Ability Innovations Presents: Therapy Unmasked

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Hi Friends, Welcome back to another episode of Therapy Unmasked! Today's episode isn't boring but it's about boredom. 😉 Here are some of the talking points:
Technology vs. Imaginative Play: Nick addresses the question of whether technology is killing imaginative play, suggesting that while it can be a necessary tool for some, periods of pause are essential for creativity and development, especially as we face an uncertain future.
Boredom and Executive Functioning: As an Occupational Therapist, Nick explains how boredom—or unstructured downtime—can actually be beneficial for children struggling with executive functioning challenges, such as ADHD and time blindness. Boredom acts as a necessary rest period for the brain, helping it recalibrate and process information.
Sensory Regulation and Boredom: Discover how boredom intersects with sensory seeking and sensory avoidant behaviors. Nick provides tips for parents on how to reframe downtime, explaining that activities like sitting in a sensory swing or even doing seemingly unproductive tasks are, in fact, doing a lot to regulate a child's sensory system.
Introducing Unstructured Time: Learn practical strategies for integrating "boredom time" into a child's day, even one with a strict structured routine. Nick suggests starting with short, scheduled intervals (like five minutes of alone time) and gradually building up. Fostering Creativity and Adaptability: Boredom is presented as a vital vehicle for teaching creativity and adaptability, skills that are increasingly necessary in a rapidly changing world.
"Boredom Ticklers" and Open-Ended Play: Looking for gift ideas or simple activities? Nick recommends "boredom ticklers"—open-ended tools and simple materials (like blank paper or magnetic toys) that spark intrinsic motivation and allow kids to act on their environment rather than being acted upon by screens.
Intrinsic Motivation in Teens and Young Adults: The conversation concludes by defining intrinsic motivation (choosing to do something because it comes from within) and discussing how providing space for boredom is crucial for teens to develop genuine interests, helping them move away from being constantly guided by external algorithms and social media.
Thanks Listening! Love, Your Friends At Ability Innovations

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Hi Everyone,
 
As a parent, you have a lot on your plate. If your child is in therapy, you're likely juggling multiple appointments, different therapists, and a calendar packed with sessions. What if there was a way to make therapy more efficient and even more effective?
On this episode of the Therapy Unmasked podcast, we sat down with Nick, an occupational therapist (OT), and Megan, a speech-language pathologist (SLP), to discuss co-treating. A co-treatment is a therapy session with one child but two therapists from different disciplines.
 
The Benefits of a Collaborative Approach
 
At Ability Innovations, our goal is to be interdisciplinary. We believe that by working together, we can provide better care and achieve greater success for the children we work with. According to Nick and Megan, co-treating offers several key benefits:
Better Outcomes: When two therapists from different specialties work together, a child often makes greater progress in both areas. The therapists can build on each other's work and augment the benefits of each session. For example, an OT might work on a child's core strength on a swing, while the SLP uses that regulated state to encourage communication and language skills.
Efficiency for Parents: Co-treating can significantly shorten the time a family has to spend at the clinic. Instead of attending two separate appointments, you can get two therapies in one session. This is a huge time-saver for busy families.
Holistic Care: Therapy isn't just about one specific skill; it's about helping a child function better in the world. By combining two disciplines, therapists can address multiple goals at once. Megan shared a great example of a scavenger hunt she did with an OT. While the child was working on fine motor skills and handwriting with the OT, Megan had them practice and write words that targeted their speech sounds.
 
The Role of Regulation
 
A major point that Nick and Megan emphasized is the importance of regulation. Regulation is about getting a child to a "just right" state where they feel calm, focused, and ready to learn. As Nick pointed out, we do this as adults all the time—whether it's having a morning coffee to wake up or chewing gum to focus. For kids, a therapist can use activities like swinging or deep pressure to help them get to that optimal state.
Megan noted that she often sees more communication from a child when they are regulated. Co-treating allows therapists to work together to achieve this state, making the therapy goals easier to reach.
 
Is Co-Treating Right for Your Child?
 
While co-treating offers many advantages, it's not a perfect fit for every child. Nick and Megan discussed a few things to consider:
Goals: Co-treating works best when the goals of both therapies can be addressed in a single, fluid session. If a child needs a very specific, quiet session to work on a skill like articulation, a separate appointment might be more effective.
Child's Temperament: Some children thrive with the energy of two therapists, while others might become overstimulated or gravitate toward one therapist over the other. Therapists often try a session to see how the child responds.
Insurance: Unfortunately, not all insurance companies will approve or pay for co-treatments. It's always a good idea to check with your provider to see what is covered.
Ultimately, the decision to co-treat is made on a case-by-case basis, with the child's needs and goals at the forefront.
We encourage you to listen to the full episode to hear more great stories and learn how co-treating could be a powerful option for your child's therapy journey.
 
Love,
 
Your Friends At Ability Innovations

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Hi Friends!
 
This episode of Therapy Unmasked is going to be a little bit different than most. The majority of this episode was recorded during our live event: The All Abilities Fair. In the first half of the podcast we had the opportunity to sit down with fair attendees and discuss what the term Progress Through Play means to them. The second half of the episode is a recording of the talent show portion of the fair. You may want to consider watching this podcast on Youtube as the visual component is very important to this episode.
 
