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A Sensory Emotional Lens

A Sensory Emotional Lens

Written by: AnnMarie Murphy in Honor of Michele Parkins
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About this listen

 In honor of Michele Parkins, join Occupational Therapist and mom, AnnMarie Murphy, on a journey into the world of sensory-emotional processing on our weekly podcast. Meet people who live with, work with, support, and love children with these differences. In short episodes, you’ll learn ways to navigate tricky situations, hear insights, heartwarming stories, tips, and ways that we can playfully engage with children (and each other) to enhance social-emotional and sensory-motor experiences to bring about regulation, engagement, and ultimately joy in our relationships - and so much more.AnnMarie Murphy in Honor of Michele Parkins
Episodes
  • 68. Neuroscience Foundations through a Sensory Emotional Lens

    68. Neuroscience Foundations through a Sensory Emotional Lens
    Jan 20 2026
    We’re kicking off our new Neuroscience Foundations series—a deep dive into how the brain develops, processes sensory information, manages emotions, and shapes behavior. This foundational conversation explores why children don’t simply “know better,” how sensory systems guide development, and why understanding the nervous system transforms the way we support, teach, and connect with kids. Drawing from the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent (SEEM) Frame of Reference and the pioneering work of Dr. A. Jean Ayres, we examine how sensory integration builds the groundwork for regulation, learning, postural control, motor planning, and emotional resilience. We also unpack neuroplasticity—how the brain changes through repeated, meaningful, emotionally safe experiences—and how play accelerates learning. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, educator, or therapist, this episode lays the groundwork for understanding behavior through a brain-based, compassionate lens. In this episode, you’ll discover how:Children’s behavior is the language of their nervous system.Sensory processing forms the foundation for attention, regulation, learning, motor skills, and social connection.The brain changes through relationship, repetition, meaning, and multisensory play.Stress creates maladaptive wiring; safety creates adaptive wiring.Progress isn’t linear—because development isn’t linear.Both children and adults can rewire their brains. Join Us Next Week! We’ll be joined by a special guest who will unpack the neuroscience of behavior—including what’s actually happening in the brain during big emotions, stress responses, and challenging moments, and how adults can respond in ways that build regulation, resilience, and connection.Join our community!@TheSensoryEmotional_OT on ⁠Instagram⁠@GreatKidsPlace on ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠Facebook⁠Visit our Learning Center We know that sensory-motor experiences play a significant role in a child’s daily life and emotional well-being. Using playful interactions, The Sensory Emotional Center of Learning is designed to bring our therapeutic model, the Sensory Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference, into your home or work.https://www.sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.comWant more resources? Please visit our blog: https://greatkidsplace.com/category/blog/and https://sensoryemotional.org/AboutAnnMarie Murphy, OTD, OT/L, PNAPOccupational Therapist, Great Kids PlaceCo-Director, Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent AnnMarie is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at FDU, where she teaches mental health, neuroscience, and pediatrics. She holds a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, specializes in the evaluation and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, and is a fellow of Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E. Her background also includes a degree in Psychology, supporting her focus on social-emotional development, parent stress, and family dynamics. A Tribute to Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E® Founder, Great Kids Place and the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Frame of ReferenceMichele Parkins dedicated her life to supporting children and families with sensory processing and social-emotional challenges. As both a professional and a parent of two sensory children, she combined expertise with deep personal understanding. Passionate about empowering families and mentoring therapists, Michele taught internationally, consulted with schools, and co-authored a chapter in the 3rd edition of Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, the leading textbook in the field. At the time of her passing, she was writing books to help families recognize their Sensory Emotional Personality styles and discover strength and joy within them. Though gone too soon, Michele’s legacy endures in the lives she touched, the community she built, and the vision she entrusted us to carry forward.
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    26 mins
  • 67. Winter Sports through a Sensory Emotional Lens

    67. Winter Sports through a Sensory Emotional Lens
    Jan 14 2026

    Winter sports often feel different for sensory kids—and parents notice it right away. Children who struggle with overheating, overwhelm, or emotional shutdown during other seasons may suddenly seem calmer, more regulated, and able to engage longer in cold-weather activities.

    In this episode, we explore why winter can be so regulating, how different winter sports impact the nervous system, and how parents can use a Sensory Emotional Lens to support connection, confidence, and joy—without pressure or pushing.

    In this episode, you’ll discover:

    • Why cold weather, fresh air, and movement can have a powerful organizing effect on the nervous system

    • How different Sensory Emotional Personalities experience winter sports—and why the same activity can feel regulating for one child and overwhelming for another

    • The hidden sensory demands of common winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, skating, sledding, and snowshoeing

    • How sensory sensitivity, sensory seeking, motor planning, and postural challenges shape a child’s response to winter sports

    • Practical, OT-informed strategies to help you find the just-right challenge for your child

    • How shifting from “pushing participation” to understanding experience can transform winter into a season of connection and growth


    The goal isn’t to push children to “get used to” winter sports—it’s to understand them.


