Collaborative Care for Kids: Why Looking at the Whole Child Matters
As a parent, you often start looking for support when you notice something going on with your child. More often than not, it's one thing that grabbed your attention.
Perhaps your child is experiencing a speech or language delay, trouble feeding, some sensory issues, or challanges with attention and behavior. It could be any number of things. When this happens, the next logical step is to find a provider who can treat that problem.
From my experience, what you're seeing is rarely the whole story.
At Salt & Light we believe in asking one more question:
Why might this be happening?
At its core, this means digging deeper to find out what's happening beneath the surface. Answering that question usually takes more than one person.
We Need Each Other
Our bodies don’t work as separate puzzle pieces.
Sleep can affect attention and behavior, and breathing affects sleep. Oral function can connect to speech, feeding, airway health, and dental development. Movement and sensory needs can impact how a child learns and interacts with the world.
That’s why I’m such a big believer in collaborative care.
As a speech-language pathologist, I know my lane, but I also know when something may need another set of eyes.
Sometimes the best thing I can tell a parent is, “I know someone who can help with that.”
Good care isn’t about one provider trying to do everything. It’s about having people in our community who are willing to work together and share what they know.
That idea is the basis of why I started the Root Cause Conversations podcast.
What We've Learned So Far
Our first guest was Rachel Bailey, the owner of Eleison Doula Services here in the Birmingham area. She reminded us that caring for a new baby also means caring for the mom too! We discussed that the preparation for birth is really more than having a birth plan. It's about getting the education and support you need, but also knowing what your birth options are. These things can help families feel more prepared even if things don't always go as planned.
We also talked about something that can easily get overlooked after a baby arrives: Mom still needs care too. Supporting her physical and emotional recovery matters for the whole family. Listen to her episode below.
Then I sat down with Jill Moscicki, a pediatric physical therapist and the owner of Leap in Pelham, AL. Jill shared why early movement experiences like tummy time, rolling, crawling, and playing are so important. These aren’t just milestones to check off a list. Your child needs those things to help build strength, coordination, and body awareness. She also took us on a little journey to discuss retained primitive reflexes. Catch that episode using the link below.
More Conversations Are Coming
This first season of Root Cause Conversations (RCC) we have a great line up of amazing professionals. Not to spill the tea, but I would love to give you a sneak peak. On the schedule we have a functional medicine practitioner, an occupational therapist, a lactation consultant, and a pelvic floor physical therapist.
We’re talking about the things that affect our kids, ourselves, and families and how they can often be connected in ways we might never expect.
You might hear an episode and think, “Wait...I had no idea those two things could be related.”
Good! That’s the point.
I really want these conversations to help you learn, ask better questions, and know what resources are available when your family needs them.
There's a Seat at this Table for You :)
My faith and love for the Lord is a big part of why I do what I do. I believe we were created as whole people, and that belief shapes the way I care for the families who walk through our doors.
But you don’t have to share my faith to sit at this table. Pull up a seat, everyone is welcome here.
The biggest joy in creating this podcast is to introduce you to people, resources, and education that you might not have known about before.
I want you to be able to connect the dots, and understand there are providers that WANT to help you find the root cause(s) to the issues you might be facing.
Maybe you listen to an episode and it answers a question you've had for months, or you hear an episode that you share with your neighbor because you know it might land in a truly helpful way.
We don’t have to have all the answers ourselves.
Sometimes getting closer to the root cause simply starts with knowing who to ask.
Looking for Your Next Step?
Download the Free Root Cause Parent Guide
This guide will help you start connecting the dots without spending countless hours sorting through conflicting information online.
Interested in Services at Salt & Light?
Our office is located in Vestavia Hills, Alabama and we provide in person services to clients in the surrounding counties and throughout the state of Alabama via tele-therapy. We are also a vendor for CHOOSE ACT Alabama. Please visit our "Home Page" and click on the "Get Started" button to fill out our questionnaire.
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