- 15
- Episodes
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Your Therapy Source Podcast
The Your Therapy Source Podcast shares practical, research-informed ideas to help educators, therapists, and families better understand how children learn, move, regulate, and participate. Hosted by Margaret Rice, PT, each episode explores topics related to the brain, body, learning, movement, sensory processing, self-regulation, executive functioning, school-based therapy, classroom challenges, and current research. The goal is simple: turn complex ideas into useful strategies you can understand and apply. Practical ideas. Powerful tools. Better outcomes.
- Publisher
- Your Therapy Source
- Category
- education
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 17 Aug 2026
- Latest episode
- 21 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
15 episodes in the feed.
21 Oct 2026
How to Help Your Students Follow Multistep Directions
Visit Your Therapy Source (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/10/21/follow-multistep-directions/) for the research references and two FREE printables to help students follow multistep directions. Why does a student complete the first step, then get stuck? Join Margaret Rice, PT, as she explores how working memory, language processing, and attention can affect following directions. Discover practical ways to make steps visible, simplify instructions, model actions, and check understanding. Learn how to choose supports that fit individual students and use the free “My Directions Plan” and “Ways to Remember Directions” printables in your classroom or therapy sessions.
15 Oct 2026
Why Does a Student Need Constant Adult Reassurance?
Does a student constantly ask, "Is this right?" or "Can you check my work?" even when they understand the assignment? Frequent adult reassurance can make it difficult for students to develop independent work skills. Download a free printable here: https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/10/13/student-need-constant-adult-reassurance/ Learn why some students repeatedly seek adult reassurance and three practical strategies teachers and school-based therapists can use to support student independence.We'll discuss:Why students may need constant adult reassuranceHow to make expectations clear and visibleHow to explicitly teach self-monitoring and self-checking skillsHow predictable adult check-ins can gradually reduce reliance on adult promptsHow to recognize progress toward greater independence🎁 FREE PRINTABLE: Before I Ask for Help, Student Independence Bookmarks - https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/10/13/student-need-constant-adult-reassurance/Help students practice checking their own work with these free printable bookmarks. Students learn a simple three-step routine: LOOK, CHECK, and DECIDE. The bookmarks also include reminders to review directions, look at examples, and recognize when to ask for help.🧰 YTS ACTION TOOLKITNeed help creating an individualized action plan for a student who frequently seeks reassurance?The YTS Action Toolkit includes Discover How I Learn, an interactive tool that helps identify student learning strengths, challenges, and helpful supports. Use the personalized recommendations to develop strategies for self-monitoring, executive functioning, and greater independence.Learn more:https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/Remember, independence doesn't mean students should never ask for help. It means teaching them how to recognize what they know, use effective strategies, and understand when they need support.Subscribe to Your Therapy Source for practical classroom strategies, school-based therapy resources, and free printables to support student success.#StudentIndependence #SelfMonitoring #TeacherStrategies #ExecutiveFunctioning #SchoolBasedTherapy
2 Oct 2026
Why do some students have big reactions to small problems?
Why do some students have big reactions to small problems? A broken pencil, a schedule change, a difficult assignment, or an unexpected transition may look minor from the outside, but the student may already be managing sensory, cognitive, emotional, or executive functioning demands. In this episode, we look at what may be happening underneath a big reaction and how teachers, therapists, counselors, and other school support staff can respond with curiosity, practical support, and respect for neurodiversity. You will hear ideas for identifying patterns, reducing demands when a student is overwhelmed, supporting regulation, and helping students recognize what makes learning easier or harder. Download the free What Might Be Under the Big Reaction? reflection tool here: https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/10/02/big-reactions-to-small-problems/ (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/10/02/big-reactions-to-small-problems/) You can also learn more about Discover How I Learn Best, available inside the YTS Action Toolkit, to help students and school teams identify supports that can make learning and participation more successful.
23 Sept 2026
Does Recess Help Students Focus and Learn?
