Sensory Friendly Solutions

In this very special bonus episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with the towering Dr. Temple Grandin.Dr. Temple Grandin is well known to many for her trailblazing work as a spokesperson for people with autism and her lifelong work in the field of animal behaviour. Dr. Grandin has been with Colorado State University (CSU) for over 25 years and has led an incredibly productive and diverse professional life.Her life’s work has been to understand her own autistic mind, and to share that knowledge with the world, helping autistics and people who identify as neurodiverse.  Her understanding of the human mind has played a critical role in her work with animal behaviour, and she is one of the most respected experts in both autism and animal behaviour in the world. EPISODE GUIDE:3:48 Dr. Grandin shares her childhood experience living with autism4:38 Dr. Grandin shares her top research priorities 5:24 Educating other researchers8:17 What are the types of thinking? 10:32 Importance of routine during COVID-1918:53 Thoughts on standardized education24:11 What does high but reasonable expectations look like? INNOVATION:The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team. Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website. Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger. This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network. 

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with Dr. Peggy Bown and Laura Caswell. EPISODE GUIDE4:49 Dr. Bown's Introduction7:26 Peggy's COVID-19 Experience11:10 Laura Caswell's Introduction15:12 Laura reflects on the early days of COVID-1920:14 Peggy introduces Sensory Friendly service provision25:58 Dr. Bown tells us about the "Patient Experience"27:33 Laura's Sensory Friendly journey with Neptune Theatre32:12 Laura's strategy for reducing the noise of the current moment33:39 Peggy's strategy for reducing the noise of the current moment 37:00 Season 1 Recap with Christel Seeberger SEASON 1 RECAPTune in to the final segment of this episode to hear Christel & Matt review the most impactful themes of Season 1.Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with podcast host, marketing professional and mother of a wonderful boy who experiences autism, Trish Hamilton.EPISODE GUIDE:3:17 Trish's radical transitions in 20207:03 Trish's experience in broadcasting8:39 Trish's thoughts on Podcasting10:00 Trish did not take her family for granted 11:02 Trish's experience teaching her son about COVID-1912:37 On Working From Home (WFH)17:13 Pursuing a diagnosis for their son20:10 Trish's family got help21:47 Why don't more families pursue diagnosis?24:24 What it means to have support27:01 The importance of listening to your gut29:08 Does Trish have strategies to reduce the noise of the current era?31:57 Christel's reflections37:24 Innovation segment INNOVATION:Rhylee's Room & The Braedon FoundationThanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with Dr. Winnie Dunn.Dr. Winnie Dunn is a world renowned expert on the ways that sensory experiences affect our everyday lives. She has studied babies to older adults to identify patterns of reactions to sensations, and has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and books. Her book Living Sensationally understanding your senses is written for the public and contains over 100 entertaining stories to illustrate how people's sensory reactions affect their relationships and daily life. She has received numerous research and teaching awards as well, and has been invited to speak throughout the world. Her work has been featured in Time magazine, on Canadian Public Radio, in the London Times Newspaper and in Cosmopolitan magazine.Dr. Dunn is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she serves as a mentor for faculty and students.  She was previously a Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center for over 36 years.EPISODE GUIDE:3:25 Dr. Dunn allows us to read her Amazon bio 5:17 What it was like in America on election day6:16 Dr. Dunn talks about Stacey Abrams9:03 Positive psycology10:15 Winnie's reflections on COVID-1916:53 Winnie reflects on trends in Google search related to sensory overload18:58 How we can understand ourselves22:42 Dr. Dunn traces her career arc32:51 The power of coaching35:31 Winnie's writing: Living Sensationally41:56 Winnie's epic realization about the sensory world49:29 Winnie's strategy for reducing the noise of the current era 54:36 Christel's Reflections1:03:53 Innovation Segment INNOVATION:Living SensationallyVivek Murthy's Book "Together"Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with Stella Waterhouse."As a second generation educator and autism awareness expert  I share my personal and professional experience and understanding of the autism spectrum and the many challenges that people with autism and their families face in their daily lives.My goal is to develop resources that will offer