Innerlinks Communication

How can therapists best serve their clients? Stay curious.

Check out my latest blog post on why curiosity is so important for (and how it has often gone missing in) the therapeutic process. https://www.innerlinkscommunication.com/blog/2023/1/12/curiosity-the-critical-and-often-missing-component-to-the-therapeutic-process

Seed & Sew ❤️

Calling all educators and parents...I am excited to be presenting a session on the importance of nervous system regulation at the Community School of Davidson Fresh Take Conference. I hope to see you there!

Fresh Take 2023: Coming to Center: Why Nervous System Reg... View more about this event at Fresh Take 2023

It's Black Friday, and many people are searching for some great deals. The Touchpoint Solution is offering 30% off right now.

We have had so much success with this product that I personally ordered 3 pairs for our family (and they get a LOT of use), and I use them with my clients regularly.

After seeing the benefits of using them, I opted to get an affiliate link with them (see below). If you are looking for something that is easy to use in the moment to help with calming, focus, and overall wellbeing, then I highly suggest checking out The Touchpoint Solution.

https://bit.ly/3Rp10vU

Wearable Stress Relief Device | TouchPoints TouchPoints are breakthrough neuroscientific wearables clinically proven to provide fast relief from stress, improving sleep, increasing focus and helping you feel calm and relaxed.

Two days done, two days to go!

I am halfway through one of the best courses I have ever taken. I am excited to incorporate all that I learn in this course in my therapy sessions.

Often my kids will order something online and be so excited for it to arrive that they will check the tracking like every hour the day it is expected at our house. Of course when that happens I lecture them about what it was like in my day, without internet, only the ability to order things on the phone from a catalog. And…how we had to wait for those things with no notification on when they would arrive. “Have patience,” I say.
Weeeeeellllllll…..I may have jumped on that bandwagon today. And I’m pretty sure they would laugh at me for what I was so eager to receive. But, anyone who knows me well probably wouldn’t be surprised. Yep…it’s a textbook.
(I have been wanting to take a course on working with cranial nerves for a long time now, and I am super excited that I am doing that in a few weeks. I was like a kid in a candy store when my pre-course reading material arrived today.)

New blog post alert!

Children are often labeled lazy or accused of not trying hard enough when they struggle with completing tasks that we adults request of them. But, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Check out my latest blog post that debunks the myth that children are lazy.
https://www.innerlinkscommunication.com/blog/2022/lazinessmisconception

The Laziness Misconception: Why Children Who are Labeled "Lazy" are Usually Anything But — InnerLinks Communication We recently had much of the interior of our house repainted. Sitting in my home now feels peaceful and relaxing because in addition to getting a fresh layer of paint, we also took the time to declutter. It is easy to feel grounded and centered when my surroundings exude a serene vibe. But if you h

Have you ever noticed that your child or client performs a specific skill in the therapy session but then has difficulty reproducing that same skill at another time? What about inconsistency in using that skill in their daily lives?

This disparity in performance is often confusing to parents and therapists and frustrating for children who are giving extraordinary effort throughout the therapeutic process. It can sometimes feel akin to the defeat of getting to the top of a hill after an intense climb only to slide back down after accidentally slipping in some mud.

How can we increase this carryover? What could be missing that is needed to increase consistency?

The answer lies in nervous system regulation.

When a child is learning a new skill, especially if it is something that is being taught specifically to the child, it requires thinking, processing, and intentional energy being directed toward that skill. All of that happens at the highest level of the brain, the cortex.

When a child's nervous system is dysregulated, the lower levels of the brain turn on as a safety mechanism to monitor for potential danger. When that happens, the energy must be diverted to those lower brain regions, and the thinking parts of the brain are moved to the periphery.

We can think of this like a performance in a play. While several actors may be on stage, it usually the one who is speaking that garners the most attention. The others may still be there, but their participation is minimized.

To increase the likelihood that the logical, thinking parts of the brain will take the lead, and the more reflexive, protective parts of the brain will step more into the shadows, the child needs to feel safe and regulated.

While no one can ever perform a specific skill with 100% consistency across all settings and situations, we can significantly increase the path toward progress by centering nervous system regulation in all therapy sessions.

At Innerlinks Communication, the primary goal is always for children to feel safe, seen, and worthy so that their natural light can shine freely in and out of the clinic, and communication skills can develop naturally.

Just published a new blog post. Check it out.

https://www.innerlinkscommunication.com/blog/2022/7/27/rethinking-therapy-goals-honoring-the-beauty-and-importance-of-neurodiversity

Rethinking Therapeutic and Educational Goals: Honoring the Individual Journey — InnerLinks Communication There are a few things that I have to share before I get to the meat of this post: My child read this entire post and gave me permission to share this publicly. I am normally a very private person when it comes to my personal and family life (especially anything involving my children), wh

I really, really do have the best job in the whole world. There are no words to describe how grateful I felt to receive this email from the parent of a former client.




Therapy

Innerlinks Communication has a new home!

Starting July 15, I will be offering my holistic pediatric speech and language therapy services at my new office.

