WEBVTT - What the Heck is Occupational Therapy? 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:04.360 Welcome to Katie's Crib, a production of Shonda land Audio 0:00:04.480 --> 0:00:14.560 in partnership with I Heart Radio. Just a quick disclaimer, 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:19.600 this episode was recorded pre pandemic. Hi, everybody, we are 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:22.560 back with another episode on Katie's Crib, um one that 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:24.480 I know you guys are going to find very informative. 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:26.639 This This topic came about because a few of my 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:28.760 friends have kids that are slightly older than Alby, so 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:30.319 I always looked to them to like, tell me what 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:32.320 the hell is going on? And their kids are currently 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:35.800 an occupational therapy and I was like, wait, what is 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:39.839 occupational therapy? I don't know much about it. So when 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.239 a mutual friend introduced me to Marlene Handler, who I 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:45.080 have sitting across from me, I knew I had to 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:46.199 have her on the crib and I have to ask 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.120 her all my questions, so you know. Marlene is an 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:50.760 occupational therapist who currently works at a high school called 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:53.440 the Brooklyn Transition Center, where the curriculum is designed with 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:57.240 the focus on basic vocational training. She integrates mindfulness and 0:00:57.280 --> 0:01:00.360 wellness strategies into her personal practice to help her students 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:05.560 navigate everyday stressors and function better at school. Hi, Marlene, Hi, Katie, 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.400 Thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:11.160 you so much for having my gosh, my pleasure. Like, 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:15.560 what is occupational therapy? Can you tell me? Goodness, tell 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:18.840 me seriously the million dollar question? Does everybody ask you that? 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:22.720 You know? It's funny because all through OT school, everybody 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.720 is like, what is OT? What is it? We're studying 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:30.399 this and what is It's so so broad, it's so broad, 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:34.080 it's like all encompassing. I think the simplest way to 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:38.280 explain it is that it's helping people engage in the 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:43.920 activities that they find meaningful throughout their day in a 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:47.400 more functional way, in a more independent way. So I mean, 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:49.960 and this can range from adult children to adults, Like 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:53.960 it's through the entire lifespan like zero to a million, 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:57.240 because it involves a lot of caretaking and it involves 0:01:57.280 --> 0:01:59.400 a lot of likea I mean, it's like helping people 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.240 like holistically thinking about everything that you engage in your 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.160 life and what you want to do and what's meaningful 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.240 to you and really tailoring a plan to like help 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.520 you be more functional and more independent and those activities. 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:17.600 So it could really be everything like gardening, being a mom, 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:22.200 being more organized with your job, learning vocational training, even 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:25.360 just learning how to socialize better with people or your peers, 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:27.560 or I mean I work in a school, so it's 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:31.960 like play and and like academic success and socialization. So 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.040 it's truly a case It sounds like it's truly a 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:38.040 case by case plan for someone how to get them 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.160 um moving in the way that they want to be. Yes. 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.200 So when you walk into a classroom, you have to 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:47.480 gather a lot of information about what does the student need, 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.040 what does the teacher think they need, What are their 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:52.440 parents think they need, what are they kind of are 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:55.359 they at the same level as their peers, all of 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.560 these things you're looking at. Some kids I see in 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:00.560 the classroom. Some kids I see like in the cafeteria 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.560 if it's like during like feeding or manipulating a spoon. 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.720 It just really I like, go to them wherever they 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:08.920 need me. Wow. But a lot of them come to 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.160 the O T room. And I'm very, very fortunate to 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.120 work with an amazing team of ot s in my 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.079 school and have our own space because a lot of 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.200 you know, New York City public schools like OTS, don't 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:22.600 have any space. They're treating in the hallway. They like 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.519 they get like a hundred dollars a year for like supplies. 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:30.840 This is not my school. My school is outstanding. O 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:35.800 T s are so like underrepresented. The name implies, like 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:41.360 most people think the name. We need a rebranding of occupations. 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:46.240 Occupational therapists need to go to like a branding manager 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.760 and get their ship together. I've been saying this is absurd. 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:53.080 It sounds sounds like we like help people with job applications. 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.520 What is that? I know? Trust me? Why I know 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.360 we need to rebrand the O T profession. This is 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.760 why I think we don't get a lot of I 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.680 don't know, love or you know, you know, public knowledge. 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.080 Are people constantly in your life like, wait, what do 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:10.040 you do for a living? Like? Are your parents like 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:12.920 what I think? You know? It's funny my mom is 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:17.760 still like, UM, I know you're not a teacher, but 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:19.720 we just like tell that to our friends because they 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:21.920 don't really understand. Like so many people in my life, 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.039 they're like, I know you're not a teacher, but I'm 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:28.039 still not quite sure what you do. What would be 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.600 um examples of like what you're doing in the day. 