TPP 166: Dr. Allie Ticktin on the Power of Play in Supporting Differently Wired Kids
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
38 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 12 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the definition of play and why is it important for children’s learning?
I define play as using creativity, playing with our whole body, exploring our senses, really having fun and growing through that experience, learning about yourself. I think kids learn the most about themselves through play. Adults, we need to play more. Play is where you learn, that's where you create and that's where you develop your sensory system.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. My name is Debbie Rieber and I'm the host of this show. And today we are going to talk all about play. We know that play is the language of preschoolers and that for young children it can be the key to learning. But play is also a powerful tool for supporting differently wired children of any age in developing skills, processing difficult situations, and learning about their own emotions and how to regulate them. It can also be a fantastic tool for parents to tap into as a way to move through the challenges of everyday life, everything from bedtime struggles to waiting in line at the supermarket.
To tell us exactly how to best utilize play, I have Dr. Ali Ticton on the show. Allie is a licensed occupational therapist with a specialty in sensory integration and early childhood development. Her life's work is to empower children to celebrate their differences through play, and she believes it's necessary to customize each child's treatment to his or her needs. She's also the founder of Play to Progress, a play-based learning center that guides children and their families through development while combining a nurturing environment with the just right challenge. There are a lot of great nuggets to be gleaned from our conversation, including simple reframes that can not only help us have more success as parents, but also make life at home with our children more fun.
Thank you so much. And now here's my conversation with Allie. Hey Allie, welcome to the podcast. Hi, how are you? I'm good, thank you. I'm looking forward to this conversation because we're talking about play, which I'm a huge fan of and believer in the benefits of play. So as a way to get started, can you just take a few minutes and introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about the work that you do in the world.
Absolutely. My name is Allie. I am an occupational therapist. I'm trained in sensory integration, and that really is my passion. And Through it and working in different sensory clinics, I was noticing that kids were having a lot of one-on-one therapy, but it wasn't necessarily being carried over into the classroom or at home.
How does Dr. Allie describe a typical “differently‑wired” client and their challenges in the classroom?
So I wanted to create a way to help kids understand how to understand their own body within a group setting. So I started these different groups where we really work on how do I manage my body in a classroom when maybe I'm different than my friend. And the truth is I think all kids are completely different. We can't expect kids to conform to this one way, which classrooms do expect. So I created these different groups and I really work with parents on helping them to understand their own child, whether it means how to adapt their home. what their child needs and the differences in their body. And often I'll get parents say Oh, this was me as a kid and I was always getting in trouble. And they didn't really understand themselves and now they're starting to through their child.
So I really work through play to help kids understand themselves, advocate for themselves and also help their support network understand them.
So what does that actually look like? Can you give me an example of maybe an avatar for a a typical client and the kinds of things they they might be struggling with or you know, are are these necessarily differently wired kids or is it any child who's struggling in some capacity? Good question.
It may be kids who are differently wired, but it also just may be your typical child. I personally believe we're all wired differently and there's a big spectrum to how we are wired, yet we're expected to conform to this average, you know, let's sit in circle time for 30 minutes.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the definition of play and why is it important for children’s learning?
0:00–2:54
2
How does Dr. Allie describe a typical “differently‑wired” client and their challenges in the classroom?
2:54–7:25
3
What strategies does Allie use to help kids regulate sensory needs with “sensory boxes” and proprioceptive input?
7:25–11:54
4
How can parents use play to create a calming bedtime routine for children who struggle with regulation?
11:54–19:07
5
What play‑based techniques help children cope with waiting in lines or other long transitions?
19:07–25:53
6
How should parents handle public judgment when using unconventional play strategies (e.g., downward‑dog in a line)?
25:53–31:59
7
What types of toys and simple materials does Allie recommend for building sensory and creative skills?
31:59–35:32
8
Where can listeners learn more about Allie’s work and access additional resources?
35:32–38:46
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids