Positive Interactions Therapy

03/08/2026

🚨 WE NEED YOUR HELP! 🚨

Sign up below to become a Parent Partner 🤝 — lending a hand, refreshing the gym, and helping keep our space safe and welcoming for all families. As a thank you, you’re welcome to bring one child with you FREE during your volunteer time 💛

⭐ THURSDAYS NEED THE MOST HELP ⭐
especially during Play It Forward Thursday (PIFT) when the gym can get extra busy!

📲 Scan the QR code to sign up!
Don’t see a time that works? We can accommodate almost any schedule, so just let us know.

🔗 Click here for more info:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054AABAF2CA2F5C43-62282889-parent #/

03/05/2026

Be Quiet

Silence is powerful.

I do not narrate every second or fill the air with words. I “pepper” in models thoughtfully instead of talking nonstop. This can feel counterintuitive, especially when many of us were trained to increase language by increasing our own output.

But quiet creates space.

It allows a child to process their environment, the activity, and auditory information. It gives time for motor planning. It reduces pressure. Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do is slow down and say less.

Language grows in space, not in noise.
If you know or support a GLP, would you please like and share this post?!

03/04/2026

Create Trust, Build Relationships
Connection first. Always.

When I meet a child, my goal is not to push tasks. It is to build trust. That means child-led play, following their interests, using the toys and fidgets and trampoline, swings, etc. that they naturally gravitate toward, and honoring movement like crashing, swinging, jumping, or snuggling into a crash pad. Nothing happens at a table unless they choose it. There is no right way to play.

I do not rush in to fix things. I give space for problem solving and independence, their way. As Barry Prizant says, “autism is a disability of trust”. When we understand that many behaviors are rooted in anxiety, our role becomes creating safety.

Play is intrinsically motivated. It is joy. It is the journey. I want children to want to come back. When they feel regulated and in control, I can build a relationship and offer language in ways that truly connect.

02/26/2026

“Learning that our daughter is a GLP has been such an eye-opener and we are lucky to have Julie there to guide us. Not only has Julie been a great source of information on GLP, but she is also a neuro-affirming provider who thinks about all of the diverse aspects of our daughter, not just her speech, and how it all comes together to support her. Through working with Julie we have seen our daughter’s speech become more descriptive. She is able to ask for things she needs, but she’s also able to comment on things, voice things she sees, and express herself through play more. All of these things help her be more independent, be more understood, and we get to enjoy more of her personality.” - Client’s Parent

I’m so grateful for families who trust me to walk alongside them in their journey of understanding and supporting their child. Watching this incredible girl grow in confidence, independence, and self-expression has been such an honor. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your daughter’s story and for sharing these beautiful words.

02/24/2026

Another one of my favorite messages to receive from a parent:
“We’ve started looking out the window every night and saying goodnight to things in the neighborhood. I’ve been reading Goodnight Moon to him too. We love the routine.”

This is such a beautiful example of how language can grow naturally inside connection.

Saying “goodnight” to the trees, cars, houses, and sky is a playful way to model gestalts in a meaningful context. It’s repetitive, predictable, and full of shared joy. And pairing that with a beloved book like Goodnight Moon helps build interest in books while reinforcing those same comforting language patterns.

This is what it looks like when communication support fits seamlessly into real life. No flashcards. No pressure. Just connection, rhythm, and relationship.

Routines like this matter more than we realize.

02/12/2026

Valentine’s Day fun!!!!

02/10/2026

Play isn’t about checking a box or finishing a task. It’s an experience a child chooses because it feels good, interesting, and safe.

True play is:
• enjoyable
• intrinsically motivated (your child wants to do it, not because they’re told to)
• self-chosen
• focused on the process, not the product

When a child is playing, they’re exploring, experimenting, repeating, connecting, and possibly regulating their nervous system along the way.

There’s no prize at the end. No worksheet to finish. No perfect tower required.

Just curiosity, connection, and growth happening in real time.

When we protect play, we protect how children learn, communicate, and relate to the world.

02/04/2026

Happy Global Day of Play! We play each and every day at Positive Interactions Therapy and let the kids lead the way!

02/03/2026

And yes, I stand firmly by this.

Over the next few posts, we’ll be talking about:
• what play actually is (and what it isn’t)
• what real play can look like when you’re playing with your child
• why play is foundational for development, connection, and meaningful relationships
• and how true play can impact how children receive and use the language models we offer

Because when a child feels safe, regulated, and genuinely engaged, language has somewhere to land.

Stay tuned. This one matters.

01/28/2026

Free play is THURSDAY (1/29) at this location! It’s a great place to shake your wiggles out!!!!

😮‍💨 If your kids have officially run out of things to do at home and you’ve heard “I’m bored” 47 times a day… this is for you.

For Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (Jan 28–30) we’re doing a two-hour delay and letting the world thaw a little first ❄️

🕛 Open Play: NOON–6 PM each day

It’s super duper duper cold, safety comes first, and we’re choosing warm roads, warm buildings, and warm coffee over chaos ☕🧣

🎉 Play It Forward Thursday is STILL happening!
Huge thanks to
Samuelson Insurance Group for sponsoring open play and rescuing stir-crazy families 💙

Real movement. Real play. Real sanity. We’ll see you soon.

12/09/2025

At Positive Interactions Therapy, we lean into special interests and familiar play on purpose. What a child already loves often brings regulation and comfort. When bodies feel safe, language has a better chance to land.

That regulation makes a difference. Language models are more likely to be noticed, processed, and even tried when play feels predictable and joyful. And using the same toys over and over doesn’t mean we’re stuck doing the same thing. It means we get to be flexible and creative.

The same few toys can become a car ramp, a story, a conversation, or a whole new game. Letters can ride. Brown Bear can crash. Movement can take the lead — and language follows.

Familiar play isn’t limiting. It’s a powerful starting point for connection, communication, and a whole lot of fun.

12/02/2025

Whether it’s spinning, crashing, or jumping, whatever brings the giggles can also build connection. This is what therapy looks like for me.
I meet kids right where they are because the relationship is the real engine behind progress. When little bodies get the movement they crave, regulation comes easier and language finally has a place to land.
And for my fellow SLPs, here’s a gentle reminder that therapy doesn’t have to happen at a table. We work with kids, and buy-in skyrockets when the session feels fun, safe, and meaningful.