Does recess really help students focus and learn? In this episode of the Your Therapy Source Podcast, we look at the updated 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics recess recommendations and what they mean for teachers, therapists, school staff, and parents. Learn how recess may support attention, memory, physical activity, social-emotional development, and readiness to learn. We also discuss how much recess students need, why multiple breaks may be beneficial, why recess and physical education are not interchangeable, and practical ways to fit more breaks into a busy school day. You’ll also hear why recess should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons and why a successful recess may look different for every student. Get the free Recess Reset printable in color and black and white: https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/09/23/recess-recommendations/ (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/09/23/recess-recommendations/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
14 Sept 2026
Could Doing Nothing for 90 Seconds Help Students Learn?
What happens when we stop giving students more information and simply give their brains time to think? In this episode, explore Quiet Thinking Time, a simple classroom routine that provides 30, 60, or 90 seconds of quiet wakeful rest after learning. Learn about the default mode network, wakeful rest, memory consolidation, and why periods without additional input may be worth considering during the school day. You’ll also hear how Quiet Thinking Time fits into the Get Ready → Build Skills → Foster Independence framework and how to gradually introduce the routine with students. There are no reflection questions, worksheets, discussions, or tasks during Quiet Thinking Time. Students simply pause, stay awake, and let their minds think. Download the free Quiet Thinking Time printable: https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/09/14/wakeful-rest/ The printable includes a student-friendly explanation plus a QR code to the free 30, 60, and 90-second Quiet Thinking Time video. More resources for educators are available at Your Therapy Source (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
10 Sept 2026
Why Does My Student Struggle with Handwriting?
Why does a student have messy handwriting, and what can actually help? In this episode, learn how to look beyond “just practice more” and support handwriting through three practical steps: Get Ready, Build Skills, and Foster Independence. We discuss posture, hand warm-ups, pencil grip, helper hand use, letter formation, spacing, sizing, line awareness, endurance, and how to help students gradually monitor their own handwriting. You’ll also learn why handwriting still matters, even in a world full of keyboards and technology. Be sure to grab the free Ready to Write Song and printable from Your Therapy Source at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/09/08/ready-to-write-song-and-free-printable/. You can also find handwriting practice packets, pencil-control activities, fine motor resources, and informative handwriting handouts to support students at school and at home - https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product-category/handwriting/.
5 Sept 2026
Why Do Some Students Struggle with Sensory Overwhelm?
Sensory over-responsivity can make everyday school experiences feel overwhelming for some students. Loud classrooms, crowded cafeterias, bright lights, scratchy clothing, unexpected sounds, and other sensory input may affect participation, emotional regulation, and learning. In this episode, learn how to support students using the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework. The discussion includes recent research on sensory over-responsivity, its connection with anxiety, why strong sensory reactions should not automatically be viewed as defiance, and practical ways school teams can help students participate more successfully. You will also learn how to help students notice what is bothering them, try strategies, reflect on whether those strategies helped, and gradually become more independent in recognizing and communicating what they need. A free student printable, What Helps Me When My Brain and Body Get Overwhelmed?, is available at Your Therapy Source at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/09/05/sensory-over-responsivity-in-kids-research-free-printable/ The episode also highlights the Discover How I Learn Tool inside the YTS Action Toolkit at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/ These are wonderful tools for school teams who want additional support identifying possible areas affecting participation and choosing strategies to try. This episode is intended for educational purposes and is not a diagnostic tool.
31 Aug 2026
Why Are Students Coming to School Without the Skills to Learn?
