My daughter is a beautiful ballet dancer. I mean that in the fullest possible sense — she moves through a studio with genuine refinement, with intention, with the kind of body control and grace that years of serious training quietly builds into a person. She is aware of every line, every angle, every position of her limbs in space. She is, by any measure, extraordinarily coordinated. She also walked into a glass door last Tuesday. Full face. Didn't see it coming. And approxi

Going Granola Without Going Nuts · Neurodiversity · Sensory · 7 min read When someone first said the words "retained primitive reflexes" to me, my brain immediately went to tiny little monkeys doing some kind of ancient ancestral survival dance. Which is not exactly what it means. But honestly? Not entirely wrong in spirit either. Once I understood that primitive reflexes are movements literally built into every human baby for survival, and that most of us graduate out of the

Going Granola Without Going Nuts · Neurodiversity · Sensory · 6 min read You buy the cute new sweatshirt. It is soft on the outside. It seems perfect. You are feeling like a pretty great parent. And then your child puts it on and announces that it is scratchy on the inside and they absolutely cannot wear it. Or the sock. The seam. That specific seam at the toe that is, apparently, completely intolerable and makes the entire morning fall apart. Or the zipper on the sweater tha

Stimming sits at the intersection of sensory processing and emotional regulation — both of which I've covered in depth. The sensory post: https://www.goinggranola.net/post/sensory-issues-and-adhd-why-the-sock-seam-is-actually-a-really-big-deal. The emotional regulation post: https://www.goinggranola.net/post/emotional-regulation-and-adhd-how-to-help-your-child-name-big-feelings-before-they-take-over. And the calmer home post looks at how to set up your environment to support

Going Granola Without Going Nuts · Neurodiversity · Occupational Therapy · 7 min read I want to start with a confession. When someone first mentioned the words "retained primitive reflexes" to me, my brain immediately conjured an image of tiny little monkeys running around doing some kind of ancient ancestral dance. Like some prehistoric survival routine from a nature documentary. Which is not exactly what it means. But also, not entirely wrong in spirit. Once I understood th

The environment piece connects directly to sensory processing — if your child is sensitive to textures, sounds, or physical discomfort, that post will add important context: https://www.goinggranola.net/post/sensory-issues-and-adhd-why-the-sock-seam-is-actually-a-really-big-deal. And if routines are part of what you're trying to build, that post is a good companion read: https://www.goinggranola.net/post/why-routines-change-everything-even-if-they-feel-boring. --- IF THIS R