The Early Roots Podcast

Today's episode is all about how the stress response develops. I see the phrase (and even use it sometimes) "stuck in fight-or-flight" often! It is a description I see a lot for kids who have a lot of big intense reactions to the world and seem consistently stressed or on edge. 

In this episode we look at how the stress response develops and what it looks like as we age. If children have an immature stress response, they do ove...

Today is a special episode. I have my very first guest. I am speaking with Andrea Jones. 

Andrea is a Registered Nurse with 20 years of clinical experience. She spent the first 15 years of her career working in inpatient pediatrics,  PICU & NICU before leaving conventional medicine in 2018 to create her Functional Medicine practice. She is an author, speaker, neurofeedback practitioner and mother to 2 brilliant girls.&...

Today's episode is all about the different ways anxiety can present in children. Anxiety is such a huge broad topic and can look vastly different from child to child. Its also the most common reason parents bring their children in to see me. In today's episode we look at lots of different ways that anxiety can show up. We touch on common ones like nervousness and avoidance, but also less common symptoms like stool withholding and a...

Today's episode is all about parenting styles. Specifically the four original styles developed by Dr. Baumrind: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful. 

Most of the different types of parenting styles we hear about in pop psychology today can be traced back to the original research on these four. We look at parenting across two domains: warmth and structure and discuss the long-term results for children that gr...

Today's episode is all about Trichotillomania which is a mental health disorder characterized by recurrent hair pulling. I see a LOT of kids with this symptom. Not necessarily ones who have received an official trichotillomania diagnosis, but certainly many who have pervasive hair pulling.

This disorder falls under the anxiety umbrella and is often associated with a retained Moro reflex and an highly immature and over-sensi...

Today's episode is all about the Fear Paralysis Reflex and the theories behind it. We dive into many of the intricate ways that the body responds to stress and threat. Our stress response should mature through some very distinct stages as we age and continues to adapt to our experiences throughout our lifetime.

Problems can arise with both the development and function of these complex systems. This episode focuses on the "f...

Today's episode is all about delayed cord clamping. That is the practice of waiting to cut a baby's cord for several minutes after birth. This enables the blood that is circulating through their placenta to pump back to their body. This one simple practice goes a long way in setting up their future brain health.

Listen to an this amazing Ted Talk on the topic.

Visit my website to learn more about supporting children...

Today's episode is a mini crash course on primitive reflexes. It covers what they are, why they are important, and how they connect to developmental delays like ADHD and Autism.

My personal belief is that an early developmental screening should be a standard part of every developmental diagnosis. Take a listen to find out why!

Relevant links:

Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP)

INPP USA L...

Last month I was invited to speak on a documentary about c-sections in the U.S. The film makers specifically asked me to speak on the long-term neurological impacts on baby. In 2019 a huge meta analysis was publish and found an increased risk of ADHD and Autism for babies born by cesarean. This episode explores that study and dives into the content I prepared for that documentary.

It explores several different mechanisms by...

Todays episode is all about attachment and its profound impact on human development. We are looking at how early relationships shape our understanding of the world and future relationships. We are covering some of the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth specifically their contributions to attachment theory. This theory posits that secure bonds formed with caregivers in infancy lay the groundwork for emotional resilience and soci...

Today episode is all about hyperactivity. This is a common complaint from the parents that walk through my doors. The term hyperactivity encompasses a variety of different symptoms and behaviors. This episode dives into some of those things and takes a look at the most common underlying physical and neurological systems that impact hyperactivity. 

If you have a child that you are concerned about you can learn more on my website...

Today's episode is all about adoption. I work with a lot of adopted kids and they each come with their own considerations. Many social, emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties have their roots in early neurological development; the development that happens from conception through infancy. Neglect, trauma, and other adverse childhood experiences shape the way the brain develops and functions.

Today episode explores t...

Today's episode is all about dyslexia! This episode covers a 2001 study that evaluated the physical development of children with dyslexia and found a significant problem with their physical maturity. This study indicates that dyslexia is less of a problem with the brain and more of a problem with the connection between the brain and the body.

This may seem insignificant, but it has reaching implications for treatment protoc...

Today's episode takes a look at some of the most common retained primitive reflexes that I see. I discuss the Moro, ATNR, STNR, Spinal Galant and Palmer reflexes. Specifically what they are, what purpose they serve in infancy and how their improper development and inhibition impacts children as they age.

If you have a child who struggles with emotional, social, behavioral or learning difficulties, then this episode is a mus...

Today’s episode is all about ADHD. Specifically the question of whether or not ADHD is being over diagnosed. This episode covers a brief history of the diagnosis, the different theories around the increase in ADHD diagnoses over the last few decades and a critique of our current system for helping children and adults with ADHD. 

 In this episode I reference a lot of different resources if anyone wants to get more in ...

Today’s episode is all about genetics. When I talk about the connection between primitive reflexes, poor brain development and diagnoses like ADHD and Autism I often get the response: But I thought it was genetic? 

The quick answer is yes, there is a genetic connection between ADHD and Autism, but saying this can be very misleading. This episode explores the link between genetics and these diagnoses. We will look at what ...