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:34.320 I know each one is very varied. Okay, let's just 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:36.080 pick one the first one that comes to your mind. 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:38.359 A lot of the kids in my school, many of 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:41.040 them are non verbal or have very limited verbal skills. 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:46.040 So you imagine being sixteen years old having raging hormones. 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.560 You're you have special needs, so you can't like express 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.560 your function in the world like most people, and then 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.599 you also can't express yourself. So I do a ton 0:04:56.800 --> 0:05:01.320 of like movement based activities, yoga, exercise, we have tons 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:06.320 of dance parties, just really fun, engaging, full body movements. 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:08.279 And then we do a lot of grounding work, which 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:15.479 is like devating meditation, guided meditations, body scans, um, closing 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.920 our eyes in a dark room and just feeling like 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:22.679 taking breaths. I mean really just that that is really 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:25.200 beneficial for the kids that I work with, because they 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:30.400 already have a lot of difficulty with expressing themselves and 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:33.359 they get frustrated really easily. They act out in ways 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:35.840 that are really aggressive. That's the other thing is like 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:38.840 teachers like, oh, I can't deal with this kid. They're 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:42.360 hitting my other students or they're throwing things. And then 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.039 you walk into a classroom and you do like a 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.280 dance party and you have them do some yoga and 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:49.600 like the rest of the rest of the day, the 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.680 kids like chilled out, And that's like what I mean, 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:55.640 that's obviously the you know, the most successful thing that 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:59.480 you can wish for. Um, it doesn't always happen that way, 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:02.080 but you know, in terms of success stories, I see 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.719 tons of kids all the time that have really really big, 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:09.440 explosive behaviors, and then I start doing like weekly meditations 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:13.359 with them, and things get a lot smoother. They calm down. 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:16.240 They come immediately into the O T room and they 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:18.960 pick up the headphones to gesture that they want to 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:23.800 do a meditation. A meditation is on headphones for some students. Yeah, 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:27.760 that like need less distractions rather than doing it like 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.719 on a speaker in order to cope with everyday stressors 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:34.120 like mindfulness and yoga and movement is really helpful for 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:35.800 all of us. I mean, it's something that I do 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:39.359 every day too. Um So I practice what I preached, 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.960 but it's definitely a practice it with their own kids. 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.680 I absolutely, Oh my gosh, tell me more I need 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:49.160 to be doing this. How old are your kids? Well, 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.240 my daughter, um I won't say her name on air, 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:55.600 but she just turned four in November and she's got 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:59.680 big feelings and big emotions, and we send her to 0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:03.279 med Aitaian camp and yoga. Like my daughter like retains 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.080 so much. Like she'll be frustrated and she'll be like, 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:09.360 I need to smell the flowers and blow out the candles. 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:11.760 I need to go sit in my tap. Imagine what 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.440 it's like for being a kid in days this day 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.480 and age, like when screens and everything's in your face 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:21.000 and we are at such a high frequency and culturally, 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:23.440 I mean we are just plus they're living in New York, 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:29.120 but like to just really take time. I mean, it's 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.600 just very different from my childhood. I just remember like 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.960 hours of boredom and like I just feel like which 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:39.240 is so important because that's where imagination comes out of 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:41.760 and that's where when you're a kid you start to 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:44.360 create games for yourself. But like that is just not 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:50.320 not something anymore. It's it's a shame because it's you know, 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:53.320 there's I know how sensory overloaded I get, and I 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.400 have all of these tools at your disposal. I have 0:07:56.480 --> 0:08:00.120 like frontal cortex function, and I like know what you 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.280 know what's going on. I mean, children have no idea, 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.880 and kids with special needs extremely don't know, like they 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:20.160 really did have a hard time. How early can occupational 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:21.920 therapy because I think my friends in l A who 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:25.080 have occupational therapists, I think some of them have started 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:28.320 pretty young. Yeah, so it starts like in New York 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:32.200 State specifically, you can get early intervention services from birth 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:35.120 and if you need an evaluation or your pediatrician says, 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:38.760 you know, your kid is not hitting major mark. Remember 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:42.400 happening my friend had like a maybe it was a 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:46.880 thirteen month old girl, and you know, she only had 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:50.960 a sound or something and they weren't saying anything yet. 