The Playful Psychologist

Neuroaffirming Practice

In the season finale episode of The Playful Psychologist podcast, I am joined by Educational & Developmental Psychologist, Sandhya Menon. Sandhya is the founder of Onwards and Upwards Psychology and has a huge passion for neuroaffirming practice in allied health. She is also the brilliant author of the most beautifully, neuroaffirming picture books for children. In this episode, Sandhya shares her insights into neuroaffirming practice. We will explore the following questions: * What is neuroaffirming practice? * How does this differ to types of therapeutic approaches we have seen in the past? * How does neuroaffirming practice change the way we view social skill development in autistic people? * What are the positive outcomes of neuroaffirming practice? To follow Sandhya on social media, follow @onwardsandupwardspsychology  You can also check out her incredible resources, including her picture books and upcoming professional development courses, via her website: https://www.onwardsandupwardspsychology.com.au/

Navigating a Diagnosis as a Family

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist Podcast, I am joined by Jess from the instagram account @aussieautismfamily. Jess is the mother of two beautiful kids. Her son Jacob is autistic and her account if full of raw and real challenges and successes of raising an autistic child.  As I also have a younger brother who is autistic and I am extremely passionate about supporting the family as a whole, as they navigate a diagnosis. In this episode, Jess shares the diagnostic journey for her son Jacob, what that process was like for the family, and the emotions that come with receiving a diagnosis. I am so grateful to Jess for sharing her experiences with us. If you would like to follow Jess and her beautiful family on social media, her handle is @aussieautismfamily

Let's talk SPEECH (delay & therapy)

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist Podcast, I am joined by Mariah Apostolopoulos from Sound Adventures to explore speech delay. Mariah is a speech pathologist based in Melbourne. This episode will explore the following points: * What is the role of a speech pathologist? * What is a speech delay and are there different types of delay? * What is the difference between a receptive and expressive speech delay and what are some things to look out for? * In Australia, what is the referral process to see a speech pathologist and when should parents seek support? * When should parents start to consider speech therapy for pronunciation difficulties? To keep up to date with Mariah and her incredible work, follow her on Instagram: @sound.adventures Website with details about speech pathology consultations and group offerings: https://soundadventures.com.au [https://soundadventures.com.au/] Teachers pay teachers (TPT) for freebies and low cost downloads: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sound-Adventures-Speech-Pathology [https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sound-Adventures-Speech-Pathology] Sound Adventure Books: https://soundadventures.com.au/book [https://soundadventures.com.au/book]

Why We Need to Drop the 'SHY' Label

In this week's episode of The Playful Psychologist Podcast, I am joined by Sarah Bolitho from Secure Foundations.  Sarah is a Master's qualified Child & Family Play Therapist and a mother of three. In this episode, we explore the negative impact labelling children can have. We focus heavily of the negative connotations associated with labelling a child as 'SHY.' We explore why it's time to drop the 'shy' label, give you some ideas of how to respond if someone calls your child shy, and how to reframe 'shy' behaviour more positively. Sarah is a wealth of parenting knowledge. You can follow her on socials at @securefoundations or check out her website and incredible parenting 'POP Club' here: https://www.securefoundations.com.au/

What Toys Do Kids Actually Need?

In this weeks episode of The Playful Psychologist podcast, we are going to talk all thing 'toys.' So often, we get sucked in as parents and think we need ALL the latest toys, ALL the new toys and everything in between to keep our kids entertained, But what ends up happening? The more toys they get, the more overwhelmed they get, the less time they spend engaged in quality play, and the MORE we hear ‘I’m bored’ which in turn makes us think we need to get new toys, creating a never ending cycle and cluttering up your home with unnecessary items. Let's break down the topic of toys and figure out what we actually need.