practical advice, insight and solutions to parents and teachers so that the child's life is enriched and supported and family life is enhanced."EPISODE GUIDE:4:21 Stella's first experience in the world of autism6:53 Stella describes "the 3 children:13:11 How parents respond to Stella's work14:56 Stella's take on how we're experiencing COVID-19 collectively20:33 Koloko Travel is born26:24 Oasis Cafe28:59 UK re-enters lock-down and her strategies for thriving in the current moment34:14 Christel's reflections35:16 Innovation Segment INNOVATION:Autism DecodedKoloko TravelThe Oasis Cafe Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with the great Karine Gagner, President of FDMT.Karine Gagner is the President of FDMT, a company specializing in high-quality educational materials and sensory tools.  She founded FDMT in 2002 and has grown it ever since.  It's goal: to offer a wide range of solutions for all children with or without learning difficulties in order to lead them towards academic success.  Her passion and motivation also come from the greatest project of her life: being the mother of a 17 year-old girl with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).  Every day, she works not only for her daughter, but also for all the children and parents who live in different situations and who need a little help.EPISODE GUIDE:2:23 Karine's Introduction3:26 Find out why Karine dug in even further 6:40 FDMT's COVID-19 Response8:56 Karine asks herself, " What is the essence of the business?"11:18 How we all deal with anxiety13:32 Our modern overload16:32 The origin story of FDMT 19:04 When Karine recognizes the impact of her business21:58 The power of awareness22:57 Why MANIMO has been such a success25:27 Karine's journey with her daughter30:54 Christel's reflections 33:57 Christel's reflections on a really special young man36:49 FDMT as leaders in the Sensory Friendly space43:06 Innovation Segment Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with the great Carol Stock Kranowitz, best-selling author of "The Out-of-Sync Child."As a music, movement and drama teacher for 25 years (1976-2001), Carol observed many out-of-sync preschoolers. To help them become more competent in their work and play, she began to study sensory processing and sensory integration (“SI”) theory. She learned to help identify her young students’ needs and to steer them into early intervention. In writings and workshops, she explains to parents, educators, and other early childhood professionals how sensory issues play out – and provides fun and functional techniques for addressing them at home and school. She is best-known for her book, The Out-of-Sync Child, which has sold about 1 million copies.EPISODE GUIDE2:11 Carol's early experience as a teacher5:00 Carol on Pattern Recognition in neuro-diverse youth11:04 The stress of our current time12:16 Why Carol thinks we are the guinea-pigs 14:29 Carol's career arc and how she found writing21:34 Carol's revealing statistic about sensory issues25:03 How Sensory Processing Disorder manifests itself in the working world.28:52 How Carol's book helped parents deal with blame and shame 39:34 Carol's In-Sync Child Program and Webinars41:06 Where you can get the books43:32 Carol's strategy for dealing with the noise of the current era 46:21 How Christel discovered Carol's work in 1994 49:17 Christel reflects on The Out-of-Sync child 51:57 How we can learn to become detectives 54:00 The importance of play 56:38 The Innovation Segment Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with the great Dr. Bill Wong, TEDx Speaker, Occupational Therapist and OTA/OT Program Adjunct Faculty Member.Dr. Wong wants to help all people living with autism "Fight On." Interested in watching Bill's TEDx talk and learning more?  Click here.How does TED describe Dr. Wong?"Born in Hong Kong but raised in the United States, Bill Wong, OTD, OTR/L didn't speak until he was nearly three. Although he demonstrated restricted and repetitive behavior, his pediatrician refused to diagnose him with autism because of his high IQ. It wasn't until after obtaining an undergraduate degree in statistics and finding limited job prospects that Bill was finally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and discovered his passion in occupational therapy.Since 2010, Bill has completed a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy and received his clinical doctorate. Now an established clinician with a specialty in autism, he is also a well-known presence on social media - an avenue he uses to share his successes and challenges as an individual with autism. Moving forward, Bill plans to use his passion to engage students in Chinese speaking countries with education in their native language, while continuing to establish himself as a leader in OT and autism communities."EPISODE GUIDE6:46 Bill on why this year has been so strange in California7:42 How Bill had to pivot during COVID11:01 Bill on Zoom Fatigue14:04 Bill on his incredible professional journey17:58 When Bill found Occupational Therapy22:27 Alarm bells go off22:40 Bill's amazing epiphany 23:55 Bill's autism diagnosis25:09 How his parents reacted28:20 Bill on finding his mentor30:27 His commitment to others in his situation34:32 Bill gets nominated for a TEDx Talk38:51 Listener response to the TEDx Talk40:10 Bill on camouflaging46:08 Christel's reflections 56:35 Innovation segment Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with Renee Warren, the Founder of We Wild Women and the Host of the Into the Wild Podcast.Renee wants to help women around the world start their dream business with the incredibly ambitious goal of support 1 Million women in her lifetime.  "I have one gigantic mission: To help a million female entrepreneurs launch and grow a wildly successful company!"If you're engaging with Renee's work, she says, "you're in the right place!""You are here because you either want to: Take that first step to uncovering your passion,Get a little wild and finally start your damn business!You don’t have to do it alone, that’s where this community and me come in. I’m here for you every step of the way. From dirty back-of-the-napkin idea to launch right through to scaling your marvellous business."EPISODE GUIDE:2:00 Renee's entrepreneurial journey4:07 What will COVID change?7:40 Renee on creating boundaries8:23 Professional overwhelm10:11 How Renee adapted to working from home 11:05 Renee's ideal customer 17:53 Renee's morning routine 20:45 How to deal with what Renee calls 'Down Cycles'28:21 Renee calls 'BS'31:59 Our deepest fears32:37 Renee's son Max and his experience with hyper-sensitivity 37:17 Renee's strategy for reducing the noise of the current era 39:42 Renee's reflection 41:37 Christel's personal examples44:46 Christel on boundaries47:46 Christel's reflection on being curiousThanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next Rising Youth grant recipient.

In this episode of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast our Host Matt George is chatting with Maureen Bennie, the Founder of the Autism Awareness Centre.Maureen Bennie created the Autism Awareness Centre in 2003 to address what she saw as a gap in support, information, resources and advocacy for those struggling with autism spectrum disorders. For Maureen, education and knowledge brings positive change to the lives of those affected by autism and autism spectrum disorders.Maureen is the mother of two young adults with autism – Marc and Julia.  For 8 years, she managed an at-home Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program which involved working with speech pathologists, child development specialists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists.Maureen has written over 200 articles and book reviews that have appeared in magazines, newsletters, and on websites throughout North America and the UK. She is also an active presenter throughout Canada on autism topics.Maureen’s weekly blog post topics range from her personal experience as a parent of two children on the autism spectrum to detailed coverage of top news stories, events, and resources concerning autism spectrum disorders (ASD).EPISODE GUIDE2:19 Maureen talks about the effects of COVID-19 on the Autism Awareness Centre5:19 Maureen introduces her two adult children with autism and their experience with the pandemic 7:47 Maureen introduces the disruption of routine we've all experienced and it's effects on our wellbeing 12:13 How Maureen breaks down routine and consistency with her children14:59 How important the discussion around PPE and Sensory Overload is to the current time 16:41 Creating consistency in the home22:01 Maureen's unique solution that allowed her children to better experience the world25:35 Interoception: The Eighth Sense 36:21 Where you can find Maureen's work42:26 Maureen's strategy to reduce the noise of the current world47:07 Christel Seeberger addresses our listeners49:15 Acknowledgement of violence within families in this moment54:29 Christel's reflections on Interoception58:31 Innovation Segment Thanks for listening - Christel Seeberger and the Sensory Friendly Solutions Team.Full blog posts and transcripts for each episode can be found on our website.Podcast leadership is provided by Sensory Friendly Solutions Founder & CEO Christel Seeberger.This podcast is produced by Matt George. is engineered by the great Zachary Pelletier and is part of the Unsettled Media Podcast Network.Thank you to our sponsor TakingITGlobal, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged. Head to risingyouth.ca to learn more and to become the next RisingYouth grant recipient.The podcast is also supported by New Brunswick Community College as part of the Community Resource Awareness During and After COVID-19 applied research project, funded by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. Learn more about NBCC's efforts to transform lives and communities.