The Legacy House Counseling Center

The Legacy House Counseling Center Your story matters to us and it is an honor for you to share your story with us.

Our goal is to create a sense of safety, compassion and acceptance in order to promote healing and growth.

04/15/2026

What is happening when kids skip words, can’t cross the midline, and experience…

Double vision…

If a child experiences some of these issues, they may have an oculomotor dysfunction. What happens is a child may have underdeveloped eye muscles creating problems with reading and tracking.

If a child lacks strength in the eye muscles, you may find the following:

🤓Trouble with visual attention
🤓Poor efficiency and productivity
🤓Struggles with directionality (writes their letters backward)
🤓Needs a pencil or marker to avoid losing their place while they read

If your child struggles with oculomotor development, they may show signs of losing their place while reading, skipping sentences or words, and pauses in the middle of sentences to adjust their eyes so they can keep reading.

To learn about 6 eye movements needed for strong visual development to support reading and writing skills, leave a comment below and we’ll send you the link.

04/15/2026

SECOND CHANCE SUNDAY

If your child seems both easily distracted and constantly on the go, it can feel confusing trying to understand what’s really happening for them.

Some children don’t fit neatly into one pattern. They may struggle to focus, forget things, and lose track of tasks, while also finding it hard to sit still, wait, or slow their impulses.

Many of these behaviours can be part of normal development, especially in younger children who are still learning how to manage attention, energy, and self-control.

But when these patterns are persistent, intense, and impact daily life over time, it may be worth exploring whether combined ADHD could be part of their profile.

This isn’t about a child being “too much” or “not trying.” It’s about understanding how their brain works, so we can support both their attention and their need for movement.

With the right support, children can feel more understood, more capable, and more confident in how they move through the world.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save.
If you’d like the girl version, comment GIRL below. Facebook only.

04/15/2026

🐄🦁 We're still smiling from last week’s KPL!

Our Farmyard & Zoo Adventures were packed with fun, laughter, and hands-on learning. 🐷📚🐘

🌦️ Up next: Weather Wonders & Rainbows (Kaleidoscope Play and Learn)! Join us tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center for more playful learning and discovery!

📍 Don’t miss it—we can’t wait to see you!

04/15/2026

The process of thinking through a multi-step task (like a bigger homework assignment) and mentally ordering the steps to completion can be the breakdown area for some kids. (Get out the backpack. Find the right folder. Gather the papers, books, pencil. Find the page number. Organize thoughts. Filter out distractions. Create mental responses. Organize and problem solve. Recall what was mentioned in class. Put answers to paper.)

That ability to identify high priority tasks and rate them compared to low priority tasks can be quite difficult.

Prioritization is the process of figuring out what parts of a task or activity are the most important and what is the first thing that needs to be done and what is the most important part of the project that needs to be completed. Prioritization is the ability to identify tasks in an order that makes sense!

Prioritization is an executive functioning skill that requires several other executive functions.

🧠Initiation
🧠Planning
🧠Sustained Attention
🧠Working Memory
🧠Task Completion

Read more & find tips to support this area of EF:
https://www.theottoolbox.com/tips-to-improve-prioritization/

04/15/2026

Underdeveloped “hidden” senses are contributing to…

Sensory Processing issues within a child’s environment.

If you have a child who experiences sensory defensiveness or sensory seeking behavior, their brain may be over or under stimulated with information around them.

There are also other senses that contribute to an immature sensory system when children struggle to do the following:

😔Filter out background noise
😔Fall out of their chair
😔Blurt out unexpectedly or interupt conversations
😔Tap, whistle or make other noises to stay regulated

Kids may be bothered by a number of other sensory issues or need more sensory stimuli to stay calm and keep their bodies regulated.

To learn more about the three “hidden” senses that could also contribute to sensory setbacks, leave a comment here and we’ll send you the link.

04/02/2026

Research indicates that children with sensory processing difficulties often experience anxiety disorders. A study by Cervin (2023) found that youth with OCD and ADs reported more sensory challenges than their peers without psychiatric disorders. This suggests that sensory issues can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, leading to a heightened physiological response and emotional reactions. --->> https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2024/07/01/sensory-processing-and-anxiety-2/?ref=14

04/02/2026

Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a pattern of behavior in which kids go to extremes to ignore or avoid anything they perceive as a demand. It is seen most often in people diagnosed with autism.

Because of that, parents sometimes call it “PDA autism.” Identifying PDA can be a helpful way to understand some kinds of difficult behavior, but it is not a subtype of autism or a separatediagnosis.

People with PDA tend to have an adverse reaction to being told how to behave or what to do, even when it’s something that’s an ordinary part of their daily life — and even when it would benefit them. It’s called pathological when the avoidance is extreme and interferes with functioning at home or at school.

Some autism advocates feel that calling a child’s avoidance of demands on them “pathological” could violate their autonomy. But, Dr. Martin notes, a big focus in working with kids with PDA behaviors is on building what are called “adaptive skills” — skills that will improve their quality of life and ability to live independently.

