In this episode, I sit down with Rebecca Robbins, a pediatric speech-language pathologist who specializes in working with young children with autism, apraxia, and other conditions that impact communication. You’ll find this conversation extremely helpful if you’re a parent of a toddler and you want to know how to interact with them in a way…
Author: kldudek1980
EP 014: Am I neurotypical? I’m not sure.
When I was growing up, the idea of being diagnosed with a mental health condition or a disability had a certain negative stigma associated with it. So did the idea of going to therapy or receiving any type of specialized intervention (both which I’ve received, as a child and an adult). Unfortunately, many people still…
EP 013: Talking to your partner and your kids about money
In episode 013 of the Are They 18 Yet?™ Podcast, I sit down with my husband Joe as we share how we handled conversations on some difficult topics when we first got together. Joe was a single dad when we met (Olivia was 3), and having a child in the picture had a huge impact the…
EP 012: Body image and media: What stories are we telling our kids? (with Dr. Kate Browne)
In this episode, I sit down with writer and speaker Dr. Kate Browne to talk about the narratives being told in the media, the impact it has on our beliefs, and the way it’s effecting our kids’ health and well-being. In this interview, Dr. Browne shares both her personal experiences that led to her becoming…
EP 11.5 Burnout, boundaries, and systems
In this special pop-up episode, I take a break from the regular content to talk about burnout and boundaries; and specifically how I use systems to help me set healthy boundaries and reduce burnout. Back when I started working as an SLP in 2004, I found there was one area of my life (work-related) that…
EP 011: Your mental health: Why it’s impacting your kids (with Katherine Endy)
In episode 011 of the Are They 18 Yet? Podcast, I sit down with Katherine Endy from The Family Life Coach. Katherine is a social worker, mom of 3, and doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland. If you’re a parent, you’ve likely spent a lot of time thinking about your kids’ behavior and mental…
EP 010: Single parenting and emotional well-being after divorce (with Mary Leonard)
If you or someone you know is going through a divorce with kids involved, you’re not going to want to miss this episode of the Are they 18 yet?™ Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with my sister, Mary Leonard, and talk about how to help your kids build resiliency when coping with big…
EP 009: Time Management and Device Use Boundaries for kids with ADHD (with Mike McLeod)
I don’t know about you, but I secretly miss the days when I would use the phone to actually TALK to people. I was late to the cell phone party…and was certainly one of the last ones to get a phone that was multifunctional. Now that I’ve joined the dark side and had a phone…
EP 008: Building accountability and motivation in kids with ADHD (with Mike McLeod)
When it comes to working with kids who have ADHD, it’s easy to mistake skill-based issues with behavioral issues. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say things like: “They’re just lazy.” “He doesn’t care about doing well in school.” “I’ve tried giving rewards and punishments…nothing motivates her.” In many cases, it seems like…
EP 007: Positive Reinforcement: Does it really help motivate kids?
When I worked in the school systems, rewards and behavior charts were a common practice. Even in my training to be a therapist, “positive reinforcement” was often a go-to strategy for managing behaviors and motivating kids to do “non-preferred” tasks. The problem was that for a lot of kids it didn’t work. And what was…