Check it out here:
https://youtu.be/YG4_W5zjo28
 
We want to offer a huge shout out to all of the staff and parents that helped make this fair possible. Seeing this kiddos perform and showcase their art was a very special experience and we hope you enjoy.
 
Love,
 
Your Friends At Ability Innovations

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Welcome back to another insightful episode of Therapy Unmasked, brought to you by Ability Innovations! In this episode, we sat down with Emily Hartney, the team lead for our occupational therapists at our Layton, Utah clinic, to unmask the benefits of occupational therapy for self-care activities in children, especially those with special needs, autism, and other neurodivergent needs.
 
Self-care might seem straightforward, like brushing teeth or getting dressed, but for many children, these daily tasks can be significant hurdles. As occupational therapists, we look at the whole picture – from motor planning and sequencing to the often-overlooked world of sensory processing. Emily shared that many parents struggle with things as common as hair salon meltdowns or difficulty with nail clipping due to sensory sensitivities. Our goal isn't just to "do it for them," but to empower kids to learn these skills themselves, fostering independence and confidence through play-based therapy.
 
This specific episode covers the topics of: 
- Handwashing
- Face Sensitivity 
- Clipping Nails
- Hair Care (Washing, Brushing, Cutting)
- Preparing For Bed
- Brushing Teeth
 
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to us at outreach@abilityinnovations.com. 
 
Love,
 
Your Friends At Ability Innovations

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Kathryn's Providers:
Dr. Sara Rice Schiff: my kids’ PDA specialist neuropsychologist; based in CA, but also licensed in UT; (925) 639 2404 or srpneuropsych@gmail.com
Madison Martinez, CSW: my kids’ PDA-affirming therapist; she also offers super helpful parenting sessions; Tree of Life Children’s Center; (801) 605-3086
Dr. Lindsey Tubaugh: my kids’ PDA-affirming pediatric audiologist; Kai and Shipton have Misophonia and Auditory Processing Disorder and wear low-gain hearing aids; lowering sensory overload has been helpful to managing PDA; Little Heroes Pediatric Hearing Clinic; (801) 996-7510
The Neurobehavioral Center for Growth: my kids had positive experiences in private and teens’ group therapy here in the recent past until their provider moved locations. One of my IRL friends was able to get the PDA profile added onto her child’s Autism diagnoses when evaluated here recently. (801) 683-1062
The OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center: Exposure and Response Therapy; Kai qualified for the Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program; at the time Kai participated, the program was child-led; many of our PDA’ers also have high levels of anxiety; when addressed at the right time (ie-Kai was 15 YO), with the right providers, and in the right ways, managing anxiety can be helpful for PDA. Have courage to modify or even walk away if it isn’t a good fit; (801) 298-2000
Stacey Browning: Shipton’s PDA-aware feeding therapist at the ARFID/intensive feeding clinic at Primary Children’s Rehab; (801)-397-8721
Emily Wilcox, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC: Consider speaking with your kids’ doctor about medications; while there are no medications currently available for PDA specifically, managing anxiety and offering support for ADHD and Autism through medications, paired with therapies, has been helpful for my kids. My two youngest kids (under 18 YO) have their medications managed by Emily at Matt’s Place; (801)-614-8400
Alysha Stokes, APRN FNP-C: my kids’ favorite provider at their pediatrician’s office; I cannot say enough good about her intuition and collaborative nature; Farr West/Brigham City Pediatrics; (435)-734-2433
PDA North America PDA-affirming providers list: listed by state; we currently don’t have many options in UT, but I’m hopeful it will grow!  https://pdanorthamerica.org/pda-affirming-providers/
Social Media Support Groups:
PDA North America: https://www.facebook.com/share/19GtAx2EcZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Kristy Forbes; Adult coach who has PDA herself: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C8RW8SDGz/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Sally Cat’s; Adult coach who has PDA herself: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EsHACizug/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Neurowild; Adult coach who has PDA herself as well as one of her children: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BHve5Nsuv/?mibextid=wwXIfr
No Pressure PDA; Adult coach who has PDA herself; https://www.facebook.com/share/1BQqEW16Me/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Occuplaytional Therapist: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AdhKTZJbq/?mibextid=wwXIfr
USA based support group; has adults with PDA mixed with parents of children with PDA: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1ARA3UVAwc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Utah Autism Support group; https://www.facebook.com/share/g/15PRHbJ8Le/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Utah Autism Mamma Meetups; https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16MF5qTkkQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Toren Wolf: Teen PDA’er around Kai’s age with AuDH + PDA, ARFID, POTS; on IG or YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TorenWolf or http://www.instagram.com/@TorenWolf
Books:
NOTE: “Low demand,” “declarative language,” and accepting "equalizing behaviors” are recommended accomodations in order to support people who have PDA.
“Low Demand Parenting,” by Amanda Diekman
“Declarative Language Handbook,” by Linda K. Murphy MS, CCC-SLP
“Navigating PDA in America,” by Ruth Fidler and Diane Gould
“The Whole-Brained Child,” by Dan Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
“No-Drama Discipline,” by Dan Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
 

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