    When we approach winter activities with curiosity instead of pressure, we gain insight into our children’s nervous systems. That understanding allows us to support regulation, confidence, connection, and joy, not just participation.


    Join our community!

    @TheSensoryEmotional_OT on ⁠Instagram⁠

    @GreatKidsPlace on ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠Facebook⁠


    Visit our Learning Center

    We know that sensory-motor experiences play a significant role in a child’s daily life and emotional well-being. Using playful interactions, The Sensory Emotional Center of Learning is designed to bring our therapeutic model, the Sensory Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference, into your home or work.

    https://www.sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com


    Want more resources? Please visit our blog: https://greatkidsplace.com/category/blog/

    and https://sensoryemotional.org/


    About

    AnnMarie Murphy, OTD, OT/L, PNAP

    Occupational Therapist, Great Kids Place

    Co-Director, Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent

    AnnMarie is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at FDU, where she teaches mental health, neuroscience, and pediatrics. She holds a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, specializes in the evaluation and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, and is a fellow of Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E.

    Her background also includes a degree in Psychology, supporting her focus on social-emotional development, parent stress, and family dynamics.

    A Tribute to Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E®

    Founder, Great Kids Place and the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference


    Michele Parkins dedicated her life to supporting children and families with sensory processing and social-emotional challenges. As both a professional and a parent of two sensory children, she combined expertise with deep personal understanding.

    Passionate about empowering families and mentoring therapists, Michele taught internationally, consulted with schools, and co-authored a chapter in the 3rd edition of Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, the leading textbook in the field. At the time of her passing, she was writing books to help families recognize their Sensory Emotional Personality styles and discover strength and joy within them.

    Though gone too soon, Michele’s legacy endures in the lives she touched, the community she built, and the vision she entrusted us to carry forward.
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    13 mins
  • 66. Take Time to Play: Honoring Michele Parkins’ Legacy on December 22nd

    66. Take Time to Play: Honoring Michele Parkins’ Legacy on December 22nd
    Dec 22 2025

    In this special episode, AnnMarie Murphy, occupational therapist at Great Kids Place, invites our community to join a meaningful mission: Take Time to Play.


    This episode honors the life, work, and enduring legacy of Michele Parkins—visionary founder of Great Kids Place, devoted mother and wife, mentor, and passionate clinician whose life’s work was rooted in sensory-emotional engagement, relationships, and the transformative power of play.


    Through reflection and remembrance, AnnMarie shares how Michele’s joy, connection, and belief in play shaped thousands of children, families, and therapists over the last decade. From laughter echoing through the gym to the deep relationships formed within the walls of GKP, this episode celebrates the heart and soul of what Michele built—and how her legacy continues to guide us forward.


    Listeners are invited to participate in Take Time to Play Day, officially proclaimed by the mayor of Michele’s hometown and celebrated annually on December 22nd, Michele’s birthday. This day is a reminder to pause, connect, and intentionally engage in play—whether through something familiar you love or by bravely trying something new.

    Take Time to Play Day – December 22

    Take Time to Play Day honors Michele’s extraordinary life, her profound impact on our community, and her enduring legacy of using play and human connection as powerful, healing forces.

    We invite you to carry Michele’s legacy forward by intentionally making time to play—alone or with others—and by seeing the world through the sensory-emotional lens she so beautifully shared with us all.



    Join our community!

    @TheSensoryEmotional_OT on ⁠Instagram⁠

    @GreatKidsPlace on ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠Facebook⁠


    Visit our Learning Center

    We know that sensory-motor experiences play a significant role in a child’s daily life and emotional well-being. Using playful interactions, The Sensory Emotional Center of Learning is designed to bring our therapeutic model, the Sensory Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference, into your home or work.

    https://www.sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com


    Want more resources? Please visit our blog: https://greatkidsplace.com/category/blog/

    and https://sensoryemotional.org/


    About

    AnnMarie Murphy, OTD, OT/L, PNAP

    Occupational Therapist, Great Kids Place

    Co-Director, Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent

    AnnMarie is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at FDU, where she teaches mental health, neuroscience, and interprofessional education. She holds a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, specializes in the evaluation and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, and is a fellow of Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E.

    Her background also includes a degree in Psychology, supporting her focus on social-emotional development, parent stress, and family dynamics.

    A Tribute to Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E®

    Founder, Great Kids Place and the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference

    Michele Parkins dedicated her life to supporting children and families with sensory processing and social-emotional challenges. As both a professional and a parent of two sensory children, she combined expertise with deep personal understanding.

    Passionate about empowering families and mentoring therapists, Michele taught internationally, consulted with schools, and co-authored a chapter in the 3rd edition of Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, the leading textbook in the field. At the time of her passing, she was writing books to help families recognize their Sensory Emotional Personality styles and discover strength and joy within them.

    Though gone too soon, Michele’s legacy endures in the lives she touched, the community she built, and the vision she entrusted us to carry forward.
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
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