In It: Raising Kids Who Learn Differently

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Feeling socially isolated as a parent? You’re not alone Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

Parenting can often feel socially isolating. On this episode of In It, we hear from a few parents who have felt socially isolated while raising kids with learning and thinking differences.

They share some of the challenges they have run into and talk about some strategies they’ve found for building relationships with other adults.

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Timestamps

(1:10) Parent friendships

(1:59) When your parenting style is misunderstood or judged

(5:48) Finding parents who can relate

(7:34) Realizing the risks that come with sharing experiences with other parents

(8:49) Being friends with parents of kids who are not friends with your own kid

(10:31) When the parent is neurodiverse

For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at init@understood.org

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.

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Signs of dyscalculia and other tips from a math expert Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

What is dyscalculia? How can parents spot it? And is it anything like dyslexia?

Find out about all of this and more from Brendan Hodnett. Brendan is a middle school special education and math teacher. He is also an adjunct professor at Hunter College in New York City, where he offers courses on inclusive ways to teach math.

Tune in to learn more about early signs of dyscalculia, how it affects kids inside and outside the classroom, and tips that can help.

Related resources

Timestamps

(1:04) How to pronounce dyscalculia

(1:38) How dyscalculia relates to dyslexia

(2:48) How it affects a child’s concept of time and sense of direction

(4:34) Early signs

(5:29) Exploring a diagnosis

(10:24) How dyscalculia shows up outside of math class

(13:48) Understanding money

For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at init@understood.org

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What were they thinking? An expert on teenage brains explains Jan 02, 2025

Show notes

From school to friends to home, being a teenager is tough. Also tough? Raising one!

On this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome Karen Wilson. Karen is a clinical neuropsychologist, director of West LA Neuropsychology, and host of the Diverse Thinking, Diverse Learning podcast.

Tune in to get Karen’s expert advice about supporting your child through the teen years.

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Timestamps

(01:35) What’s going on in teens’ brains

(06:10) When teens want more independence

(16:56) Sexual and gender identities

(21:48) The awesome side of teens

For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

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Another lost sneaker? How to cover the unexpected costs of raising a kid Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

Money. Budgeting. Savings. They’re all stressful. And when you factor in the added expenses that can come with raising a child with learning and thinking differences, it can feel like too much.

In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome personal finance expert Kim Palmer. Kim is a mom to three kids and she writes for NerdWallet. She’s also the author of three books about money: Smart Mom, Rich Mom; The Economy of You; and Generation Earn.

Tune in to get Kim’s expert advice about budgeting when you have kids with learning and thinking differences.

For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

Related resources

Timestamps

(1:38) Unanticipated expenses

(5:54) Budgeting tools

(10:53) Emergencies and the struggle to save

(22:23) Letting kids in on the finances

For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

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Candy or money as a reward? The answer might surprise you Dec 05, 2024

Show notes

We’ve all been there: Our child is refusing to do something that, to us, seems super reasonable. Do we offer them a reward to get them to cooperate? Where is the line between bribery and rewarding a child? Will we ruin them?

In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome Dr. Andy Kahn back to the show. Dr. Andy is a licensed psychologist and Understood’s associate director of behavior change and expertise. He’s also the host of the podcast Parenting Behavior with Dr. Andy Kahn.

Tune in to get Andy’s expert advice about bribes and rewards.

Related resources

Timestamps

(1:22) The difference between a bribe and a reward

(5:08) Pairing verbal praise with reinforcement

(8:31) How close to the behavior should the reward be

(16:03) Money as a reward

(21:08) Behavior charts and LTDs

(25:14) Helping kids change behaviors

For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page at Understood.org

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

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Parental burnout? What to do before you lose it Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

Sometimes, parents and caregivers can feel overwhelmed or burned out. Caring for children can feel exhausting and add up without us even realizing it.

What’s a parent to do?

In this episode of In It, we talk with Dr. Nekeshia Hammond. Hammond is a psychologist, executive function coach, and motivational speaker. She specializes in helping people navigate burnout and exhaustion, as well as how to build resiliency.

During our conversation, Nekeshia shows us ways to answer the following questions:

How am I doing?
What do I need?
What steps can I take today to make some improvements in my life?

She also talks about the importance of finding support you can lean on and understanding that you, as a parent or caregiver, don’t have to do everything.

Timestamps

(02:08) Taking a minute

(04:47) Adult time-outs for managing parental burnout

(06:28) Long-term strategies for your mental health and finding boundaries

(11:11) Delegating tasks and accepting help

(14:07) What to do when we lose it

(17:10) Knowing when to walk away

(20:25) Feeling isolated

Related resources

For a transcript of this episode and additional resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do parenting podcast hosts always take their own advice? Nov 07, 2024

Show notes

This week on In It, a crossover episode!

Co-host Rachel Bozek chats with Mallory Yee, PhD, who is a host of Shining With ADHD, a parenting podcast from The Childhood Collective. Mallory is also a licensed psychologist specializing in kids with ADHD.

On this episode, the two talk about how they handle moments and situations when their personal and professional lives meet.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.org.

Timestamps

(04:30) Relating to our kids’ teachers
(09:20) Being able to look back and laugh
(12:54) Mallory on our personal vs. professional selves
(14:29) Rachel on taking experts’ advice in real life
(16:00) Thinking about our own advice and expectations

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Is the news stressing your kids out? Tips for getting through it Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

The news is often scary, confusing, and sometimes overwhelming. And kids who learn and think differently may have an especially hard time with intense news cycles.

In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek talk with returning guest Dr. Kristin Carothers. Kristin is a clinical psychologist based in Atlanta and New York City who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral interventions. She’s also an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine and an expert contributor for Understood.

Kristin offers tips and strategies to help parents and caregivers navigate difficult news cycles with kids who learn and think differently.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

Related resources

Timestamps

(3:18) Understanding the effect the news is having on your child

(6:45) Flexible thinking

(9:50) Respecting different points of view

(13:32) Perseveration

(17:08) Managing the impulse to overshare

(17:44) Understanding levels of disclosure

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ADHD and addiction: Knowledge is power Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

You may have read or heard that kids with ADHD are at a higher risk for addiction. Is this true? If so, why? And what can we, as parents and caregivers, do about it?

In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek talk with Dr. Roberto Olivardia. Roberto is a Massachusetts-based clinical psychologist. He has spent years evaluating people for learning and thinking differences including ADHD. And he was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.

He shares helpful information to help families understand the relationship between the risk of addiction and ADHD.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

Related resources

Timestamps

(02:01) Chemistry of ADHD

(02:40) Helpful statistics about risk and ADHD

(06:15) Self-medication studies

(13:28) Risk of addiction

(15:34) Talking to younger kids

(21:22) The importance of communication

(22:16) Assertiveness skills for kids

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The “more” kids (from the “Good Inside with Dr. Becky” podcast) Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

This week on In It, we’re sharing an episode of another podcast we love called Good Inside with Dr. Becky.

The show’s host, Dr. Becky Kennedy, is a clinical psychologist and mom of three. Each week, she talks to parents, experts, and trusted friends and colleagues about strategies and tips for the stickiest parenting situations.

We’re sharing an episode called The ‘more’ kids, featuring Dr. Becky in conversation with Debbie Reber, the founder of Tilt Parenting. The two define what it means to have a “more” kid. These are kids we might describe as “deeply feeling.”

From resistance to tears and meltdowns, “more” kids have big reactions, and yes, usually more often. Listen to learn about strategies for navigating life with a “more” kid.

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