PODCAST

Welcome to the Jason Spear Miller Better Health Podcast, my biweekly podcast that features child development questions asked by parents like you. Your questions get answered in short, to the point podcasts for today's busy parents.

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Avoiding Parent Burnout
Parenting is difficult but parenting a child with special needs can be even more challenging. If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you are almost certainly putting in more effort than any other mom or dad…

Top Tips For Navigating Your Special Needs Child Through The Holiday Season.
The holidays are a wonderful time for children. There are bright lights everywhere, holiday music playing, lots of parties and at least one visit with Santa. All of these sights and activities will most certainly create fond…

How To Set Physical Boundaries For Your Kids And Relatives During The Holidays.
We’re in the thick of the holidays, and with that, come many invitations to holiday parties and family gatherings. Many of you probably have young children who will be attending some of these events with you, and most of the time…

How to deal with your Child's impossible Christmas Wishlist!
It is officially the holiday season and now that Thanksgiving is over, children everywhere are starting to look forward to Christmas when they get to open presents. However, with that special day of giving comes “the list.” You know what…

After School Activities
With school starting again, after school activities are picking up again as well. After a year of isolation, many of us are EAGER TO GET our children involved in in school and after school activities again. Parents have always signed their children up for…

How to set new rules and expectations for the new school year
Our children have been on summer vacation and because of that, the rules in our home have been more relaxed. However, now that school has started, you might be wondering how, as parents, we reset our home for the fall. Due to covid…

What is Virtual Speech Therapy Supposed to Look Like?
We are still in the age of Covid and despite the release of a vaccine, we are still doing some things remotely, such as school, doctor’s appointments and for several children at my clinic, remote speech therapy. I still have several children that I see virtually…

Is It Ever Too Early To See A Specialist?
If you had a concern about your child’s development, what is the first thing you would do? Whom would you talk to? Where would you go to get advice? Often, we turn to family members and friends for advice, but do they really have the answers? Or…

Should A Parent Pursue An Autism Diagnosis?
A few weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from a mother who was filled with anxiety. Her son was diagnosed with a speech delay and she was absolutely positive that he also needed an official autism diagnosis. However…

SPD And Success In Schools
Can your child succeed in school if he or she has a sensory processing disorder? Your child barely has the attention span to complete his or her homework, much less, sit through an entire class. Does your child fidget…

How Has The Lock Down Affected Your Child’s Social Skills?
Are you worried about the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on your kid’s social skills? Don’t be. There’s a lot to be gained from time spent with family, or even time spent on their own. Before the coronavirus pandemic began, kids went to school, church…

7 Tips On How to Be the Best Grandparent to a Special Needs Child
One question that I am frequently asked by parents of children with whom I work, is how they as parents should handle the questions and advice that they are often given from members of their own family. Normally, I would write this article to help the parents…

10 Tips to Help Your Special Needs Child Through Distance Learning
Schools have been closed since March, and there seems to be little hope of in person education happening in the fall. School districts are announcing delays to the start of school. However, school will have to start at some point and in some form…

Top 10 Signs Your Child Has a Sensory Processing Disorder
Your child throws a fit every time he gets his hands dirty. Or, your child is always getting in trouble for playing too rough at school. Maybe your child won’t eat anything except toast, no matter how hungry he or she is or how many different foods you‘ve put…

How Do Your Digital Habits Affect Your Kids? It’s Unfortunately Not What You Think
You may recall one of the earlier posts on my website where I showed you what I think is the worst picture every taken of me. It’s not because of the massive bed head I was sporting. It was because I was sitting with my son next to me as he was trying to get…

Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? Here’s How To Tell!
It’s July, and that means, the beginning of school is (hopefully) around the corner. If you’re like my wife and myself, you are desperately praying that schools open this fall! If it’s time for your child to enter kindergarten for the first time…

How To Talk To Your Children About Racism
If we want to raise our children to be compassionate people who can contribute to society as responsible citizens, then we need to find ways to talk to our children about some of the thornier issues that we struggle with in this country…

Advantages and Drawbacks to Online Therapy For Special Needs Children
The Covid-19 Crisis has closed schools and rehabilitation clinics. But that hasn’t stopped the need for services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. Many schools and clinics have made the pivot to online therapy, or telehealth…

Lack of Socialization Could Impact Child Development
With school out for the summer, and social distancing the new norm, the lack of socialization for children could impact them later on. Social interaction is critical to a child’s development and the skills they learn and develop will follow them…

