383: The Nervous System Budget, with Laura Petix
Notas del episodio
Your child's nervous system is running on a budget, and some mornings it's already overdrawn before the bus arrives. Socks with seams, overhead lights, a barking dog, wet grass on the hem of their pants. For neurodivergent kids, especially kids with sensory sensitivities or executive functioning challenges, ordinary routines can be surprisingly expensive.
In this episode, I'm joined again by pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix, author of “The Sensory Code,” to talk about nervous system regulation through the lens of what she calls the nervous system budget. Every task in a day costs something. Kids with ADHD, autism, and sensory differences often pay more for the same task, and environmental factors like poor sleep, bright lights, or a crying sibling add an extra tax on top.
Laura explains why "they did it yesterday" doesn't mean they can do it today, and why a negative balance rolls over from one day to the next. It's a big part of why so many kids struggle in January and February after months of holiday excitement and routine changes.
The hopeful part? We can make deposits into our kids' budgets and discount the tasks that cost them the most. We talk about proactive regulation, simple environmental shifts that make mornings less taxing, why sensory seekers need their needs met right after school before any other demands, how to handle siblings with opposite sensory needs, and what mixed sensory thresholds look like. Laura also shares how to become a sensory detective for your child, and why teaching kids to understand their own bodies is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
If mornings feel like a battle and after-school hours feel like a meltdown waiting to happen, this conversation will help you see what's happening underneath.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Use the Behavior Decoder Tool to find out where to start with your neurodivergent child: parentingadhdandautism.com/quiz
Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/383
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.
In this episode, I'm joined again by pediatric occupational therapist Laura Petix, author of “The Sensory Code,” to talk about nervous system regulation through the lens of what she calls the nervous system budget. Every task in a day costs something. Kids with ADHD, autism, and sensory differences often pay more for the same task, and environmental factors like poor sleep, bright lights, or a crying sibling add an extra tax on top.
Laura explains why "they did it yesterday" doesn't mean they can do it today, and why a negative balance rolls over from one day to the next. It's a big part of why so many kids struggle in January and February after months of holiday excitement and routine changes.
The hopeful part? We can make deposits into our kids' budgets and discount the tasks that cost them the most. We talk about proactive regulation, simple environmental shifts that make mornings less taxing, why sensory seekers need their needs met right after school before any other demands, how to handle siblings with opposite sensory needs, and what mixed sensory thresholds look like. Laura also shares how to become a sensory detective for your child, and why teaching kids to understand their own bodies is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
If mornings feel like a battle and after-school hours feel like a meltdown waiting to happen, this conversation will help you see what's happening underneath.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- What the nervous system budget is and why ordinary routines drain your child so fast
- How to discount expensive tasks and make deposits before school
- Why sensory seekers need their needs met right after school
- How to become a sensory detective and map your child's sensory profile
Use the Behavior Decoder Tool to find out where to start with your neurodivergent child: parentingadhdandautism.com/quiz
Show notes and more resources at parentingadhdandautism.com/383
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.
You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com. It's not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.