215 Gilead Road, Unit 201, Huntersville, NC 28078

Visit https://www.innerlinkscommunication.com/phone-consultation-form to schedule a phone consultation to see how your child can benefit from my services.

Sometimes the right words show up at the perfect moment.

Here is a blog post that I wrote almost three years ago and somehow didn't share at the time. I stumbled upon it today, and it was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

I hope it brings peace to other parents as well.

https://www.innerlinkscommunication.com/blog/2019/4/26/parent-to-parent-what-i-wish-someone-had-told-me

Parent to Parent: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me (Part One) — InnerLinks Communication I wrote this blog post almost three years ago, and somehow missed publishing it at the time. Yet, I realize that was exactly what was meant to happen because I needed to stumble back upon these words at this precise moment in my parenting journey. I hope it brings some of you the peace that I feel w

Signs your client needs the STNR reflex:
❄ Uncoordinated head with hands, arms, and upper back muscles
❄ Must stop doing a motor activity to listen and hear better
❄ Poor distance or peripheral vision
❄ Poor spatial skills
❄ W-Sitting

In most modalities, you watch what the body is doing and attempt to get it to do something different.

With MNRI, we lean in. We watch what the body is doing, which reflexes it’s trying to integrate, and we give the body and the brain more of those techniques to aid in the proper integration.

It is common practice for speech-language pathologists to assess what is happening in a child's body from the neck up when performing a speech and language evaluation. But, what if there is a lot more valuable information in the rest of the body, all the way down to the tips of the toes?

When a parent contacts me to inquire about services for their child, I always start with a phone consultation to learn more about the child. One of my favorite things about these phone calls is when parents have an "aha" moment after I ask them about specific behaviors or symptoms that their child might be showing that they would ordinarily not have considered to be related to their child's speech or language difficulties.

Some of the most profound "aha" moments have happened when I ask questions like:

"Does your child mouth objects, bite their nails, or have other oral habits?"

"Does your child's mouth or tongue move in any way when they are doing fine motor tasks like writing or drawing?"

"Is your child intoeing (i.e., pigeon toed)?"

"Does your child ever roll their feet to the outside edge?"

"Does your child grasp their pencil really hard when writing or dislike handwriting?"

What many see as solely speech and language difficulties may actually be related to unintegrated reflexes, especially hand and foot reflexes. When we work from the level of the reflexes in therapy, we are building a stronger foundation for more seamless and lasting progress. This allows the higher level skills (like speech and language) to develop more organically.

Most traditional therapy techniques use a top-down approach with activities that work from the highest level of the brain. That is akin to building a house from the roof down.

The brain naturally develops from the bottom up, so it makes the most sense to harness that innate intelligence and build the solid foundation first.

To learn more about my holistic, bottom-up therapy approach, visit www.innerlinkscommunication.com to set up a free phone consultation.

Neuroscience tells us that brain development happens from the bottom up: brainstem, cerebellum, limbic system, and last the cortex.

How does each of these factor into our daily functioning?

The brainstem is responsible for our reflexes and autonomic functions (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, etc.)

The cerebellum is responsible for movement, balance, coordination, and eye movements.

The limbic system is responsible for emotional regulation.

And, the cortex is responsible for thinking, processing information, and decision making.

Let’s think about most therapy techniques. They often involve a “watch me and do what I do” approach. To be able to process that information and then to perform the expected behavior requires a matured cortex, or thinking part of the brain.

But, what happens when the other parts have not developed sufficiently? Trying to elicit change by going through the highest part of the brain while ignoring the lower parts is like trying to build a house from the roof down. You might be able to add some bits and pieces, but it is not sustainable and often crumbles when the foundation activates.

At Innerlinks Communication all therapy is approached from a bottom up perspective. The techniques employed help to build that strong foundation so that higher level skills can develop easier and be more sustainable.

Reach out via link in bio to learn more about the holistic speech and language therapy I provide to determine if it would be a good fit for your child.

This is an excellent video that explains brain development and child behaviors, especially in stress.

Bottom up brain development This is "Bottom up brain development" by Australian Childhood Foundation on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Mind Body Baby NC is an incredible resource for parents in the prenatal and perinatal periods. They offer so many wonderful support groups for new and expecting parents all over the Charlotte area and some amazing resources online. Check them out and share with your friends!

Most speech and language therapy focuses on encouraging children to perform a certain task in a certain way...to meet goals based on neurotypical normative data. Success is measured by whether the child has changed their behaviors enough in therapy sessions to meet those outlined goals.

However, neuroscience tells us is that behaviors are always communication & they give us a glimpse into the state of a child’s nervous system at a specific point in time. So when we focus only on behavior modification we are missing a critical piece…the WHY that explains a child’s present state.

What happens when therapists focus solely on behaviors?

First, the child often has to fail multiple times before finally meeting success. Children who experience challenges that have brought them to a therapist in the first place must then continue to go through more hurdles until they finally meet some success, & by success, I mean the therapist’s or society’s idea of what is expected of the child. I have seen too many children question their own self worth (e.g., “I’m just not smart enough.” “I just can’t do it.”) because they become tied to the beliefs that they are only good enough when they meet the goals that others have set for them.