Episode 8: Why Are Students Coming to School Without the Skills to Learn? Students are expected to manage attention, emotions, transitions, organization, problem-solving, frustration, and independence throughout the school day. But many educators and therapists are reporting that students need more support with these foundational skills. This episode explores how modern life may provide fewer natural opportunities for children to practice some of the everyday skills needed for learning. Learn how ordinary experiences at home and throughout the school day can provide practice with executive function, self-regulation, problem-solving, communication, and independence. Topics include: why skills grow through experiences, not just information natural opportunities to practice executive function and self-regulation considering what screen time may replace how boredom and small problems can provide opportunities for skill development using classroom routines, transitions, lunch, recess, and specials for practice helping students Get Ready, Build Skills, and Foster Independence supporting independence without removing needed accommodations or assistance turning student goals into meaningful everyday practice Download two free resources to help identify skill-building opportunities already available throughout a child's day: 25 Everyday Opportunities to Build Real-Life Skills 25 Natural Opportunities to Build Skills During the School Day Get the FREE Everyday Skills Printables The YTS Everyday Carryover Tool helps turn a student's present level and goal into a simple, parent-friendly plan with practical activities for home, weekends, and school breaks. The Toolkit also includes Discover How I Learn, which uses the Get Ready → Build Skills → Foster Independence framework to help identify individual learning needs and support greater student ownership. Learn more about the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace individualized professional, medical, therapeutic, or educational advice. Always consider each child's individual needs and consult appropriate qualified professionals when needed.
31 Aug 2026
What Skills Do Students Need to Become More Independent?
Episode 7: What Skills Do Students Need to Become More Independent? What skills actually help students become more independent at school, at home, and during everyday routines? In this episode of the Discover How Your Students Learn series, explore the skills underneath independence using the Get Ready → Build Skills → Foster Independence framework. Learn how students can gradually become more involved in recognizing what they need, choosing useful strategies, solving problems, getting started, and asking for support when needed. The episode covers practical ways to support: brain and body readiness for learning attention and task initiation organization and working memory problem-solving and flexibility self-advocacy strategy selection gradually reducing adult prompting greater student ownership and independence Fostering independence does not mean removing support. The goal is to help students develop and practice useful skills, then gradually take more ownership of the process as they are ready. Download the free printable with 50 practical strategies organized around Get Ready, Build Skills, and Foster Independence. It can be used at school, during therapy, in special education settings, or at home. Get the FREE 50 Student Success Strategies Printable (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2026/08/24/50-student-success-strategies-to-foster-independence/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The goal is not for every student to use every strategy. Use the list as a starting point to help students discover what works for their own brain, body, and learning needs.
23 Aug 2026
When Helping Too Much Gets in the Way of Independence
Episode 6: When Helping Too Much Gets in the Way of Independence Sometimes helping a student is simply faster. We find the folder, give the next direction, identify the first step, suggest the movement break, or remind them what comes next. In a busy classroom, that makes perfect sense. But could some of those everyday helping habits accidentally reduce opportunities for students to practice doing more for themselves? In this episode of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret from Your Therapy Source explores this question without judgment. You’ll hear practical microchanges that can help gradually shift ownership to students, including pausing before prompting, counting silently before adding another direction, pointing to a visual instead of giving the answer, building practice into easier moments, and asking students what helped them succeed. Using the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework, we’ll also explore an important distinction: independence does not mean removing helpful supports. A student can independently use a checklist, movement break, visual schedule, AAC, or ask for help. The goal is not to stop helping. It’s to help students increasingly notice, choose, communicate, and use the strategies that work for them. Discover How I Learn is available inside the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/).
21 Aug 2026
Why Does a Student Wander Around the Classroom?
Episode 5: Why Does a Student Wander Around the Classroom? A student gets up during lessons, walks around the classroom, leaves their assigned area, or seems unable to stay connected to instruction from one location. You redirect them, they return, and a few minutes later they’re up again. In this episode of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret from Your Therapy Source explores what may be happening underneath this common classroom behavior. Movement needs, body position, attention, sensory input, the learning environment, and task demands may all play a role. You’ll learn how to use the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework to move beyond repeated reminders to “sit down.” We’ll discuss planned movement, body-position choices, predictable work-break rhythms, and teaching students how to recognize when movement may help and how to return to learning afterward. The goal isn’t simply to keep a student in one spot. It’s to help them understand what their brain and body need, use movement purposefully, and gradually take more ownership of their learning supports. Discover How I Learn is included inside the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/). Students complete a questionnaire exploring sensory processing, self-regulation, attention, and executive-function skills and receive an individualized learning plan focused on getting ready, building skills, and fostering independence.
19 Aug 2026
Why Does a Student Lose Focus So Quickly?
