The Early Roots Podcast
Follow Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist Emily Roper as she discusses common problems she encounters working with children with developmental delays. She takes a deep dive into things like primitive reflexes, anxiety, ADHD, Autism, brain development, pregnancy, birth and more. This podcast provides information to parents and providers alike to bring understanding and help to children with developmental delays.
Episodes
32 episodes
#032 Selective Mutism
Today's episode is all about the DSM diagnosis Selective Mutism. This is a condition I have seen many times in the kids in the office. We will cover what it is, what it looks like and some of the underlying physical and neurological systems at ...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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16:08
#031 Trichotillomania Hair Pulling
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 c...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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13:51
#030 Fear Paralysis Reflex
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 ag...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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18:16
#029 Delayed Cord Clamping: 5 Minutes for Your Baby's Brain
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 sim...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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17:50
#028 The 101 of Primitive Reflexes
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 screenin...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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13:44
#027 Cesareans and Their Link to ADHD and ASD
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 o...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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20:22
#026 Attachment
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 Ma...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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27:04
#025 Hyperactivity
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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15:08
#024 Adoption and Early Trauma
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 deve...
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Season 124
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22:50
#023 My Journey Through NDD Therapy
Today's episode is all about my journey through NDD therapy as a teen. I'm not sure if I have mentioned it in previous episodes but before I became a therapist I went through this process myself. It is one of the things that solidified my desir...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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14:33
#022 Dyslexia: More than a Brain Problem
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 o...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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12:34
#021 Common Primitive Reflexes Explained
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 impr...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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26:56
#020 ADHD: An Epidemic of Overdiagnosis?
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 de...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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26:27
#019 But I thought it was genetic?
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 i...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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14:24
#018 The History and Research on Primitive Reflexes
Today’s episode is all about the history and current research on primitive reflexes. I also cover the three main organizations that offer training on primitive reflex integration and discuss specific research findings. My goal for this episode ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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37:22
#017 FAQ: Can You Help My Child?
Today’s episode is going to cover one of my most frequently asked question which is: Can you help my child? This episode is going to go over the history of neuro-developmental delay more recently called neuro-motor immaturity and the research o...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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27:21
#016 Early Development Special Series: Immediate Postpartum Period
Today’s episode is the final part of our mini series on early development. This episode looks at the immediate postpartum period, the few hours after birth, and how this time period impacts our long-term neurological development. We are talking...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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30:51
#015 Early Development Special Series: Labor and Birth
This is the second episode in our special series on early brain development. Today we are looking at labor and birth and how this process affects our brain long-term. Many people understand the importance of pregnancy on brain development but o...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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55:16
#014 Early Development Special Series: Conception and Pregnancy
This is the first episode in a special series on early development. This series is looking at the neurological development that is happening during pregnancy, birth and the early infancy period and how things that happen during these stages can...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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41:23
#013 Brain Development Crash Course
This episode is a crash course in brain development. We dive into how the brain develops and how early experiences change the trajectory of brain function. This is important to know if you are working with children with developmental delays lik...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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16:50
#012 Sensory Processing Problems
Today's episode is all about sensory processing problems! We are diving into the normal 5 senses: light, sound, touch, taste and smell. We are also looking at other lesser known senses such as the vestibular, propriocetive and interoceptive sys...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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20:39
#011 Treating Retained Primitive Reflexes
This episode is all about treating primitive reflexes. I am very excited that awareness about primitive reflexes has exploded over the last few years. More and more parents and professionals are becoming aware of how they impact development and...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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13:10
#010 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the Anxiety Umbrella
This episode is all about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the umbrella of anxiety related disorders. I work with a lot of kids who have OCD type symptoms. This episode talks about the underlying neurological systems at play and why thes...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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9:47
#009 Preventing Developmental Delays
This episode is all about preventing retained reflexes and developmental dealys. It builds on a previous episode about complications and risk factors and gives practical steps parents can take to prevent developmental delays in their future chi...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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13:49
#008 Tough Dads and Sensitive Kids
This episode is all about the relationship between tough dads and sensitive kids. I work with a lot of highly sensitive and emotionally immature children. Parenting these kids can be particularly difficult for dads with more traditional, mascul...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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13:18