The Neurodiversity Podcast talks with leaders in the fields of psychology, education, and beyond, about positively impacting neurodivergent people. Our goal is to reframe differences that were once considered disabilities or disorders, promote awareness of this unique population, and improve the lives of neurodivergent and high-ability people.
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When highly capable children spend years cruising through an educational system where academic rigor is geared toward the average, they fail to develop the neurological muscles required to process difficulty. This week, we present an encore chat with Dr. Brian Housand, coordinator of the academically or intellectually gifted program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Andi McNair, a gifted education author and digital innovation specialist. They discuss how burnout can be a resul...
When a neurodivergent child or teen struggles with daytime focus, emotional volatility, or low frustration tolerance, caregivers naturally look for behavioral or psychological explanations. However, chronic sleep deprivation frequently hides behind these daytime struggles, acting as an unseen amplifier for executive dysfunction and sensory overload. Dr. Melisa Moore, a clinical psychologist and board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist at Rady Children's Health San Diego, joins Emily ...
Dr. Sharon Saline, author of "What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew," offers insights into ADHD, highlighting its biological basis and common misconceptions. She presents the "Five C's" approach for parents to build empowering relationships and addresses the significant overlap between ADHD and anxiety. The discussion also touches on the differences and similarities between ADHD and autism, providing practical strategies like the "START" method for emotional regulation, and offering hope and encouragement for parents.
When creating policies and environments for neurodivergent students, schools frequently rely on outward observations, behavioral data, and the opinions of non-autistic professionals. But this approach often misses the most critical perspective of all: the lived, internal experience of autistic individuals. Today, Emily Kircher-Morris welcomes David Rivera, an autistic self-advocate, UC Berkeley student, and founder of the nonprofit organization Mentoring Autistic Minds, and they talk about why a...
Dr. Lori Desautels, an applied educational neuroscience professor, discusses reframing discipline and emotional regulation by focusing on the adult's nervous system and "embodied awareness." The episode explores why transitions are biologically exhausting, how to build language around physical sensations, and a compassionate framework for repairing ruptures between adults and children. It emphasizes shifting from compliance to co-regulation, making regulation a universal support rather than just an individual skill.
How often do we label someone "unmotivated" or "defiant" when they fail to start a task? What if the barrier isn't a lack of will, but an inability to simulate the future? Sarah Ward, a speech-language pathologist and co-director of Cognitive Connections, joins Emily to redefine how we conceptualize executive function. Sarah moves the conversation beyond the ability to get things done and instead frames it as a complex mental simulation. They discuss the "time horizon" and why students with ADHD...
This episode with Dr. Kelly Mahler explores interoception, our often-misunderstood eighth sense, and its critical role in how neurodivergent individuals perceive their bodies and emotions. It delves into the daily challenges stemming from hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity, addressing issues like toileting, eating, and emotional regulation often misinterpreted as defiance or rudeness. The discussion highlights the importance of validating inner experiences, challenging cultural conditioning, and offering practical strategies, including proactive breaks, to build interoceptive awareness and foster self-compassion.
Dr. Danica Maddocks joins Emily Kircher-Morris to discuss how standard parenting advice, like reward charts, often backfires for neurodivergent kids due to misunderstandings about their fluctuating capacity and strong drive for autonomy. They delve into how to interpret challenging behaviors, navigate complex overlapping traits, and move away from hierarchical approaches. The conversation encourages parents to embrace curiosity, challenge arbitrary limits, and adopt collaborative problem-solving to build a family life that truly fits their child's unique brain.
Why is inattentive ADHD so often missed, especially in girls? In this episode, Emily Kircher-Morris is joined by Cynthia Hammer, author of Living with Inattentive ADHD and founder of the Inattentive ADHD Coalition. Cynthia shares her personal journey of being diagnosed at age 49 and her late-life mission to ensure the next generation of girls doesn't have to wait decades for answers. The two discuss the subtle clues of inattentiveness, the overlap between ADHD and autism, and how perfectionism o...
This week, Emily welcomes Kyrus Keenan Westcott, the creator behind The Vibe with Ky. Ky is an ADHD/neurodiversity advocate, host, and theatrical director who uses his massive platform to validate the neurodivergent experience with humor and radical honesty. In this episode, Ky opens up about his ADHD diagnosis at age 34 and the subsequent journey through anger, mourning, and eventual acceptance. They talk about the fluctuating capacity of the ADHD brain, why we can build a website in a day but ...
Why does friendship feel like an intuitive gift for some, but a complex, manual process for others? This week, Emily Kircher-Morris sits down with social-emotional learning expert Caroline Maguire, author of the award-winning Why Will No One Play With Me? and the upcoming Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults . The conversation dismantles the harmful narrative that connection should happen organically, reframing social struggles not as character flaws, but as understandable skill gaps infl...
In this episode, Emily sits down with education leader, school founder, and author Chris Balme to completely reframe how we view the middle school years. Rather than treating early adolescence as a miserable phase to simply muddle through, it's a period of profound neurological transformation and peak human potential. Redesigning educational environments for neurodivergent students, by prioritizing smaller, consistent advisory cohorts and scaffolding executive function, creates a safer, more eng...
Emily Kircher-Morris, Rebecca Duffus, and Lyric Rivera discuss reframing autism from pathology to identity, sharing personal journeys of late discovery and the accompanying complex emotions. They highlight the importance of authentic, affirming language over toxic positivity and strategies to empower autistic youth for self-advocacy in a world not always built for them. The conversation also touches upon intergenerational neurodivergence and the varying landscapes of autism support in the US and UK.
Parenting often feels like a high-stakes balancing act, especially when raising neurodivergent children. The pressure to get it right, advocate effectively, and manage dysregulation can leave parents frustrated and exhausted. But what if the key to being a calmer, more effective parent wasn't about doing more, but about treating yourself with more kindness? Today, Emily sits down with Dr. Jen Ferris, a former child development professor and author of Parenting with Self-Compassion . They move be...
Emily Kircher-Morris and speech-language pathologist Nicole Casey explore child-led support, dispelling myths that portray it as chaotic. They advocate for shifting from adult-directed, compliance-based therapy to a partnership model that centers the child's interests, fostering genuine connection and agency. The discussion highlights the importance of recognizing multimodal communication, understanding Gestalt Language Processing, and using qualitative rubrics instead of rigid "80% accuracy" goals to track authentic, real-world progress in neurodivergent children.
This week, Emily Kircher-Morris sits down with Sol Smith, the founder of the NeuroSpicy Community and author of The Autistic's Guide to Self-Discovery . Sol brings two decades of education, and his lived experience as an Autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic individual, to the discussion. They talk about the complex feelings of imposter syndrome that many neurodivergent adults face - the feeling that life is a stage play where everyone else got the script but you - and the difficulty of masking and unmas...
This episode explores how educators can apply therapeutic principles, like understanding counter-transference and neuroception, in the classroom without acting as therapists. Maria Munro-Schuster shares insights from her book, The Empathetic Classroom, advocating for a mental health mindset focused on nervous system regulation and building strong relationships. The discussion also covers setting flexible boundaries and overcoming systemic barriers to support both students and adults effectively.
David Smith, a late-diagnosed autistic therapist, shares how his personal journey transformed his clinical approach from expert to fellow traveler, emphasizing curiosity and humility in neurodiversity-affirming care. He discusses why traditional therapeutic models often fail neurodivergent clients, the critical role of stress management, and the profound overlap between complex trauma and neurodivergence. The episode also explores the nuances of demand avoidance, including its internalized presentation as perfectionism, and advocates for a
This episode features Cindy Goldrich discussing the crucial concept of "parenting the child you have" rather than the child you expected, especially for those with ADHD. It highlights that executive function is developmental and can be significantly delayed in neurodivergent kids, often confused with motivation. The conversation differentiates between enabling and truly supporting a child's skill-building, emphasizing that parental calm is power and advocating for explicit skill teaching over punitive consequences. The discussion also touches on the impact of parental executive function and the importance of parent coaching.
Episode 300! For decades, the standard response to challenging behavior has been simple: reward the good, punish the bad. But what if non-compliance isn't a sign of disrespect, but a signal of distress? Why do traditional behavioral frameworks like PBIS often miss the mark for neurodivergent students? And how can adults shift from being enforcers to problem-solving partners? Today, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and the upcoming book The Kids Who A...
