Watch on Youtube

Downloadable PDF instructions

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome and Podcast Overview

00:27 – Mission: Helping Families Raise Resilient Children

00:50 – Invitation to Grow and Bloom Together

01:00 – Introducing Complaint O’Clock

01:19 – Emotional Intensity in Neurodivergent Kids

01:40 – Wanting Children to Feel Heard Without Overwhelm

02:03 – Discovering That the Whole Family Benefits

02:37 – What Complaint O’Clock Looks Like

03:03 – Ground rules

04:00 – The "triforce of communication" framework for responses

04:30 – Using the Triforce Framework at Home

04:54 – Creating a Focused, Distraction-Free Space

05:19 – Explaining the Triforce in Detail- communication Goals in Three Categories

06:08 – Listening, Empathy, and Problem-Solving Options

06:32 – Additional Ground Rules for Respectful Sharing

06:59 – Three-Minute Pause for Regulation

07:25 – Why Complaint O’Clock Works

07:44 – A Safe Container for Family Expression

08:39 – Teaching Emotional Regulation and Communication

09:01 – A Real-Life Example of Vulnerability and Repair

09:22 – Growth Through Reflecting and Owning Mistakes

09:45 – “Know Better, Do Better” Mindset

09:53 – How Complaint O’Clock Has Transformed the Family

10:13 – Reducing Complaints and Strengthening Skills

10:18 – Encouragement to Try It at Home

Please like, subscribe, and share with someone who could benefit from creating a safe space for emotional expression in their family. Thanks for listening to Growing Strong Roots!

Oak Bloom OT provides holistic occupational therapy for children in Oakland, California, helping them develop functional life skills through interest-led learning and strong family collaboration.

Please like, subscribe, and share with someone who could benefit from creating a safe space for emotional expression in their family.

Thanks for listening to Growing Strong Roots!

In this episode of Growing Strong Roots, occupational therapist Lee-Anne Bloom explains how to understand and manage aggressive behavior in children through a regulation-focused lens. Instead of viewing aggression as defiance, she explores the sensory, emotional, and communication needs underneath the behavior and offers practical OT strategies for prevention, co-regulation, emotional awareness, and meaningful repair after conflict.

Watch on Youtube

Timestamps [00:00:00] Introduction to the podcast and mission [00:00:27] Raising sturdy children with science-based strategies [00:01:00] The goal: helping children self-regulate before they act aggressively [00:01:12] How OTs view aggression as a signal, not defiance [00:01:40] Looking beneath behavior to identify underlying causes [00:01:52] HALT framework: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired [00:02:23] Why relationship and trust matter for co-regulation [00:02:43] Adults staying grounded and modeling calm [00:03:08] Using tone, body language, and breathing to co-regulate [00:03:36] Sensory diet activities for regulatory support [00:04:03] Creating a safe space for intense emotions and release [00:04:35] Deep pressure tools for calming the nervous system [00:05:10] Structure and predictability during transitions [00:05:38] Teaching emotional awareness and self-expression [00:06:30] Repair, reflect, and reset after aggressive moments [00:06:56] Practicing alternative responses and role play [00:07:18] Supporting meaningful apologies and understanding impact [00:07:41] Introducing consequences with clarity and consistency [00:08:39] Episode wrap-up and future topics

Oak Bloom OT provides holistic, child-led occupational therapy in Oakland, California, helping children develop functional life skills through meaningful activities and strong family collaboration.

Please like, subscribe, and share with someone raising or working with young children.

Thanks for listening — see you next time on Growing Strong Roots!

Learn how to set loving, effective boundaries that support your child’s emotional regulation, independence, and resilience. Host Lee-Anne Bloom OTR/L shares practical strategies for scaffolding tasks, reducing overwhelm, and creating calm, connected family routines. She explores one of the most common but most challenging parenting topics: how to set loving, effective boundaries with children, especially those who are neurodivergent or navigating big life transitions. Lee-Anne breaks down why boundaries feel uncomfortable for both kids and caregivers, and why they are still essential for emotional regulation, independence, and family harmony. She explains how boundaries create predictability and safety, reduce stress, and ultimately help kids build resilience and real-world skills.