“We’ve known for decades that individuals with autism have a big discrepancy between their IQ and adaptive skills,” explains Dr. Martin. “These kids aren’t performing ordinary daily tasks, even though they have shown that they know how to do them. This leads to being dependent on parents and other caretakers despite their capacity to do things themselves.” Often parents perform tasks for kids on the spectrum long after other kids are doing things independently, she adds, thinking they’ll grow out of their dependence. But they may not, if they have been successful avoiding demands for a long time.

Establishing clear consequences when kids don’t comply with demands is important. But, she notes that changing what leads up to the avoidance — harnessing motivation for the child to comply and encouraging flexibility — is more effective as a tool to increase compliance in kids who fit the PDA profile. “We also may need to taper our expectations for what ‘compliance’ will look like because a neurodiverse child with autism may do things differently, so we cannot confuse those differences as being non-compliant.” (Child Mind Institute ❤️)

Image .com.au ❤️

04/02/2026

When you hear that behaviour in schools is “getting worse,” it can feel worrying… and sometimes even a little blaming.

But when teachers themselves are asked what they’re seeing, a different picture emerges.

Many are noticing children who are more overwhelmed, more dysregulated, and carrying more than they can manage — not children who are simply choosing to misbehave.

This doesn’t mean schools are failing. It doesn’t mean parents are failing either.

It means children are struggling… and the adults around them are trying to hold more, with fewer resources and increasing pressure.

This visual shares what teachers across the UK are really saying right now — and why behaviour needs understanding, not just correction.

If this resonates, save it to come back to, or share with someone who needs a different lens on behaviour.

04/02/2026

SECOND CHANCE SUNDAY

Most parents quietly carry this question…
“Why does my child behave so differently with me?”

They hold it together all day. They cope at school. They manage with others.
And then they come home… and everything unravels.

The shouting. The defiance. The tears. The pushing back.

It can feel personal. It can feel exhausting.
It can even make you question yourself as a parent.

But what if this isn’t a sign of failure…
What if it’s actually a sign of safety?

Children often save their biggest feelings for the adult they trust most.
Not because you’re getting it wrong — but because your child knows, deep down, you will stay.

This post explains why this happens — and what your child is really asking for in those moments.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save.

04/02/2026

ADHD in women does not typically align with the hyperactive childhood stereotypes. Instead, it often presents through internalised symptoms that are easily masked or misattributed to anxiety, mood disorders, or simply “being overwhelmed.”

Common neurological features include:
*Difficulty managing everyday tasks despite being highly competent professionally — a mismatch caused by variable dopamine release affecting motivation and task initiation.
*A constant feeling of mental “noise” — reflecting a brain with reduced activity in the default mode and executive control networks.
*Strong emotional responses or sensitivity to criticism — linked to impaired regulation in the limbic system.
*Reliance on last-minute pressure — because the ADHD brain often uses urgency as a chemical trigger to stimulate dopamine production.
*Coping strategies that begin to fail during hormonal shifts — as estrogen, a key modulator of dopamine, declines in perimenopause and menopause.

These are not character flaws. They are measurable neurological traits supported by neuroimaging and cognitive research.

The Role of Hormones and Dopamine

Estrogen enhances dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex — the area of the brain responsible for planning, organisation, working memory, and impulse control. As estrogen declines in perimenopause, dopamine levels drop, amplifying ADHD symptoms that were previously manageable or hidden.

Increased Cognitive Load

Around midlife, many women experience a peak in responsibilities: career advancement, teenage or adult children leaving home, caregiving for aging parents, and societal expectations of emotional labour. This exposes underlying deficits in executive function—revealing patterns that have been present for decades but masked by structure, adrenaline, or external support.
Research now shows that up to 75% of women with ADHD are not diagnosed until adulthood, and often not until their 40s or 50s. ( Health Group ❤️)

Image English Wellbeing ❤️

03/21/2026

When a child pushes back, refuses, or argues, it can feel personal… frustrating… even exhausting. But what if that “defiance” isn’t about disrespect at all? What if it’s a signal that something underneath needs our attention? When we look beyond the behaviour, we often find overwhelm, unmet needs, or a child who simply doesn’t yet have the words for what they’re feeling. This shift doesn’t make parenting easier overnight, but it does make it more connected, more compassionate, and far more effective.

This is exactly what I explore inside my Misunderstood Defiance: The Vulnerable Child Toolkit — helping you decode behaviour, respond with confidence, and support your child without escalating the struggle. Because when we understand the “why,” everything changes.
Link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

03/21/2026

If your child’s emotions are overwhelming or dysregulated, practice these exercises to build their self-control.

Address

725 E 24th Plaza
Panama City, FL
32405

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

850-331-0134

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Legacy House Counseling Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to The Legacy House Counseling Center:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram