What happens during the other six days of the week when your child is not in therapy?

In part two of Brian Keene's conversation with Nicole Dahl, VP of Marketing at Korro AI and parent of an autistic son, they explore one of the biggest challenges families face: carrying therapy goals into everyday life without making home feel like another therapy clinic.

Nicole explains how Korro uses computer vision and game-based movement to turn therapist-selected goals into short, interactive home practice sessions. Children control characters through their own movements while practicing skills connected to areas such as coordination, fine motor development, dressing, regulation, and other everyday activities.

Brian and Nicole also discuss the mental load parents carry, why home programs can be difficult to maintain, the importance of the "just right challenge," healthy boundaries around screen time, and how therapists can use information from home practice to better individualize future sessions.

The goal is not for parents to become therapists. It is to create realistic ways for children to practice meaningful skills between sessions while keeping therapy engaging, manageable, and connected to everyday life.

• Why traditional therapy homework can be difficult for families to maintain

• How Korro turns therapy goals into interactive, movement-based games

• Using a phone or tablet camera to track movement without controllers

• Supporting fine motor, gross motor, regulation, and daily living skills

• Creating the "just right challenge" for each child

• How therapists can individualize home programs and review progress

• Using short practice sessions instead of long homework assignments

• Built-in screen-time boundaries and transitions

• Reducing caregiver pressure around therapy carryover

• Future directions discussed for Korro, including additional therapy applications

00:28 Nicole Dahl's background and perspective as a parent
01:15 What is Korro and how does it work?
06:44 What the games look like and how they adapt
11:29 How families get access through their therapy provider
16:08 What home practice looks like for children and parents
21:16 Reducing caregiver burden and the future of Korro

"Korro makes it easy. It's one less thing I have to worry about."

Nicole Dahl is the VP of Marketing at Korro AI and the parent of an autistic son. Her perspective combines her professional work in children's healthcare technology with years of personal experience navigating occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, feeding support, social groups, school services, and home programs with her family.

In this conversation, Nicole shares how those experiences shaped her interest in making therapy carryover easier and more engaging for children and caregivers.

Korro AI
A technology platform designed to support occupational therapy through interactive, movement-based experiences that can be used in the clinic and at home.

Learn more about Korro AI

Brian Keene, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist, Army veteran, founder of Pure Hearts Therapy, and host of the Autism Family Resource Podcast.

Pure Hearts Therapy provides neurodiversity-affirming pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy, along with parent coaching and family support. The practice focuses on helping children build meaningful skills through play, connection, regulation, and participation in everyday life.

If this episode resonated with you, please consider sharing it with another parent who might benefit from this conversation.

Listen and subscribe to the Autism Family Resource Podcast:
https://pod.link/1591840956

Explore more resources for families at:
https://pureheartstherapy.com

When your child is struggling at school, having difficulty with transitions, or waiting months for therapy, it can feel like you are constantly searching for answers without a clear roadmap.

In this episode, Brian Keene speaks with Nicole Dahl, the parent of a 19-year-old autistic son, about the real-life journey from early uncertainty and difficult school experiences toward greater understanding, advocacy, and hope.

Nicole shares how her son's sensory needs were often misunderstood, including challenges with fluorescent lighting, classroom seating, transitions, and everyday routines. She also reflects on the difference it made when therapists explained the purpose behind play-based activities and helped the family use practical strategies at home.

Together, Brian and Nicole discuss staying curious about behavior, asking better questions, supporting regulation, communicating with therapists and teachers, and recognizing progress that may be difficult to see in the middle of daily life.

This conversation reminds parents that a diagnosis does not define a child's future and that small, thoughtful changes can make a meaningful difference.

• Navigating an autism diagnosis as a first-time parent

• Advocating for support within the school system

• How sensory differences can affect classroom participation

• Understanding the purpose behind play-based therapy

• Supporting transitions and everyday family routines

• Helping children recognize and communicate their needs

• Moving from a deficit mindset toward strengths and possibilities

• Recognizing progress that happens gradually

00:00 Nicole's family and parenting journey
02:03 The path toward an autism diagnosis
04:55 School struggles and learning about IEP support
10:29 Sensory needs, classroom lighting, and seating
12:00 Therapy waitlists and understanding the purpose of therapy
17:14 Home-based therapy and supporting daily routines
19:56 Regulation, transitions, and emotional communication
26:29 Focusing on strengths, growth, and future possibilities

"You love your child more than anyone on this earth. There has never been a better advocate for your kiddo."

