Child Development Episodes

My guest today is Carrie Holt. Carrie is one of those people who, when you talk to her, you feel like you've known her your whole life AND it feels like you're there in the room with her. She has such a great perspective on having a child with a diagnosis and special needs, and she also hosts a podcast called Take Heart Special Mom. I'll be sharing a bit about what I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving week, and then we will jump into Carrie's story. In this episode, we talk about… [1:24] What I a...

Meet the author, Priscilla Morgan. She gives us exactly what we need to know to start a gratitude journal with kids, without making it a chore. She teaches us how to find the emotional connection with gratitude to make it meaningful, as well as the power of what gratitude can do now and in the future. Gratitude Journal for Kids by Priscilla Morgan is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In this episode, we talk about… [1:00] Priscilla's background [2:45] Helping children navigate the journe...

For today's 12 minute talk, I'm interviewing Ashley McGaughy. Ashley is a pediatric occupational therapist from Chicago, and she primarily works as an independent contractor with kids in intervention programs, ages zero to three. She works on everything from play to daily life skills, and she gets to see kids both in their homes and in private community settings. She has a lot of expertise to offer, and I'm so excited to share it with you. In this episode, we talk about… [1:09] How Ashley got i...

The Dad's Perspective: A Son with a Rare Genetic Disease So there is this rock star in the podcast world, and her name is Effie Parks. She hosts a podcast called Once Upon a Gene, inspired by her son who has a rare genetic disease. Effie really focuses on the idea that disability is diversity, and that is an idea I try to put into practice professionally as well as personally. Today, we are going to hear from Effie's husband. If you haven't yet, check out Effie's story. Then head back here to l...

For today's 12 minute talk, I'm talking about the COVID-19 vaccine and how to discuss it with kids. I'm going to give you some ideas, with the caveat that you don't have to use the exact words I use. You know your child best. This is also not meant to be an episode that tells you to get your child vaccinated. That is not my area of expertise. You can discuss that with your child's doctor and your family. If you are deciding to get the vaccine, I think it's important to have a conversation with y...

For today's 12 minute talk, I'm interviewing Dr. Brittany Ferri. She is an occupational therapist, and she has a passion for talking with kids about disabilities. Brittany talks about her program, Social Fly, a social and motor skills curriculum that educates kids ages 5-12 about disabilities. This program is great for parents, teachers, child life specialists, and anyone else who is interested in learning how to talk to children about these topics. In this episode, we talk about… [1:10] Branchi...

I connected with one of today's guests, Brady, through our shared alma mater, Penn State University. He has dealt with cancer not once, but twice, and he agreed to come on the podcast with his mother, Lisa. I'm so honored to have both of them on the show to share their experiences, and to continue to spread awareness about this terrible disease during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In this episode, we talk about… [2:35] Lisa's and Brady's family [3:30] Brady's cancer diagnosis [9:05] Feeling ...

I'm so excited to have my friend Starlyn on the show today! She and her husband have struggled with infertility for years, and she is here to share the miraculous story about having one embryo and ending up with four babies. Today we will hear all about what it's like to be pregnant with quadruplets, to be separated from them (and her older daughter) in antepartum, and to be unable to visit them in the NICU due to a natural disaster (the Texas snowstorm in March 2021, plus the COVID-19 pandemic)...

It's another day in September, which means we are going to be recognizing National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder in which blood cells may become sickle shaped and harden, causing a lot of pain. On this episode, I am bringing back Lisa's Story: A Daughter with Sickle Cell Disease. I want to bring to light sicklecelldisease.org's theme for 2021, which is Sickle Cell Matters. This impactful disease can permeate every part of a person's life, from de...

When it comes to talking about cancer with kids, there is no one that compares to Holly Senn (Certified Child Life Specialist at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital). We're going to share some tips for parents, teachers, and anyone else who works with children, so that you can approach this serious topic in a really open, kind, and educational way. In this episode, we talk about… [1:16] Holly's experience in the Child Life field [3:19] Working with hematology-oncology families [4:30] Engaging ...

My guest this week is Taraneh, sharing her story about having a son with cleft palate. In this episode, we talk about… [2:24] Taraneh's background and her family [3:54] Taraneh's pregnancy and birth experience with her son [5:23] Cleft palate and Pierre Robin Sequence diagnoses [12:35] Flexibility with feeding a baby with a cleft palate [15:40] Leaving the hospital and transferring care to a clinic [20:44] Taraneh's son's surgery [29:28] Surprising or unexpected moments from going through this e...

This episode is sponsored by SmileMakers. Use code ONCALL20 for 20% off your order of smile making stickers, toys, patient supplies, and more! This episode is also sponsored by Magic Mind, the World's First Productivity Drink Go here and enter code childlifeoncall20 for 20% off your order This is a quick 12-minute talk addressing how to prepare children for back-to-school. My son is going into first grade, and during last school year I was able to apply a lot of my Child Life skills to him. I wa...