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.920 But then you know, the doctor was just sort of like, Okay, 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:56.280 if we come back at eighteen months or two years 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:58.880 and she hasn't progressed to like two words or something 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:01.400 like that, I don't. I'm like being so don't take 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:03.640 that personally, you know, I mean, don't be measuring your 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:06.920 child's word account. Talk to your pedetrition. But um, it 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.160 was like that was the first sign. And then they 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.520 had him evaluated and then evaluated again, and then probably 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:19.160 around three they told her he's autistic. And that's but 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:22.520 it was great because they put him in occupational therapy, 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.600 speech therapy, all these kinds of things, which is really 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:29.640 helpful at that age because that's obviously there's the most 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.840 coming together happening in your brain, and that's when you 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:38.720 have really really make big changes and big strides. What 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:42.400 what would be signs like milestones of Toddler's correct like 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:47.240 like not hitting developmental milestones, not engaging, it's a lot 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:50.440 of contact, Like if you point to something across the 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:52.440 room as your kid engaging with you, are they able 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:56.240 to look their peers, are you know, animals in the 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:58.960 eyes like things like that. I mean, I don't know, 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:03.559 I'm not a doctor that be diagnosing autism, but those markers, 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.679 you know, are they able to you know, have parallel 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.960 play or cooperative play with their peers like these kinds 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:13.000 of things. But I have to say I was pretty 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:17.080 shocked and alarmed at the cost for private For instance, 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:21.000 insurance would cover certain hours for her. But like when 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:23.880 she wanted to put him in preschool, they said what 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:26.040 was best for him and his diagnosis was for him 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:29.760 to be in a preschool, like not a preschool for 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.240 special special needs, but that they wanted him to have 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:37.360 a shadow like someone that goes then because he's someone 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.720 that really copies, like he's a copier. So they were like, 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:43.359 the more he is around kids in a regular preschool, 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.400 he's going to learn that stuff really quick because he 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.000 was very good at that. And but she had to 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.560 pay out a pocket. Yeah, a lot of people just 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:54.080 don't have access to good care, which is really shame. 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.120 And I mean a lot of the kids in the 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:58.440 school that I work as well, they're from you know, 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:03.040 lower socio economic backgrounds, and they didn't have a lot 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:05.320 of the supports early on and these because I feel 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:07.800 like early on it's very much out of until you 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:09.600 can get in this system. I mean in New York 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:14.280 State because of EI services, you can get free state 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:19.600 funded support, the you know, proficiency or the there's a 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:22.000 range of people doing it. So is it are you 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:26.480 getting getting quality? Who knows? That's really it's various depending 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:29.120 on where you live and who's available. But there are 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:33.199 services and then there the services continue from basically pre 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:37.560 K through twenty one within the school system if they 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:42.840 are evaluated within the school system for needing special accommodations. 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:48.480 So there are free services. Again, good quality is very 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.400 Do you find that people talk about in your profession 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:55.880 that there are more autistic kids now or is that 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:57.880 not true. Is this like, is this like a very 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:00.440 triggering question? I'm not sure I've heard it a before, 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.439 is why I'm asking it. Like, So, I looked just 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:05.120 today at the statistics these guys. Did I tell you 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.280 Marlene Handler came in here with just she's such a professional, 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:10.840 and I just can't believe how many no cards you 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.960 have written night Adoria. Um, so tell me what are 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:17.440 the statistics on this? So today when I looked, it's 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:21.120 one in thirty seven boys and one in a hundred 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.719 and fifty one girls. So there, like the stats are 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.880 changing so quickly because a few years ago it was 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.920 like one in fifty nine boys, and now it's one 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:35.240 in thirty seven. I think it's because obviously it's many factors. 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:41.800 They're honing the diagnostic criteria, they're finding it earlier, right, So, 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:44.560 like there are probably many people walking around with some 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:50.480 variation or some you know, level of autism or Aspergers 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.120 or something, and they're functioning in the world fine, but 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.720 they're you know, they're getting better at finding it and 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.000 diagnosing it early. And it's I think it's like as 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.959 early as like I want to say, like ten months. 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.360 I'm thirty seven, and I don't remember even hearing this word. 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:08.680 I know that when I grew up in New York, 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:12.680 there were definitely kids in my high school with Down syndrome. Yes, 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.560 for sure, that was and it was something in our lives. 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.439 It was on our TV shows. There were characters on 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:21.079 our TV shows. You know, that was something I knew. 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:25.000 I never knew autism and I never knew askers for sure. 