Nicole Dahl is the parent of an autistic son who recently graduated from high school and is preparing to attend college. Through years of navigating diagnosis, school challenges, therapy, sensory needs, and everyday family routines, Nicole has developed a deeply practical understanding of parent advocacy.

She also serves as Vice President of Marketing at Coro, a company developing tools designed to help families support children's development and emotional well-being.

• Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs

• School-based occupational therapy

• Private and home-based pediatric therapy

• Coro

• Visual routines and first-then-next language

• Sensory supports such as alternative lighting and flexible seating

Brian Keene, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist, Army veteran, and the founder of Pure Hearts Therapy. Pure Hearts Therapy provides neurodiversity-affirming occupational, speech, and physical therapy services for children and families across Arizona, along with aquatic therapy and virtual parent coaching.

If this episode resonated with you, please consider sharing it with another parent who might benefit from this conversation.

Listen and subscribe to the Autism Family Resource Podcast:
https://pod.link/1591840956

Explore more resources for families at:
https://pureheartstherapy.com

Receiving an autism diagnosis can bring both answers and a new wave of questions. What should you do while waiting for an evaluation? How do you find the right providers? And what happens if insurance denies the services your child needs?

In this episode, Brian talks with Kimberly Sadovich, Senior Clinical Director at Forta Health, about practical steps parents can take throughout the diagnosis and service process.

Kimberly explains why getting on an evaluation waitlist early can be helpful, what information families may want to document while waiting, and how honest conversations with providers can lead to better support.

They also discuss insurance denials and why a denial does not always mean the conversation is over. Parents often have more influence than they realize, especially when they work alongside their therapy providers, ask questions, follow up consistently, and understand their options.

This conversation offers reassurance for parents who may feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or unsure of what to do next. You do not have to navigate every step perfectly, and you do not have to navigate it alone.

• What parents can do while waiting for an autism evaluation

• Why it may help to join an evaluation waitlist early

• Information to document before meeting with a diagnosing provider

• Choosing qualified diagnostic and therapy providers

• What families can do after receiving an autism diagnosis

• How therapy providers may help with insurance denials

• Why parents have a voice when choosing services

• The importance of caregiver support and self-care

• When telehealth services may be helpful for families

00:00 Introduction and Kimberly's background
01:36 Autism evaluation waitlists and finding a qualified provider
06:22 What parents can document while waiting
11:23 What happens after receiving a diagnosis
13:09 Insurance denials, appeals, and provider support
22:04 Caregiver overwhelm, advocacy, and self-care

"Getting a denial is the start of the conversation, not the final end of the conversation."

Kimberly Sadovich is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Senior Clinical Director at Forta Health. She has extensive experience supporting autistic children, young adults, and their families.

Her work includes helping families navigate evaluation waitlists, access therapy services, respond to insurance barriers, and determine whether virtual ABA services may be a good fit for their child and family.

• Autism Learning Partners: Free online Registered Behavior Technician training that may also help parents learn more about behavior and supportive strategies

• Early intervention programs: Community-based services that may be available for children under age three

• School-based supports: IEP evaluations, accommodations, and therapy services available through a child's school

• Forta Health: Virtual ABA services and select in-person services for autistic children and families

Brian Keene, OTD, OTR/L, is the founder of Pure Hearts Therapy and host of the Autism Family Resource Podcast.

Pure Hearts Therapy provides home-based occupational, speech, and physical therapy services for children and families throughout Arizona, including aquatic therapy and virtual parent coaching.

The practice focuses on helping children grow through connection, play, and meaningful participation in everyday life.

If this episode resonated with you, please consider sharing it with another parent who might benefit from this conversation.

Listen and subscribe to the Autism Family Resource Podcast:
https://pod.link/1591840956

Explore more resources for families at:
https://pureheartstherapy.com