dylan states that he does spend a lot of time looking forward to gaming, as winning tournaments is fun. Together, Dr. Egan and Dylan think of ideas that kids can do in lieu of video games. Dr. Egan asserts that as long as gaming is given as a choice, kids will choose it nearly every time. Because Dylan's time gaming is limited, he's compelled to plan his gaming time with friends. Because the Circle with Disney is used to limit Dylan's time gaming, he can't "sneak it" and accepts that once gaming time is over for the day, family time begins. Dylan is cheerful, pleasant, respectful, successful in school, and easy-going, so Dr. Egan feels pretty good about the gaming policies in their home.
As far as social media goes, Dylan isn't super interested in it. He says that some of his friends have abandoned gaming for social media and "talking to girls," but says that he's not motivated to follow strangers on Instagram just to have more followers. Lastly, Dylan offers some advice to other kids who love gaming and need help with avoiding frustration when it's time to put down the controller.
This episode is sponsored by Moe's Southwest Grill. Order a family taco kit for $34.99 and make family dinner fun.
Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page.
If you'd like to try BARK, a dashboard that monitors content on your child's technological devices, please use the code QSG7JBW to get 20% off. If you'd like to try Circle Home Plus to set guidelines around when and where your kids spend their online screen time, use THIS LINK to get $20 off. I use both of these tools to protect my children.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.com
To purchase Dr. Tara Egan's parenting books, please visit Amazon.
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