“Interoception transformed my life  both personally and professionally." - Susan Cherian-Joseph OT Reg.(Ont.)Listening to your body is often a difficult process. It's much harder for most of us and someone especially who is Autistic to express what they’re feeling on a day-to-day basis. As we dive deeper we introduce Interoception, the eighth sensory system that helps us understand the way our body tells us what it wants us to notice.In this episode, we have a special guest: Dr. Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L. She’s a gold medal recipient of the Mom’s Choice Award and has been pursuing her profession for 20 years. Her passion for serving clients and their families led her to the goal of inspiring people to think differently, dig deeper, and discover the root causes of the behaviors that everyone observes. Listen in as she discusses Interoception and how to teach us both Neurotypical and Neurodiverse how to use it, its impact on her clients and their caregivers, and its general importance towards self-care. Blessed Wisdom:We know that we all have a very different range of how aware we are of those interests and those sensations we were talking about. And for some people, they might be on these extreme ends. - Dr. Kelly MahlerIf we're really struggling to self-regulate to provide the care our body needs, it can definitely lead to mental health challenges. - Dr. Kelly MahlerInteroception is a journey for all of us. - Dr. Kelly MahlerThere is no such thing as a wrong interoceptive experience. Our work is all about helping each person discover how their body uniquely feels when they're anxious when they're hungry, or whatever it is they might be feeling. - Dr. Kelly MahlerInterception is an everyone thing. It impacts all of our lives all day long.- Dr. Kelly MahlerAbout the guest:Dr. Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L is an occupational therapist, research enthusiast, and self-termed Interoception groupie. She’s been an occupational therapist for 20 years and earned a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University, Dallas, PA.Her passion for serving her clients and their families led her to the goal of inspiring people to think differently, dig deeper, and discover the root causes of the behaviors that everyone observes. She’s the winner of multiple awards including the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association Emerging and Innovative Practice Award & a Mom’s Choice Gold Medal.Connect with Dr. Kelly Mahler:Facebook GroupInstagramWebsiteTwitterYouTubeAdditional Resources:The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Framework for Developing Mindful Self-RegulationMy Interoception Workbook: A Guide for Adolescents, Teens and Young AdultsConnect with Susan Cherian-Joseph:LinkedinWebsiteLinks to the Podcast:Apple PodcastsSpotify

It’s so key for any kind of therapy or treatment to be personalized, patient-centered and goal-driven.  - Susan JosephAutism is a beautiful spectrum. Unfortunately, there is still a huge gap between awareness and understanding, at least the kind of understanding that betters the situation and provides a supportive and nurturing community.I’m truly blessed to have this week a fine practitioner and colleague in the Occupational Therapy space but also a dear friend and fellow advocate. Moira Peña has dedicated her life to working with individuals who experience sensory processing, behavioral and emotional challenges.Listen in as Moira and I cover crucial topics that have and continue to contribute to the advancement of how we approach autism and everyone on the spectrum.Blessed Wisdom:The brain of an autistic person is not different than the brain of a person who has ADHD or OCD. There are just these different dimensions. That's very important in supporting what occupational therapists do because we use a holistic lens. The science supports what we do and how we work with families to best support the autistic person. - Moira PeñaIt’s so key for any kind of therapy or treatment to be personalized, patient-centered, and goal-driven. - Susan JosephImagine when you're not your authentic self and you're always having to pretend you're someone else, just how exhausting that is and how that really has an impact on your mental health. - Moira PeñaWe have research to show that co-occurring mental health conditions are more prevalent in the autism population than in the general population. - Moira Peña87% of people on the autism spectrum experience, anxiety, to such an extent that they meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. So it really does get in the way of occupation of function. - Moira PeñaIt's not just about autism acceptance and awareness. We have to include autistic and all neurodivergent communities into our lives. Because we're all different, but not less. We're just different. - Susan Joseph About the GuestMoira Peña, BScOT, MOT Reg. (Ont.) is an experienced occupational therapist from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. She works with children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or other developmental disorders or delays. She has dedicated her career to working with individuals who experience sensory processing, behavioral and emotional challenges. She is an Expert Hub-Team member of the ECHO Ontario Autism program which aims to build pediatricians’ capacity and ability to screen, diagnose, and manage children and youth with ASD in Ontario.Connect with GuestInstagramLinkedInTwitter

Battles and Blessings is a Canadian Occupational Therapy Podcast hosted by Susan Cherian-Joseph OT Reg. Ont., who is an OT and an Autism mom. The podcast has been launched to expand conversations between professionals and parents who work and support Autistics and the Neurodivergent community. At OT4Kidz, the mission is knowledge translation to professionals such as Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Educators, Child and Youth Workers, and Social workers as well as parents and the kiddos themselves. This is hoped to be achieved through discussions on the latest research, evidence-based frameworks, and trauma-informed practices to ensure that our kiddos are being equipped and transformed to their perceived best version of themselves with us as the professionals being their agents of change and coaches along this journey!!