{"podcast":{"title":"Beautifully Complex","slug":"beautifully-complex-222562","podcast_index_feed_id":222562,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6137613/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://beautifullycomplex.life","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/8ed490f52facc5e5a12002262914cd68.jpg","author":"Penny Williams","episode_count":380,"summary":"Parenting a neurodivergent kid is one of the hardest things you will ever do. If you are exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why nothing seems to work, this is the place for you. I am Penny Williams, parenting coach, author, and mom who's in the trenches alongside you. Each week on Beautifully Complex, I bring you honest conversations and real strategies for raising kids with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and learning differences. Our kids aren't broken, just wired differently. My work is grounded in the SIGNAL Framework™, a nervous-system-first approach I developed around one core truth: regulation is required before any skill or strategy can take hold. Every episode delivers insights you can actually use to reduce your stress, rebuild your confidence, and create a family life that feels good for everyone in it. I've helped thousands of families worldwide, and this community is here for you too. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support .","last_synced_at":"2026-09-17T10:23:54.309934+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/beautifully-complex-222562"},"episode":{"title":"356: Teaching Kids to Communicate their Sensory Needs, with Sarah Collins, MSOT, OTR/L","slug":"356-teaching-kids-to-communicate-their-sensory-needs-with-sarah-collins-msot-otr-l","published_at":"2026-04-30T00:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/beautifully-complex-222562/356-teaching-kids-to-communicate-their-sensory-needs-with-sarah-collins-msot-otr-l","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/beautifully-complex-222562","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/356-teaching-kids-to-communicate-their-sensory-needs-with-sarah-collins-msot-otr-l--71574382","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/p1887/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71574382/356_teaching_kids_to_communicate_their_sensory_needs.mp3","summary":"There’s a moment most of us recognize when our child’s behavior feels confusing, intense, or completely out of left field. But what if that behavior is actually communication we haven’t yet learned how to interpret? In this episode, I sit down with occupational therapist Sarah Collins to talk about something that can truly shift how we parent: helping our kids understand and communicate their sensory needs. When kids don’t have the words, or even the awareness for what’s happening in their bodies, it often shows up as “challenging behavior.” And when we can decode that, everything starts to change. We talk about what sensory processing really is (in a way that actually makes sense), including those lesser-known internal senses like interoception, which helps kids recognize hunger, anxiety, or overwhelm. We also explore how movement supports awareness, why some kids need to move to focus, and how behavior is often a child’s first attempt at self-advocacy. Sarah shares practical ways to build this awareness, from using everyday observations to introducing simple language frameworks. We also talk about when to talk and when to say nothing at all. This conversation is about helping our kids feel seen in their bodies so they can begin to understand themselves and eventually advocate for what they need. This episode will open your eyes in the best way. Listen now and start seeing your child’s needs through a new lens. Visit our sponsor, Best Part, at https://BestpartKids.com . You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time. Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/356 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex-…","meta_description":"There’s a moment most of us recognize when our child’s behavior feels confusing, intense, or completely out of left field. But what if that behavior is ac…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2200,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/beautifully-complex-222562/episodes/356-teaching-kids-to-communicate-their-sensory-needs-with-sarah-collins-msot-otr-l/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/beautifully-complex-222562/356-teaching-kids-to-communicate-their-sensory-needs-with-sarah-collins-msot-otr-l.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}