Connected and Capable

If your child can’t sit still at dinner, refuses certain clothes, melts down in busy places, or seems either constantly on the move or totally checked out, you are not alone — and this is not a behavior problem.

In this episode I’m breaking down what sensory needs really are, why sensory processing is one of the most powerful systems in the brain, and how it shapes your child’s emotions, attention, movement, and daily life. We’ll talk about the eight senses, what sensory modulation actually means, and the three common patterns we see in kids.

I also speak into a really important and sometimes controversial conversation around sensory sensitivities. Supporting a child’s sensory needs always comes first — but over time, the brain can also learn to tolerate more. When we hold both compassion and intention together, real change becomes possible.

You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of why your child reacts the way they do, how sensory challenges can snowball over time, and how simple, respectful support can open the door to regulation, participation, and connection.

Get our free Sensory Toolkit with 25 sensory activities and a red flags checklist: yourkidstable.com/sensoryessentials/
Therapists- The RISE with Sensory Program, 8 AOTA CEU'S: yourkidstable.com/rise
Parents- Get guidance and a vault of easy sensory activities in The Connection Hive: yourkidstable.com/tch

Key Time Stamps:

01:30 – Why sensory needs show up everywhere in daily life
05:05 – The 8 senses that shape your child’s behavior
10:05 – The three sensory modulation patterns you need to know
15:30 – How sensory needs change day-to-day based on sleep, stress, and emotions
17:15 – How sensory sensitivities can snowball over time
18:45 – How to support without forcing or avoiding growth

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Ready for a simple plan to overcome the attention, sleep, sensory, and big emotion challenges? I'll show you how for uniquely wired kids 1-18 years old in just 2-5 minutes a day. Join me in The Connection Hive-- https://YourKidsTable.com/TCH

LET'S CONNECT:

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Yourkidstable
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Yourkidstable
Pinterest: https://Pinterest.com/Yourkidstable

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you left us a review! It's a huge help in encouraging us and letting us know what parents with uniquely wired kids need the most.

Retained primitive reflexes are often overlooked—or completely missing—from the conversation when it comes to kids with sensory needs, attention challenges, anxiety, coordination difficulties, and diagnoses like ADHD or autism.

In this episode, I’m breaking down what retained primitive reflexes actually are, why they matter far beyond infancy, and how they can impact your child’s sensory processing, emotional regulation, focus, learning, and movement:

We’ll talk about:

1. What retained primitive reflexes actually are in layman's terms

2. Common signs that reflexes may still be firing (or retained)

3. Why this piece is often missed—even by professionals

4. How working on reflex integration can support regulation, sensory needs, attention, and daily functioning.

5. Ways to work on integrating reflexes

This episode is about understanding the body first—because when the body can organize and respond the way it was designed to, everything else becomes more accessible.

Join me in The Connection Hive for the 30 Day Reflex Challenge, you can get started in just a couple minutes: https://yourkidstable.com/TCH

Grab your free printable copy of our 5 Big Calming Techniques for Big Emotions + Dysregulation-- https://yourkidstable.com/emotions-printable/

Key Timestamps
01:00 – What retained primitive reflexes actually are
02:25 – The grasp reflex and why it matters later in life
03:45 – The Moro reflex and its link to anxiety and hyper-vigilance
06:10 – How reflexes impact coordination, reading, and focus
09:18 – Why many professionals never talk about reflexes
15:43 – Simple ways families can start integrating reflexes at home

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Ready for a simple plan to overcome the attention, sleep, sensory, and big emotion challenges? I'll show you how for uniquely wired kids 1-18 years old in just 2-5 minutes a day. Join me in The Connection Hive-- https://YourKidsTable.com/TCH

LET'S CONNECT:

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Yourkidstable
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Yourkidstable
Pinterest: https://Pinterest.com/Yourkidstable

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you left us a review! It's a huge help in encouraging us and letting us know what parents with uniquely wired kids need the most.

Your child is running nonstop, melting down during transitions, overwhelmed at birthday parties, struggling with focus, emotions, sleep, or eating—and your told they are bad, too sensitive, or they need discipline.

In this first episode of the Connected + Capable podcast, I’m breaking down the four hidden areas that are often pulling the strings beneath the surface for uniquely wired kids—kids with sensory needs, ADHD, big emotions, executive functioning challenges (like focus), or no diagnosis at all.

In this episode, we'll talk about:
1. Why these challenges are not phases, personality traits, or parenting failures.
2. The four core areas that cause these challenges and why they matter!
3. The challenges your kid has are connected, and when you know what they are you can build new skills and lessen sensory needs.

Understanding what’s happening beneath the surface is game changer for your kid, and you. It opens the doors to deeper connection, compassion, and capability.

Thank you for listening! Hit the follow button so you get notified of next weeks new episode.

Grab your free printable copy of our 5 Big Calming Techniques for Big Emotions + Dysregulation-- https://yourkidstable.com/emotions-printable/

Key Timestamps
04:21 — Retained Primitive Reflexes: The hidden brain wiring quietly shaping behavior.
09:33 — Sensory Processing: Why meltdowns, avoidance, and nonstop movement aren’t choices.
14:10 — Emotional Regulation: Big emotions are a skill gap, not a personality flaw.
16:42 — Executive Functioning: The real reason focus, follow-through, and organization break down.

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Ready for a simple plan to overcome the attention, sleep, sensory, and big emotion challenges? I'll show you how for uniquely wired kids 1-18 years old in just 2-5 minutes a day. Join me in The Connection Hive-- https://YourKidsTable.com/TCH

LET'S CONNECT:

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Yourkidstable
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Yourkidstable
Pinterest: https://Pinterest.com/Yourkidstable

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you left us a review! It's a huge help in encouraging us and letting us know what parents with uniquely wired kids need the most.

Welcome to The Connected and Capable Podcast—a supportive space for parents raising kids with sensory needs, big emotions, and behavioral challenges. If your child is highly sensitive, struggles with focus, self-control, aggression, picky eating, or simply seems overwhelmed by the world, you are not alone.

In this podcast, we talk about the real worries that keep parents up at night: Will they grow out of this? What am I missing? How do I actually help my child? Whether your child has ADHD, sensory processing challenges, autism, or no formal diagnosis at all, this show is for families navigating days that feel long, confusing, and exhausting.

Hosted by Alicia Grogan, pediatric occupational therapist of over 20 years and a mom raising kids with big emotions, sensory needs, and ADHD, The Connected and Capable Podcast breaks down doable, evidence-based strategies that truly support uniquely wired kids. You’ll learn how many common challenges are deeply connected—and how to build new pathways in the brain that improve sensory processing, emotional regulation, executive functioning, and more.

This podcast is about giving you peace in your day and setting the foundation for your child to reach their full potential. As the person who knows your child best, you have more power than you think—and real change is possible, even for the busiest parents.

Your child is capable. And so are you. Let’s dive in.

MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Ready for a simple plan to overcome the attention, sleep, sensory, and big emotion challenges? I'll show you how for uniquely wired kids 1-18 years old in just 2-5 minutes a day. Join me in The Connection Hive-- https://YourKidsTable.com/TCH

LET'S CONNECT:

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Yourkidstable
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Yourkidstable
Pinterest: https://Pinterest.com/Yourkidstable

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you left us a review! It's a huge help in encouraging us and letting us know what parents with uniquely wired kids need the most.