Dr. Nicole Crawford, PhD

10/11/2023

From Richard Cohen’s “Zen and the Art of Early Childhood" & Bonnie Harris, Connective Parenting 💕 💕

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08/31/2022

03/22/2022

Great opportunity to start or build your mindfulness practice.

01/02/2022

31 days of Self-Compassion from ✨ Love this as a way to start out the new year 🎆

Starting off 2022 with a little daily self-compassion 💗

Having goals, and dreaming big is amazing, and self-compassion is the support to get you through when that road gets bumpy.

Self-compassion says, “It’s okay, I’ll try again tomorrow” when it feels like your millionth failure.

Self-compassion says, “I’m not there yet, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never be” when it feels like you’re falling behind.

And self-compassion says, “I’m not perfect. I’m human. I will try my best in however that looks from day to day, and know that I am already enough” when the world feels heavy and nothing seems to be going right.

I hope this year, as the road of 2022 unravels before you, I hope it is filled with so many joys! But when doubt, worry, and judgement creep in, I hope you give yourself (and others) compassion and space to be human.

✨ Cheers to a kinder year ✨

10/04/2021

We process information through our senses. Most people understand that we have 5 senses (sight, smell, sound, taste and feel) but there are actually eight. We don’t usually think of balance (vestibular), body awareness (proprioception) and internal awareness (interoception). Understanding all of these senses is very important as a child could be overwhelmed by these or needing more of these sensations to maintain their balanced level of arousal

Balance/motion (vestibular): If a child has difficulty with vestibular input, they won't want to go on swings, or rides that move fast. They may even avoid elevators and escalators. Then there are the kids that are always upside-down on the monkey bars, doing rolls on the lounge or they seem to spin without getting dizzy.

Body awareness (proprioception): This can be a little hard to explain but essentially it is knowing where you are in space. So, if you close your eyes, stretch out your hands and try to touch your two index fingers, you are using your proprioception system. The receptors to do this are in your muscles and joints. Kids that need less proprioception input are often seen as lazy and lethargic. They may have poor pencil grip and just seem clumsy. Deep pressure massage may be helpful. It is a matter of finding a movement exercise that they child finds calming.

Kids who seek this input are often seen as hyperactive. They constantly moving, are rough, love jumping and swinging. They may chew their clothes and they may like to be under a lot of blankets in bed. These kids often feel calmer after heavy impact work that involves pushing, pulling or lifting. Most movement activities and stretching will be beneficial. Weighted blankets and compression vests can also be calming.

Internal Awareness (interoception): This is the ability to recognise signals in the body like hunger, thirst, itching, the need to go to the toilet and even emotions. If you think about this, how are you behaving if you are hungry or need to go to the toilet? Chances are you are emotionally a bit volatile. But some kids aren't recognising their needs before it is too late. In the same way they may miss the subtle changes that their body

More information on my blog:

https://www.thetherapistparent.com/post/understanding-sensory-processing-as-a-key-to-behaviour

Link in bio

09/09/2021

It is International FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) Awareness Day. Just thought I would post some fascinating info about distinguishing FASD from other challenges. My little man was finally officially identified this summer. Now moving forward with getting him the support he needs from the understanding that his brain is permanantly impacted. I have also been asked to join a group who will be talking to representatives from congress on Monday morning. I will be talking about my little as well as the importance of legislation for education, early identification, and services.

Here is the link for the below visual as well as additional information about FASD
https://www.jumpstartpsychology.com/EBBdownloadspodcastsvideos2021.html?fbclid=IwAR3oOMCp_Ppjbo4X6_XawvkO7Z6NwQB0L7KS8ygCJKVe_5Fn_tuw02Ue3is

05/10/2021

04/03/2021

Today is ‪ ‬. At the age of 12 I was diagnosed with Asperger, a form of autism. At that time I had no idea what it meant. When I and my parents told people I was autistic, they always reacted with shock since I didn’t fit into the stereotype of autistic people.
Today, so many (especially girls) remain undiagnosed. The reasons for that are often lack of awareness, prejudices and the fact that many still see autism as a “disease” or something that has to hold you back. That more people are diagnosed with autism etc isn’t because there is an “inflation” in diagnoses but since awareness is increasing and many highly sensitive people experience stress related problems in modern society which gives them reason to suspect they’re on the spectrum.

Almost everywhere there are very limited resources to give autistic people the necessary support. Without these adjustments autism can turn into a disability. But under the right circumstances it can truly be a gift and turn into something you - and society - can benefit from. Sadly, today the level of awareness is so low. So many go undiagnosed and will therefore not receive the help they need and may go their whole life believing something is wrong with them.
So let’s all join in spreading awareness. It could literally save lives. Autism is not a disease. It’s not something you ”have”. It’s definitely not ”caused” by anything like vaccine or diet. It simply means that you are a bit different from everyone else.
And in a world where everyone strives to act, think and look the same - being different is truly something to be proud of.
Thats why I’m very proud to be autistic.