Episode 4: Why Does a Student Lose Focus So Quickly? A student starts working, but within minutes their attention is somewhere else. A classmate moves, a pencil drops, someone whispers, or something on the desk catches their eye. You redirect them, they return to work, and a few minutes later it happens again. In this episode of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret from Your Therapy Source explores what may be happening when a student seems highly distractible. You’ll learn how competing sensory information, sustained attention, movement, and the learning environment can all influence a student’s ability to stay connected to a task. You’ll also learn how to use the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework to move beyond repeated reminders to “focus.” Strategies include identifying helpful versus distracting sensory input, using an Attention Anchor, breaking longer work into manageable sections, and teaching students how to notice when their attention has shifted and find their way back. The goal isn’t for a student’s attention to stay in one place every second. The skill is learning to notice when attention has moved and knowing how to return. Discover How I Learn is included inside the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/). Students complete a questionnaire exploring sensory processing, self-regulation, attention, and executive-function skills and receive an individualized learning plan focused on getting ready, building skills, and fostering independence.
18 Aug 2026
Why Does a Student Constantly Touch People and Things?
A student touches classmates, reaches for other people’s materials, leans into peers, runs their hands along surfaces, or seems to have difficulty maintaining personal space. It can be frustrating, especially when the behavior affects other students. But simply repeating “Keep your hands to yourself” may not help the student understand what their brain and body need or what they can do instead. In this episode of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret from Your Therapy Source explores how sensory processing, body awareness, movement, attention, and inhibitory control may contribute to frequent touching. You’ll also learn how to use the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework to move beyond repeated adult reminders. We discuss strategies for creating clearer personal-space and material boundaries, using appropriate movement and muscle work, helping students notice what their bodies are doing, teaching them to request changes, and gradually building greater independence. Most importantly, supporting a student’s sensory needs does not mean ignoring other students’ boundaries. The goal is to help the student meet their needs in appropriate ways while respecting other people’s bodies, belongings, and personal space. Discover How I Learn is included inside the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/). Students complete a questionnaire exploring sensory processing, self-regulation, attention, and executive-function skills and receive an individualized learning plan focused on getting ready, building skills, and fostering independence.
18 Aug 2026
Why Does a Student Call Out or Make Noises?
A friendly, enthusiastic student keeps calling out, making noises, chewing on pencils, and acting before they have time to pause. It can be easy to see those behaviors as disruptive or impulsive. But the same student may also be highly social, eager to participate, full of ideas, and genuinely trying to connect with others. In Episode 2 of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret from Your Therapy Source looks at what may be happening underneath these behaviors. You’ll hear how inhibitory control, working memory, sensory input, attention, and self-regulation may all play a role. You’ll also learn how to move beyond repeated reminders by using the Get Ready, Build Skills, Foster Independence framework. That may include safe oral sensory supports, respectful sound choices, ways to save ideas instead of blurting them out, private cues, and strategies that help the student gradually notice and choose what works for them. The goal is not simply to make the student quieter. It is to preserve their enthusiasm and social connection while helping them participate successfully and build greater independence. Discover How I Learn is included inside the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/), where students complete a questionnaire exploring sensory processing, self-regulation, attention, and executive-function skills and receive an individualized learning plan.
17 Aug 2026
Why Can’t a Student Get Started on Their Work?
A student knows what to do, but still can’t seem to get started. What’s happening between understanding the assignment and actually beginning it? In Episode 1 of Discover How Your Students Learn, Margaret Rice, PT, explores task initiation and the brain-based skills that can make starting work difficult, including executive function, working memory, attention, transitions, and emotional readiness. You’ll also learn a practical framework for moving beyond repeated adult prompting: Get Ready → Build Skills → Foster Independence Using a sample Discover How I Learn report, Margaret shares examples of how educators can help students discover strategies that work for them, practice those strategies, and gradually take greater ownership of their learning. The goal isn’t to remove every support. It’s to help students increasingly notice what they need, choose what helps, communicate when they need support, and use effective strategies more independently. Discover How I Learn is included in the YTS Action Toolkit (https://www.yourtherapysource.com/product/yts-action-toolkit-annual-license/).
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