Young & Well

06/14/2026

If you’ve been exploring RIE and wondering what it really looks like in practice not just as a philosophy, but as something that asks for your presence and participation this might be the right time.

Our RIE Foundations Course begins this January, led by the thoughtful, honest, and gently challenging Ruth Anne Hammond, MA. Rather than offering quick fixes or easy answers, Ruth Anne creates space for reflection, for slowing down, and for truly observing children and ourselves with greater care.

This hybrid course includes:
🟡 In person: July 10 - 13, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM in Pasadena
🟡 Online: 3 - 4 Wednesday evenings through August 5

This experience is for parents, caregivers, and professionals who are interested in building respectful relationships with infants and young children and who are open to being transformed along the way.

If you’re drawn to a way of being with children that feels grounded, thoughtful, and deeply respectful, we’d be glad to have you join us.

05/13/2026

“The issue wasn’t that people were imagining symptoms—it’s that science hadn’t caught up to the body.” 🎤

For a long time, many people were told their symptoms were exaggerated, psychological, or “all in their head.” But history shows us something important: our understanding of the body is always evolving.

Symptoms once labeled “psychosomatic” like stomach ulcers, chronic pain, migraine, endometriosis, POTS and IBS, are now understood as real medical diagnoses. Mechanisms once misunderstood are now studied. And experiences once questioned are now validated.

The body has always been communicating. Sometimes science needed more time to learn how to listen.

When someone shares what they are feeling in their body, curiosity and respect matter. Listening doesn’t mean we have every answer yet, it means we acknowledge that the experience is real and we work hard to support it..

Because progress in science often begins with believing the signal before we fully understand it.

Read more in our free blog:
https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/intense-interoception-when-body-signals-feel-strong-overwhelming-or-hard-to-trust/

Image Description: Light pink tile with a border of small shapes surrounds a pink square. Blue lettering reads, ““The issue wasn’t that people were imagining symptoms—it’s that science hadn’t caught up to the body.”

05/12/2026

♥️

I came across an interesting tidbit of language information the other day. The English word free comes from the same root a...

05/03/2026

Occupational therapy can help kids with autism build everyday skills through structured play. From stacking objects to navigating emotions, every activity is designed with a purpose.

04/07/2026

Come join us in DC schools or our Maryland clinic! You won’t regret it ♥️ Link in comments for both ads and our application!

03/18/2026

If you’re a pediatric OT and you’ve been looking for a place that feels right — energetic, safe, and solid — we’re inviting you keep reading.

We’re hiring, and we’re genuinely sad about it. Two of our OTs are being called to other parts of the country (and world!), and while they're irreplaceable, we’re hopeful their successors will bring their own gifts to the kids and families who need them, and also to us as a team.

We’re looking for two pediatric OTs: one clinic-based in Rockville, MD, and one school-based in Washington, DC. But at Young & Well, those lines aren’t rigid because the right role can shift as you and the practice grow together. This clinic opportunity hasn’t happened in 4 (!!!) years, and is rare for us.

Swipe to learn what we’re looking for, how we hire, and what you can expect from us at every step. This process is mutual. We’re deciding if you’re the right fit, and you’re deciding if we are.

Start at theyoungandwell.com/joinus

03/14/2026

10/10

02/23/2026

They say there are no stupid questions, but I beg to differ. We hear stupid questions almost every time adults and young chi...

02/14/2026

11/29/2025

Behavior Tracking Charts: Kids don’t like them and they solve NO problems.

I have an endless supply of these behavior tracking charts in my collection. Despite all the advances in neuroscience, schools continue to have two antiquated go-to interventions to try and control a child’s behavior: Token economies and behavior tracking charts.

The picture illustrates two different examples of behavior tracking charts. In each of the examples, the children either participate in filling it out or it’s reviewed with them.

I speak about these charts in my workshops and present collaborative alternatives that make durable changes in behavior. There are MANY reasons why these behavior charts are harmful, but there’s one criteria that should warrant immediate shredding of these awful, subjective, data-mining tools.

If you see a criterion that says “I need to work harder” or “did I try my best”, that is especially demoralizing to a child. It needs to stop.
These tracking charts are often used with students receiving special education services. To assume that a neurodivergent child, or a struggling child, only needs to “work harder”, or they didn’t “try their best”, is so damaging!

Here’s the lens shift that's so desperately needed:

ALWAYS assume they are working as hard as they can! (Even if you don’t believe it)

ALWAYS assume that they are trying their best!

Kids do well IF THEY CAN!

So often, I hear justification of these charts as a “Tier 2 intervention” or that “the kid likes them”. That's disingenuous. The kid likes them if it’s all smiley faces and they get their landfill fodder prize. If that’s the case, you wouldn’t need the chart.

Here’s what the kids actually think of them when they’re telling a safe person and not an authority figure they are just “yes-ing”.

“They make me sad”

“They’re not fair"

“I don’t even care”

“I was bad”

Children rely on adults to show them love, support and compassion. We have to recognize that this is not OK and we have to do better!

Tear up these tracking charts and replace them with The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions Model or other collaborative approaches that show kids we are here to HELP THEM, not make them feel terrible when they struggle.

I sense a new infographic coming. Do you have an example of a damaging behavior tracking chart? Have thoughts on this? Please feel free to share in the comments.