Next, often children will meet these milestones in the therapeutic setting. They WILL have this success in a structured, familiar environment. But then those skills seem to vanish or deteriorate as the stress load is increased, & then often the cycle starts again.

In both scenarios the missing piece is recognizing that behavior is tied to how the nervous system is functioning. Nervous system regulation should always be at the forefront of any therapeutic intervention because effective communication depends on a child’s feeling safe first and foremost.

This is the essence of holistic, child-centered, bottom up therapy.

To learn more about Innerlinks Communication, visit www.innerlinkscommunication.com to schedule a free phone consultation.

I am so glad that I became a member of the Therapist Neurodiversity Collective. They have so many wonderful resources to help therapists continue to support neurodiversity and neurodivergent people with empathy and compassion. Strong communities depend on different brain types, and it is (way past) time that we work to support (not try to change) neurodivergent individuals.

Image description in alt text. "Therapies should help Autistic people, not train them to appear “less autistic” or meet neurotypical standards or clinical outcomes."

Your child is unique. Your child has incredible strengths, talents, and passions that should be honored and celebrated.

Noticing and appreciating these strengths and using them as the jumping off point in therapy empowers children. They are excited to share who they are and look forward to building upon these talents.

When we recognize their individuality and see the positives in their behaviors, they feel safe. Their nervous system relaxes, and they grow in ways many parents never thought possible.

I would be honored to support your child as that process unfolds. I have limited available spots in Huntersville and Charlotte. Visit www.innerlinkscommunication.com to schedule your free phone consultation and get your child setup for summer therapy sessions.

WHAT??!! Has your child been in speech therapy to improve their articulation skills? Has the therapy involved a lot of drill exercises requiring them to practice the sounds over and over again until they can produce them accurately?

Traditional speech therapy techniques involve showing the child how to put their mouth in the correct position to produce a specific sound and then having them practice that sound at certain levels (isolation, syllables, words, phrases, reading, sentences, then conversation), moving along this hierarchy as they master the skill (usually with 90% or greater accuracy) at each level.

Can you imagine what it would be like if your child never had to practice these sounds? Never had to struggle to make it work time and time again until they finally get it at one level only to have to start off with the same struggle at the next level?

Guess what?!! Their articulation skills CAN improve without having to go through that process.

We have certain reflexes, specifically ones in the hands and feet, that are directly correlated with speech development, and when we address those speech production often improves spontaneously.

I have seen this progress happen seamlessly time and time again with many of my clients after only a few sessions by working directly with the nervous system. It is always amazing to see the joy in these children as their communication improves easily and the relief their parents feel knowing that they and others can understand their children more clearly.

I would love to support your child and family on this journey. Visit www.innerlinkscommunication.com to schedule a free phone consultation to learn more about how my services can benefit your child.

I have the best job in the world. For real...I have so much gratitude for being able to work with amazing children and their families.

What makes this job so wonderful? There are many things, but by far the most rewarding is the connection that I have with the children I treat. They teach me new things everyday. They each bring their unique light that illuminates our sessions in beautiful and individual ways.

So often therapy is focused on encouraging children to perform certain tasks to meet specific goals without much thought to the child’s unique personality, likes, dislikes, etc. There is a heavy emphasis on changing behaviors without regard for why a behavior is occurring.

At Innerlinks Communication, I flip that paradigm on its head. Instead of trying to get the child to perform tasks that I have decided make for effective communication, I let the child lead by focusing on what the child is telling me both verbally and nonverbally at all times and adjusting MY communication to let the child know that they are seen and heard. This allows the child to build confidence and feel safe to be authentically themselves. And when the brain feels safe is when true growth can happen.

Visit www.innerlinkscommunication.com to set up a free phone consultation to learn how Innerlinks Communication would benefit your child.

This is sure to be a wonderful event and fundraiser for Mind Body Baby NC. Be sure to check it out!

https://www.mindbodybabync.org/events/laughter-charcuterie-happy-hour

Mona Delahooke, Ph.D. has so many important messages to share. If you don't already follow her or haven't read her books, then I highly suggest adding her to your list of people from whom to learn and grow,

Awareness and self compassion are our allies in parenting & caring for children❣️

Have you ever wondered why communication seems so much easier for your child in certain situations?

Our nervous systems are amazingly designed to keep us safe. The lowest levels of the brain are responsible for detecting danger and causing our bodies to react immediately to protect us in threatening situations. When the brain perceives a threat (whether it seems to be logical or not), these protective mechanisms kick in, and our body gets ready to fight, flee, or freeze. Because staying safe is the most important thing we can do, this process directs energy away from the higher levels or “thinking parts” of our brain.

What does this have to do with communication? Because expressive language is cortically driven (meaning it occurs from an area in the highest level of the brain—the cortex), it breaks down in high stress or anxiety inducing situations.

For this reason, language therapy should be driven by regulating the nervous system instead of behavior based. Children who feel safe, seen, and heard will progress faster and develop more functional communication skills.

Visit www.InnerlinksCommunication.com to schedule a free phone consultation to learn more about how our nervous system regulating approaches are beneficial for your child.