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:28.480 And I just feel like it's a real thing now, 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:30.920 especially when you're when you're a new mom and you 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:35.680 hear other moms standing on you know, soap boxes talking 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:40.760 about you know, whether it's backs well kids because you're 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:42.640 going to give them autism and slow down that I 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:45.240 didn't know. You know, you hear all these things, whether 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:49.640 everything is up just for some reason in culturally, like 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.080 in the zeitgeist, you hear this kind of stuff. But 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.679 obviously we're hearing it because the numbers are staggeringly high. 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.760 It's crazy, like that's that's not a little bit that 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:03.440 I know of the diagnosis and everything. It's like, it's 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:07.880 definitely genetic factors. If you have a kid with autism already, 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:10.800 you're you're more likely to have another kid with autism 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:15.400 or some level of it. Um you know age there's 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.360 women like women and men. This is another big thing 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:21.960 in like big urban areas is that we're having children 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.880 much later in life. The mean age before it was 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:29.880 like twenty two and now it's like or something. You know, 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:32.760 Like I always worried. I mean I'm forty. I have 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:34.440 a one year old and a four year old. Like 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.360 I was definitely right there with you know, I hope 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:40.800 everything is okay. And I work around kids that have 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:42.840 a lot of special needs and I see it all day, 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.360 so it's like it's always in my face and I'm like, 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:47.960 oh my god, the likelihood is so high. What what 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:51.440 are some like are there are some success stories you've 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.400 seen with OT for some of your students, like where 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.680 you've seen O TEA makes such a huge difference. I 0:14:56.760 --> 0:15:00.760 mean every day I see some sort of success, you know, 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:04.760 in terms of like a kid making a social gesture 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:09.240 to another kid. I mean that's so big and huge. Yeah. Um. 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:11.520 One of the things that my coworkers and I do 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:15.280 we run like a weekly cooking group and it's so fun. 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:18.520 I mean we're teaching these kids really really important and 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:21.360 necessary skills for themselves to like be able to make 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:24.240 themselves a meal, but there's so much that goes into it, 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:27.000 you know, learning to do like a task that has 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:31.840 more than one to two steps, that's really hard. Um 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:35.400 socializing with their friends, to like set a table, to 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:39.840 gather ingredients, to clean up, Like these are all really 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:42.480 you know, to us, it's like, oh, that's like set 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:46.040 a table, like that's so simple and whatever. But real life, 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.480 so you're doing real life skills, you know, like kids 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:50.840 that like learn to put on their jacket by themselves 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:52.800 that have never been able to do that before. That's 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:55.640 that are fifteen years old. You know. It's like or 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:58.640 you know, I had a kid once that his I'm 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.720 not sure why. At his otique goal for many many 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:03.320 years was like to be able to write his name. 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.960 And I was like, this is just ridiculous. This kid 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.800 is like six years of the same goal. Like obviously, 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:11.840 like we have to think of a different strategy here, 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.040 you know. And we just started playing around with like 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:21.000 different modalities like shaving cream and you know, putty and 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:23.160 all these different things, and he just started like making 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.360 shapes of the letters of his name and now he 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:29.640 writes his name. It's like just teaching them a different 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:32.240 It's like every day. You have to really be creative 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:34.320 and think about like how am I going to reach 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:38.880 this kid today? Bless you that you're really use outside 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.920 of the box thinking. Um, I was going to ask 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.240 you what happens to your kids at school that are 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:47.560 twenty one and they're done with the program? Like where 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.960 do they go? So there are Again New York City 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:55.280 is a very unique place. There are tons of agencies 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:59.600 and support services for kids once they we say age out, 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:04.119 like in quotes, Um, there's like respite services that can 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:06.080 be taken to the movies, it can be taken to 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:11.440 summer camp, they can work in day have programs, um. 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:17.959 But it's a huge, huge process like years of you know, 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:23.240 evaluations and psycho socials and doctor visits and all this stuff, 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:26.720 and like a lot of people just don't want to 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.600 go through all that bullshit basically to get the services. 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.359 But like then they end up sitting at home for 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:35.399 the rest of their lives or they go into like 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:42.159 nursing you know, assisted living facility because they become too dependent. 