This episode is sponsored by SmileMakers. Use code ONCALL20 for 20% off your order of smile making stickers, toys, patient supplies, and more! Meet Bonnie, her husband and her three adult children. Bonnie calls herself "the replacement kid" after her parents lost their son to Type 1 Diabetes. Because of their history, Bonnie was hyper aware of the signs and symptoms and ended up diagnosing her own son at 5 years old with a urine test strip on the bathroom floor of their own home. Have you heard...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Cortney Given, Life Coach and Host of the Mindset for Medical Moms Podcast. Cortney could have never guessed that the high school paper she wrote HLHS would be given to her second daughter. Having just moved to Hawaii to start a family adventure, Cortney and her daughter had to relocate back to California for medical care. In this episode, we talk about: +How living apart from her oldest daughter and husband to seek medical care was challenging a...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Jessica Patay, Founder and Executive Director of We Are Brave Together. Her own story as a mom of a child with special needs began in 2003 when her second son, Ryan, was born and diagnosed with a rare, genetic disorder, called Prader-Willi syndrome. Within two days of receiving this diagnosis, she received a phone call from a mentor mom from the Prader-Willi California Foundation. Immediately she felt relief and comfort knowing she was NOT ALONE....

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Lauren Holley, CCLS and Professor answers the question and discusses the topic: Should Young Kids Go To Funerals? We talk about: +How to assess whether or not your child is ready to attend the funeral +Concrete language to prepare a young child for a funeral +Ways to support your child during and after the funeral Have you heard? The Child Life On Call mobile app for parents, kids and their care team will be available in 2022. Sign up to stay inf...

Episode 69 | Liza's Story - A daugther with Lyme Disease "I don't think I would have ever done the work on myself had it not been for my daughter's struggle." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist talks with Liza Blas from Very Happy Stories. We talk about: +How Liza found her purpose and began her own healing journey +Liza believes her daughter's highly sensitive characteristics played into her chronic health issues +Resources to help other parents going through experiences like theirs Resou...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist is interviewed and asked about ways to support children of chronically ill or medically complex children. Questions that Katie discusses include: +How to have hard conversations with children +How to keep siblings included and understood +When is the best time to have a baby after having a child with medical needs Madeline is the host of The Rare Life podcast and this episode is also featured on her show. Have you heard? The Child Life On Call mobile app fo...

"I think this may be a parent's worst nightmare." Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Holly, mom to three children living in Northern California. Holly's son, Austin, was typical until just after his 1st birthday, then started regressing in gross motor including balance and weak tone and eventually spasticity, which is their biggest concern to this day. Holly has a sense of humor and outlook that will make you instantly feel connected to her and her family. She talks about the cr...

Mijha and her husband live in Atlanta with their three daughters—ages 9, 5, and 8 months at the time of this conversation with Child Life On Call. Her middle daughter, Violet, was born with challenges that became evident only months after birth, leading the family on a journey through genetic testing, therapies, advocacy, and acceptance. Violet's Early Story Violet spent two nights in the NICU after birth due to jaundice. Though prenatal testing showed no abnormalities, and doctors initially s...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Dafne, The Chronic Illness Coach. Dafne is mom to three college-age kids and she and her husband live in Houston, Texas. In this episode, we talk about how her children all suffer from chronic illness: Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes, Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis and Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis. She describes how: *Finding a medical team who includes you as the parent is important *Searching for a tribe of people who understand is worth the effort *...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist welcomes back Shani (a.k.a. Child Life Mommy) to the podcast. Shani is a Certified Child Life Specialist who has a private practice in Northern California and you can learn more about her community-based program in a previous episode here. But, today Shani puts on her "mom hat" and talks about the journey of having a child with learning differences like #anxiety, #adhd, #dyslexia and #dysgraphia. She describes how: *She has had to learn to advocate to get h...

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist interviews Teresa, a mom of a teenage daughter with Spina Bifida. With no signs of abnormalities during her pregnancy, Teresa was shocked to learn that a fatty lump on her daughter's skin at the base of her spine would lead to a diagnosis of spina bifida occult with a tethered spinal cord. Teresa walks us through the shock of the diagnosis and the power that a one-on-one discussion with an empathetic doctor had on their ability to cope. Motivated by thei...

(This episode was developed in partnership with Aflac. I was compensated for this episode, but all opinions are entirely my own. #ad) In this episode, Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist talks about the importance of a community for caregivers. She interviews Nichole who shares what her son's experience with cancer has been like. Sara Stewart, Child Life Specialist at Lurie Children's Hospital discusses how she supports children and families during their cancer journey. Nichole refers ...