Watch on Youtube

Time stamps: Setting Loving Boundaries

In this episode, Lee-Anne Bloom explores the power of loving boundaries in parenting. She explains why boundaries are essential for both children and parents, how scaffolding supports independence, and why parental self-regulation is key to modeling healthy behavior. Using practical examples from daily life, she shares strategies for setting routines, handling pushback, and breaking down tasks so children can thrive while parents maintain energy and calm.

Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Podcast Mission and Host Background 00:28 – The Challenge of Parenting Resilient Children 00:51 – Episode Overview: Rooting Down Together 01:00 – Setting Loving Boundaries: Why It Matters 01:55 – Boundaries’ Role in Family Life: Routines and Self-Regulation 02:19 – Boundaries as Structure, Predictability, and Safety 02:44 – Scaffolding: Supporting Kids at Their Level 03:11 – Daily Life Examples of Boundaries and Scaffolding 03:41 – The Observer Effect: Building Independence Gradually 04:37 – Handling Pushback as a Sign of Growth 05:03 – Differentiating Struggle vs. Resistance 06:03 – Parental Self-Regulation and Modeling Calm 07:39 – Knowing Your Why: Values Behind Boundaries 08:52 – Breaking Down Overwhelm Into Manageable Steps 09:39 – Boundaries Benefit Parents: Energy, Self-Care, and Reduced Conflict 10:20 – Episode Wrap-Up: Combining Boundaries, Scaffolding, and Self-Regulation

Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Want to book me for a parenting or development consultation? Contact us at https://www.oakbloomot.com/contact. Please leave a comment here as well! Thanks for listening.

Host Lee-Anne Bloom, an experienced occupational therapist and owner of Oak Bloom OT, discusses how her diverse career background and experiences with her son’s neurodiversity have shaped her holistic approach to occupational therapy and helping "hard kids". She explains the importance of resilience, creative problem-solving, and personalized strategies in helping children and parents thrive. Listen in to gain valuable insights and practical tips for fostering strong, resilient roots in children. Rooted in lived experience, creativity, science-based strategies, and 15 years of clinical work, Lee-Anne shares how OT can help children and families move from surviving to thriving.

Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction to Oak Bloom OT and the Podcast 00:28 – Why the Podcast Exists and Its Purpose 00:51 – Invitation to Grow and Build Resilience Together 00:58 – Personal Story and How Motherhood Shaped Her Career 01:19 – What Occupational Therapy Is and What It Focuses On 02:06 – Being Both a Parent and an OT Supporting Her Neurodivergent Son 02:31 – A Diverse Background That Informs Her Approach 02:55 – Overcoming Disability, Pain, and ADHD Builds Empathy and Insight 03:18 – Family Influence and Lessons From Her Father’s Experience 04:09 – Sensory Sensitivities and Real-Life Adaptations 04:32 – Celebrating Creativity and Determination in Neurodiverse Learners 05:19 – Tailored Strategies for Strong-Willed and Sensitive Kids 06:02 – Challenging the Myth of Laziness and Supporting Atypical Learners 06:41 – Embracing a Nonlinear Career Path as Valuable Preparation 07:09 – Helping Families Thrive Through Experience and OT Training 07:32 – Sensory and Emotional Tools as Essential Protective Armor 07:58 – Collaborative Parent Coaching as a Key to Lasting Growth 08:24 – The Ferret Approach: Following Interests in a Screen-Filled World 08:47 – Helping Kids and Parents Discover Strengths and Coping Tools 09:00 – What It Is Really Like Raising a Hard Kid 09:14 – Building Systems That Support Confidence and Independence 09:41 – Refining Solutions Together Over Time 10:34 – Closing Message of Encouragement and Resilience 10:54 – Contact and Outro

At Oak Bloom OT, we provide holistic occupational therapy for children focusing on increasing functional life skills through interest-based learning and family involvement.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? leave a comment here, contact us at https://www.oakbloomot.com/contact