The Child Development Benefits of Building Forts!
So, school has been canceled and your kids are stuck at home complaining about being bored. Due to the shutdown resulting from rising covid19 cases, there aren’t many places to go, and you can’t really visit anyone. Therefore…

Is the Coronavirus Causing Special Needs Kids to Fall Through the Cracks?
Most child development experts believe “the earlier the better” when it comes to detecting developmental delays in children. However, social distancing due to COVID-19, has made early detection increasingly difficult. Social distancing…

Fine Motor Development Part 1
I want to talk to you about one of the three main areas of development that we look at here at the clinic and that fine motor development. Fine motor development is important because the ability to use the smaller muscles in the hand allows children…

Is Your Child's Messy Handwriting Effecting Their Learning?
If your child struggles with messy handwriting, then you as a parent might have more than sloppy handwriting to worry about. Kids who struggle with handwriting tend to worry more about the legibility of their words and forming letters rather than forming ideas…

Echolalia: What Is It? How to Work With It
Today, I want to talk to you about Echolalia. Many kids on the Autism spectrum, and sometimes children who are not on the spectrum, present this. While you may not have heard the name Echolalia, you have likely encountered it, especially if you have regular….

"I hate you Mom!"
Recently, I received an e-mail from a mother in which she included a picture of her son’s bedroom door. On his door, her son had posted a hand written sign saying, “I hate you mom.” She explained that her son has some developmental delays, and…

Why Doesn’t My Child’s Therapist Give Me Anything to Work on at Home?
Last week, I discussed the importance of being informed about what is happening in your child’s treatment room. I decided to address this particular question, since I have received multiple e-mails and Facebook messages, asking for advice in this area…

Don’t Know What’s Happening in Your Child’s Therapy?
I have received many responses regarding my last post about whether or not you, as the parent, should be in the therapy room with your child. Many of you emailed me asking two questions. The first question many of you asked was “how do I know what is…

Should I Stay in the Treatment Room With My Child?
When I evaluate a child for the first time, one of the first questions parents ask me is if they should attend the therapy session as well. Parents often find themselves awkwardly standing in the waiting room, uncertain if they should go with their child, wondering…

My Child's Therapist Doesn't Like Him. What to do?
I wanted to share an email with you, that I received from a parent a few days ago. In this e-mail, the parent talks about her son who is on the autism spectrum. He is verbal and communicates very well but, by her own admission, he can be quite challenging…

Sensory Friendly Vacation Bible School! Watch your transition times!
In this episode I discuss my recent completion of our churches sensory friendly vacation bible school. I offer tips to help you implement a program at your church!

Sensory Friendly Vacation Bible School? Small Groups and Flexibility are the key!
If you want to help kids who struggle with sensory issues enjoy vacation bible school, you’ll want to keep your groups small. In this episode, I explain what I did to help the kids in my group learn and have fun!

Want To Try A Sensory Friendly Vacation Bible School? I'll Help!
In this episode, I explain how we started our own sensory friendly VBS!

Are You Fighting With Your Child Over Homework?
Why do we fight with our kids while we are supposed to be helping them with homework? I work with kids all day, but struggle to be patient with my own children when it comes to helping them with their homework. Please listen for some easy to implement tips!

Worried That Your Child Is Delayed? Don't Be Afraid To Find Out The Answer
Today I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on the paralyzing fear that some parents feel when they suspect that their child might be developmentally delayed. Please listen. I have a feeling you’ll feel better about everything!

Are You Rewarding Your Child Or Bribing Them?
A parent asks me if the toys she gives her child is a reward or a bribe. Does it matter? It matters quite a bit. You shouldn’t have to pay your child to behave. But how do you know which one you are doing? It’s all in the timing!

Tantrum or Meltdown?
A mother writes to me that her son is having temper tantrums and they are getting worse. Her concern is that he has a sensory processing disorder. In this podcast, I discuss the differences between a sensory meltdown and a temper tantrum. There are things to watch for. However, they may not be that obvious!

Choosing The Right Therapist For Your Child
Choosing a therapist for your child in any discipline can be difficult. In this podcast, I discuss ways to make this choice easier and more efficient. I also discuss what to do when it’s simply not working out and why you need to make a change.

Speech Apps That Promote Language Development
One question I get asked on a daily basis is “what apps do you recommend for speech development?” I’ll answer that question and more in today’s podcast!