Emily Kircher-Morris chats with Diane Dempster and Elaine Taylor-Klaus about the complexities of motivating neurodivergent kids, explaining why conventional methods often fail. They delve into how executive function challenges and dopamine needs impact motivation, proposing the PINCH framework as a guide to identify effective motivators. The discussion offers parents strategies to foster engagement, move beyond fear-based approaches, and cultivate self-awareness through transparency and experimentation.
Many brilliant young people experience the dichotomy of disability layered on top of their intelligence. It's called twice-exceptionality, or 2e for short. What are the common misconceptions about twice-exceptional individuals? How do traditional models fall short when identifying the learning disabilities of our brightest kids? And why is early recognition so pivotal? Emily talks with Dr. Danika Maddocks, a psychologist, parent coach, and founder of the Gifted Learning Lab, about the intricacie...
As we wrap up 2025, we are featuring some of our most important conversations, including this conversation about IQ, intelligence, and intelligence assessment. Emily Kircher-Morris welcomes Dr. Jack Naglieri, an emeritus professor at George Mason University and senior research scientist at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. Dr. Naglieri is renowned for his work in intelligence testing and the development of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test. In this sprawling conversation, Emily and J...
Emily Kircher-Morris and Dr. William Dodson have a conversation about the complexities of ADHD, in which they discuss emotional dysregulation, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD), and social anxiety. They talk about how RSD manifests in ADHDers, and how we can distinguish it from social anxiety. They also explore the impact of childhood experiences, the vital role of relationships, and the need for updated diagnostic criteria. This conversation was taken from a two-part series earlier in 2025....
Tim Villegas discusses his evolving understanding of inclusive education, emphasizing that it's more than just placing students in general education settings, but rather about creating intentionally designed, supportive environments. He shares personal experiences of implementing co-teaching and addresses how to foster belonging through meaningful contributions. The conversation critically examines the concept of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), arguing for schools to adapt to student needs rather than the other way around.
Today, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Carla Ciccone, a Toronto-based writer and author of the book Nowhere Girl, about her experiences with ADHD, identity, and motherhood. Carla talks about dealing with her late diagnosis of ADHD, and the overall impact of societal expectations on women. They talk about the difficulties of navigating life with undiagnosed ADHD, how it increases the challenges of parenting, and the importance of self-awareness and therapy in managing ADHD symptoms. TAKEAWAYS Whe...
Cookie-cutter curriculum can be Kryptonite to a gifted kid, and can often spark a decline into a place where underachievement becomes the norm. Dr. Jim Delisle helps us probe the world of underachievement, and suggests ways to help people of various underachiever profiles break their chains. Our hearts are heavy with Jim's recent passing. Jim Delisle was a giant in the field of giftedness and neurodiversity, and one of its fiercest advocates. He was a friend, an important collaborator, and his c...
Emily Kircher-Morris welcomes Sumit and Viraj Dhanda, a father-son duo who are working to update and rethink norms around communication, intelligence, and inclusion. Viraj is a nonspeaking autistic student who was diagnosed with autism and apraxia as a young child. Viraj and his father, Sumit, talk about their journey navigating the challenges and misconceptions surrounding non-verbal communication, the impact of apraxia, and the importance of presuming competence. Viraj shares his personal expe...
Emily Kircher-Morris welcomes filmmaker Nicola Rose, to talk about her film 'Magnetosphere,' a movie about the world of synesthesia. Nicola shares her insights and challenges of portraying neurodivergence in cinema, the difficulty and complexity of independent filmmaking, and the personal journey of understanding her own ADHD diagnosis. They talk about the creative process, the importance of authentic representation, and the universal themes of growing up and self-discovery. TAKEAWAYS Synesthesi...
Emily Kircher-Morris talks with writer Amy Mackin, author of Henry's Classroom: A Special Education in American Motherhood , about her experiences navigating the special education system for her son, Henry. They discuss the challenges of accessing appropriate resources, the impact of social isolation, and how community support can make a huge difference. They talk about Amy's transition from public school to homeschooling, and the benefits of a more holistic approach to education that broadens t...