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:46.359 They can't do anything, can't do anything the day jobs 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.639 or night jobs or whatever it is. And so yeah, 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:53.359 it's really really sad. Actually it is. Mind blowing to 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.960 think about having a special needs kid who will be 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:03.640 your responsibility probably till pass your passing. Well, then I'm 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.399 when I go to these meetings. Yeah, it's terrifying when 0:18:06.440 --> 0:18:09.000 I go to the meetings with the parents. But we have, 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:13.919 you know, these meetings called individualized education plans, and we 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:15.639 meet with the family and we meet with the team 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.680 and kind of discuss what the kid is doing well 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:19.879 and what they need more support with a lot of 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.399 these parents are like, what am I going to do? 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.600 Like my kids, my kid is only sixteen, I only 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:28.840 have five years? What am I going to do? And 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:32.399 they're just terrified, like what if something happens to me? 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.720 You know, And it's like, I mean, I've i cannot 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.520 tell you the amount of times I've walked away from 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:41.840 these meetings in tears, Like I'm like the mountains that 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:46.000 these people are climbing every single day is profound, and 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.040 I you know, I feel like so incredibly grateful to 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:52.840 have two healthy children and be able to communicate with 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:56.880 them and they can express them. Yeah, yeah, I mean, 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.119 simple things, but these chants also, you know, they have 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:02.639 so much stress on their plates. So they have health 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:05.040 problems and they have financial problems, and they have all 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:07.520 these things, and it's like, if I can just help 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.920 in like the smallest way, I feel like I'm doing 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:18.160 something good, you know, each day. I mean, especially when 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:20.800 I hear these staggering numbers, I'm like, how do you 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.800 not take that home with you? I think somebody who's good, 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:26.120 Like when you get in your subway or car, you're 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:30.399 like transition. I do take a little bit home with me. 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:34.600 But I also like I have like my own, like 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:37.640 a million of my own strategies that I use every 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:41.359 single day, Like I meditate regularly every single people. We 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.600 need to get it together. I need to let you win. 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:46.600 What time do you do that? I wake up at 0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:49.199 five thirty every day, I get out of here, I 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.119 set my alarm. My kids get up at seven, so 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:53.840 I wake up and meditate, I work out. Arlen go 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:56.800 way from me. This is why you look the way 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.280 you do, And I mean, this is the way car, 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.240 this is the way that I stay safe. And then 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.359 I work in a way that's healthy. For what if 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:07.680 you don't get sleep though I often don't get sleep, 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:11.639 So you rather wake up at five thirty meditated workout 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:13.439 because you feel like that will be more beneficial to 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:17.280 your day and how you handle these versus the alarm. 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:19.880 See convinced that side of my brain because I don't 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:32.560 ever make that choice? Can we? We're gonna make like 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:37.480 a very sharp left turn. Listeners, Um, Marlene, you are, 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:41.359 but you are leaving a little bit of this job, 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:44.040 like you are going to go into a different sort 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:50.800 of helping world. Marlene will be helping pelvic floors from 0:20:50.840 --> 0:20:55.200 here on out. Finger. I know we talked about the 0:20:55.240 --> 0:20:57.959 pelvic floor finger banging episode with Stephanie prender Grass from 0:20:57.960 --> 0:20:59.800 My Believe Season one of Katie's Crib, but it was 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:02.000 in the thing why are you switching from this to 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:05.240 the other? Like what what is inspiring this? I mean, 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.159 you're a mom, so do I really have to go 0:21:08.240 --> 0:21:10.880 into a full You sort of told me a little 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:14.720 bit your own pelvic floor stuff fascination and experience with 0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:18.080 birthing to childre started having really a lot of peblvic 0:21:18.119 --> 0:21:22.879 floor dace function, you know, really embarrassing things like continence, 0:21:22.880 --> 0:21:25.280 all these things, and it's like really embarrassing and limiting 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:28.239 to like the activities that I love physically fit and 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:31.840 you're so active for you to have to worry about 0:21:31.880 --> 0:21:33.960 whether or not you were going to pee is insane 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:38.080 and my job is like I don't get too special 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:42.160 needs children on nyoga balls. Yes, so I just started. 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:45.040 I was really embarrassed. At first, I didn't talk about it, 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:48.320 and then once I started talking about it, every single 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:50.960 person I know was like, oh my god, me too. 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:53.399 And then I was like, oh my god, this is 0:21:53.440 --> 0:21:57.760 not normal. We're young, like healthy women. What is going on? 0:21:57.920 --> 0:21:59.639 This is not normal. We're not being offered the help 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:01.840 where to be. And then yeah, I just started talking 0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:03.960 to a ton of people. I started learning about it. 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:08.359 I read a bunch of research, and the statistics on 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:12.240 the pelvic floor dysfunction are just insane. I mean, like, 0:22:12.520 --> 0:22:15.880 I don't know, fifty percent of women like after after 0:22:15.960 --> 0:22:18.160 one child. You know, it's just crazy. Yeah. And then 0:22:18.200 --> 0:22:20.359 and then it's something really shameful. So a lot of 0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:22.520 people aren't even reporting it. Of course, so it's probably 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:26.359 more like eight p UM. So yeah, So I just 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:28.000 started talking to people about it, and I was like, 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:29.840 let me take a course and just learn a little 0:22:29.880 --> 0:22:32.920