Holidays are stressful for everyone. The rush of holidays at the end of the year can be especially rough. Changes in routines, new people, new places, new foods. All of it can be overwhelming for our children, as well as us! In this episode, I'll share why being prepared and proactively setting things in place for success is crucial AND possible. I'll walk you through the steps to making the season calmer by helping you be confident in facing whatever changes or challenges are coming your way.

Grab a PDF guide to remind you of the WHY and the HOW of proactive solutions!

How the “Just Right” support creates growth and eliminates struggles.

When a child fails to follow directions, makes mistakes or struggles physically with a task it is easy for us to slip into control mode. So much easier to just do it for them, especially as we are rushing out the door or trying to get dinner on the table at the end of the day. But children learn by doing and they need support to learn in a way that is developmentally appropriate.

In this episode, we’ll explore the power of scaffolding and how providing the right amount of support at the right time will pay off in the long run, in ways that controlling or doing things for them never will. When you learn the art of scaffolding, you learn how to build your child’s skills, confidence and independence. You'll find that your stress level goes down as you let go of control and feel confident in teaching skills. You’ll see how small adjustments in the support you give will turn daily battles into opportunities for learning, connection and lasting change.

We’ve all been there. You thought you'd planned for everything, used your tools and had it under control. But now your child’s having a meltdown at a family gathering, bedtime turns into a battle, or you miss an appointment because your child refuses to get in the car. In the moment, it feels like chaos. Later you blame yourself, worry about the mistakes or feel like you've lost control. But what if those hard moments could actually become your best teachers?

In this episode, I introduce the "Reflect & Repair Review," a simple 3-step process for turning frustration into insight. You’ll learn how to look back at tough situations with curiosity (not guilt), uncover what really happened beneath the surface, and build a plan to handle it differently next time. Focus on a little "R & R" that really helps you find the calm next time!

Because growth doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from reflection, repair, and the courage to reset. Let's do this!

If leaving the park turns into a meltdown, bedtime drags on forever, or screen time always ends in tears, you’re not alone — and your child isn’t trying to make your life harder. Transitions are tough because they require a whole set of developing skills most kids are still learning.

In this episode, we’ll dig into what’s really happening when your child resists a transition. You’ll learn about the developmental demands behind these moments — like shifting attention, managing emotions, planning ahead, and coping with change — and why your child’s brain may simply not be ready to handle all that without support.

We’ll also talk about the mindset shift that changes everything: transitions aren’t about managing behavior, they’re about teaching skills. Through connection, structure, and co-regulation, you can help your child build the abilities they need to move from one activity to the next with more ease.

You'll get lots of practical strategies for smoother transitions — from visual timers and advance preparation to empathic language and modeling calm, confident change yourself.

Because when we stop battling behavior and start building skills, transitions become more than just manageable — they become moments for growth, connection, and learning.

Ever wonder why staying calm when your child isn’t feels so hard? Co-regulation, the process of helping a child manage their emotions by managing our own, is one of the most powerful tools adults can use. But it’s also one of the hardest, because it requires our emotional skills to be strong first.

In this episode, I'll break down the three essential skills every adult needs to co-regulate effectively:

• Self-Regulation – Understanding and managing your own emotional state so you can be the calm in the storm.
• Empathy – Connecting to your child’s feelings without getting swept up in them.
• Communication that Builds Connection – Using language and presence that helps kids feel seen, heard, and safe.

You’ll learn the difference between empathy and emotional over-involvement, why “connection before correction” really works, and how small shifts in your own regulation can create big changes in your child’s behavior.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to co-regulate like a boss—with more awareness, compassion, and confidence.

Self-regulation is one of the most talked-about topics in child development today. But too often, it’s treated like a destination: a place we expect kids to arrive at with enough strategies, visuals, or practice. In reality, self-regulation is a lifelong journey that grows through relationships, experiences, and co-regulation with trusted adults.

In this episode, Deb Johnson, pediatric occupational therapist and founder of STEPS for Development, explores why expecting children to “stay in the Green Zone” or “use their strategies” misses the deeper picture of how regulation develops. You’ll learn how to shift your mindset from viewing self-regulation as something obtained through a curriculum, to accepting the ups and downs of regulation as we travel through life and our daily activities.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or therapist, this episode will help you see self-regulation not as a skill to master, but as a developmental process we grow through together.

Most parents want to know: “What do I do when my child is in the middle of a meltdown?” The truth is, by the time your child reaches that stage, there’s not much you can do except keep everyone safe and let the big emotions run their course. But here’s the good news, you can learn to be proactive with your tools and bring lasting change by influencing behaviors instead of controlling them. Reduce and even eliminate meltdowns by teaching skills before the meltdown ever happens.

In this episode, Debra Johnson, pediatric occupational therapist and founder of STEPS for Development, shares why being proactive is the real key to helping kids build self-regulation. You’ll learn:

• Why children can’t reason or “snap out of it” during a meltdown
• How to step into detective mode and spot patterns behind big emotions
• Practical examples of proactive tools you can use before situations escalate
• Why empathy and perspective-taking are the foundation of skill-building
• How consistent, proactive teaching leads to fewer meltdowns over time

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of reacting to your child’s behavior, this episode will show you a different path with proactive steps to support changing behaviors, not just stopping them.

Is your child “too sensitive,” or do they just have sensory quirks they’ll grow out of? Maybe you’ve heard that sensory diets can fix everything—or that sensory seeking is just ADHD in disguise. In this episode of the STEPS for Development podcast, pediatric occupational therapist Debra Johnson takes on six of the most common myths about sensory processing and sets the record straight.

You’ll learn:

• Why Sensory Processing Disorder isn’t a formal medical diagnosis—but sensory challenges are very real.
• The difference between a “sensory diet” and a true “sensory life.”
• Why kids don’t just outgrow sensory differences
• The wide spectrum of sensory responses—far beyond being “too sensitive.”
• The difference between ADHD and sensory seeking
• Why meltdowns aren’t about “bad behavior” but nervous system overload.

By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what’s fact vs. fiction in the sensory world—and feel more confident in supporting your child with empathy and compassion for sensory processing differences.