A few months ago on Instagram, we ran into a ton of posts about how you can’t parent Gen A kids like they did in the 90’s because they have a different nervous system.
We thought it was an interesting claim; despite that when “influencers” copy the same material word-for-word, it’s usually a sign of clickbait. They even referred to kids having a “Digital Nervous System”, living in a high-speed brain environment.
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We all have reflexes; fast, automatic movements our bodies make without us even thinking. Some reflexes stay with us for life, helping us stay safe and respond to the world around us. Others are meant only for infancy. They support early survival and movement, then fade as children gain more control of their bodies. When those early reflexes don’t integrate on schedule, they can influence how a child experiences their body and how they interact with their environment. These are known collectively as primitive reflexes.
What’s funny is that most parents (in non health-related fields) don’t even know what these are. Newborns have such weird movements when they are learning body control that you can get through the first six months without even realizing the reflexes at work.
FYI: This post has a lot of definitions and lists, so feel free to bookmark and save.
When you’re navigating support services in the school system, it can feel like an alphabet soup (OT, PT, MTSS). This post is all about the IEP.
An IEP, or Individualized Education Program, is a legal, written plan that explains exactly how a public school will support a student with a disability in order to facilitate their learning and make progress. It’s part of the federal special education law called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and it guarantees students access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
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In part 1 of my Dopamine Kids review, I said that Michaeleen Doucleff’s five-step plan is very easy to implement. She walks through each step and gradually builds the plan with each chapter. Just like a textbook, you read the material in the first section and do the direct application right after.
So for part 2, I’m sharing my family plan and how I’ve adapted the steps for A&Z.
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It seems like we’ve always treated the gut as something that matters. Just look at our language: gut instinct, you’ve got guts, gut‑wrenching. We use these phrases because, on some level, we know the gut is central to how we sense and respond to the world. We’re not wrong though.
When we say gut, we are referring to the long digestive tube inside the body that starts from the mouth all the way to the stomach and intestines, also known as the gastrointestinal tract (the GI tract). But it does far more than break down food. It’s a major sensory, immune, and communication hub that helps shape how a child’s body takes in and responds to the world.
Because it’s in constant conversation with the brain through neural, hormonal, and immune pathways, the gut plays a meaningful role in mood, sleep, attention, and learning. A healthy, well‑nourished gut becomes a powerful driver of how children grow, adapt, and thrive.
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