Early Roots

03/02/2025

02/27/2025

02/07/2025

We have a new episode, all about selective mutism. This is an anxiety disorder characterized by a lack of speech only in specific environments (typically school). It is a fairly rare disorder (1% of children) but something I see in my office at a much higher percentage. Like a lot of other childhood anxiety disorders and symptoms it is common for children with selective mutism to have a highly underdeveloped and over-reactive stress response. Changing this can be hugely helpful for children in this situation.

01/26/2025

This reflex may seem like a little thing, but it gives us insight into how a child's brain has developed. During infancy and childhood our stress-response goes through several intense periods of maturation. This process provides the foundation on which lots of other neurological skills develop. When it is disrupted we see all sorts of problems with the way the brain functions. When an older child still has this reflex we know that their process was disrupted.

01/25/2025

I will be back in Oklahoma soon! I will be at Back to Earth giving a presentation and meeting with families. This is a great opportunity for teachers and parents to learn about brain development and how to support children with developmental delays both in and out of the classroom.

01/23/2025

We have a new episode out! This one is all about hair pulling (a common symptoms I see in my practice). It falls under the anxiety umbrella and is common in children with developmental delays, particularly ones with a lot of anxiety related symptoms.

https://www.earlyrootstherapy.com/podcast