The Early Roots Podcast

May 02 2024 2

The Early Roots Podcast artwork

Follow Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist Emily Roper as she discusses common problems she encounters working with children with developmental delays. She takes a deep dive into things like primitive reflexes, anxiety, ADHD, Autism, brain development, pregnancy, birth and more. This podcast provides information to parents and providers alike to bring understanding and help to children with developmental delays.

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#024 Adoption and Early Trauma

May 02 2024 22 mins

Today's episode is all about adoption. I work with a lot of adopted kids and they each come with their own considerations. Many social, emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties have their roots in early neurological development; the development that happens from conception through infancy. Neglect, trauma, and other adverse childhood experiences shape the way the brain devel

#023 My Journey Through NDD Therapy

Mar 22 2024 14 mins

Today's episode is all about my journey through NDD therapy as a teen. I'm not sure if I have mentioned it in previous episodes but before I became a therapist I went through this process myself. It is one of the things that solidified my desire to pursue this as a profession. If you are concerned about your child or teen visit my website: earlyrootstherapy.com

#022 Dyslexia: More than a Brain Problem

Feb 07 2024 12 mins

Today's episode is all about dyslexia! This episode covers a 2001 study that evaluated the physical development of children with dyslexia and found a significant problem with their physical maturity. This study indicates that dyslexia is less of a problem with the brain and more of a problem with the connection between the brain and the body. This may seem insignificant, but it has

#021 Common Primitive Reflexes Explained

Jan 23 2024 26 mins

Today's episode takes a look at some of the most common retained primitive reflexes that I see. I discuss the Moro, ATNR, STNR, Spinal Galant and Palmer reflexes. Specifically what they are, what purpose they serve in infancy and how their improper development and inhibition impacts children as they age. If you have a child who struggles with emotional, social, behavioral or learni

#020 ADHD: An Epidemic of Overdiagnosis?

Dec 04 2023 26 mins

Today’s episode is all about ADHD. Specifically the question of whether or not ADHD is being over diagnosed. This episode covers a brief history of the diagnosis, the different theories around the increase in ADHD diagnoses over the last few decades and a critique of our current system for helping children and adults with ADHD. In this episode I reference a lot of different resou

#019 But I thought it was genetic?

Nov 09 2023 14 mins

Today’s episode is all about genetics. When I talk about the connection between primitive reflexes, poor brain development and diagnoses like ADHD and Autism I often get the response: But I thought it was genetic? The quick answer is yes, there is a genetic connection between ADHD and Autism, but saying this can be very misleading. This episode explores the link between genetics

#018 The History and Research on Primitive Reflexes

Oct 09 2023 37 mins

Today’s episode is all about the history and current research on primitive reflexes. I also cover the three main organizations that offer training on primitive reflex integration and discuss specific research findings. My goal for this episode is to help parents understand what we know, suspect, and need more information on when it comes to primitive reflexes and developmental de

#017 FAQ: Can You Help My Child?

Aug 25 2023 27 mins

Today’s episode is going to cover one of my most frequently asked question which is: Can you help my child? This episode is going to go over the history of neuro-developmental delay more recently called neuro-motor immaturity and the research on primitive reflexes and the connection between physical and mental development. I’m also going to talk about the most common symptoms I

#016 Early Development Special Series: Immediate Postpartum Period

Aug 10 2023 30 mins

Today’s episode is the final part of our mini series on early development. This episode looks at the immediate postpartum period, the few hours after birth, and how this time period impacts our long-term neurological development. We are talking about things like delayed cord clamping, primitive reflex function and development, attachment, resuscitation practices and more. You can

#015 Early Development Special Series: Labor and Birth

Jul 31 2023 55 mins

This is the second episode in our special series on early brain development. Today we are looking at labor and birth and how this process affects our brain long-term. Many people understand the importance of pregnancy on brain development but often skip over labor and birth and jump right into infancy. Even though labor and birth are relatively short period of time in our neurologi