Neurodiversity Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Special Series, Part One (reprise) - Suicide Among the Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Is suicidal ideation more prevalent among the gifted population? Do our beliefs about suicide square with statistics? In part one of our series on suicide among gifted and 2e youth, Dr. Tracy Cross joins us to shed some light on a dark subject, and shares his Spiral Model of the Suicidal Mind. This is a series all parents should hear.

This is a reprise of an episode that first aired in 2019. Since then, new suicide statistics have been released. (see link below) A marked decrease in suicide was noted from 2018 to 2019. We caution that one year doesn't make a trend, but it is at least encouraging.

About the guest - Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D., holds an endowed chair, Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, and is the executive director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students at William & Mary.

He has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an Ed.S. in Educational Psychology and Guidance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an M.S. in Educational Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a B.S. in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

He received the Distinguished Service Award from The Association for the Gifted (TAG) and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the Early Leader, Early Scholar and Distinguished Scholar Awards from NAGC, and in 2009 was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MENSA Education and Research Foundation. He has edited seven journals and is the current editor of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted. He presently serves as president of TAG and is president emeritus of NAGC. Among other books, he's the co-author of Suicide Among Gifted Children and Adolescents.

You can support the podcast and receive subscriber-only benefits at www.patreon.com/neurodiversity. The Neurodiversity Podcast is available on Facebook and Instagram, and on Twitter @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

A Special Interview With Emily Kircher-Morris Aug 24, 2021

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Emily's new book, "Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom," is now officially released! This is a special episode, featuring an interview of Emily Kircher-Morris by her executive producer/husband Dave. They talk about her background, her experiences with 2e kids, and how she views the world of neurodiversity. They also preview the book!

ABOUT "TEACHING TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS IN TODAY'S CLASSROOM"

Twice-exceptional (2e) learners have often been misunderstood, disciplined, unchallenged, and left behind. Even as awareness of 2e learners has grown, educators are still in need of practical tools to recognize and support their twice-exceptional students. This book answers that need, providing teachers with accessible information about twice-exceptional diagnoses and suggested accommodations, modifications, and collaboration with other educational professionals.

Dedicated to the needs of all 2e learners, the first part of the book covers identifying and understanding 2e students, strength-based instruction, motivation and self-regulation, and executive functioning skills. The second part details how gifted students are affected by another diagnosis, including:

Specific learning disabilities
ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Processing difficulties
Anxiety-based diagnoses
Depression and other mood disorders

This book equips educators with information that will make it easier for them to advocate for their 2e students, including what they need to know about the individualized education plan (IEP) and Section 504 plan process. Special topics, such as gifted students with physical disabilities, students experiencing trauma, and gifted learners from diverse backgrounds, are also included.

With Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom, educators can better identify, support, and meet the needs of their 2e students.

You can buy the book via Amazon, Free Spirit Publishing, or wherever you buy books.

Oppositional? Defiant? Or Just Misunderstood? Aug 20, 2021

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One of the more misunderstood diagnoses in the world of neurodiversity is ODD, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. We talk with Amelia Bowler, a behavior consultant and author of the book "The Parent's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder," about the diagnosis, and how to be better at decoding the message that kids are trying to send through their defiance.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Amelia Bowler is an author, an artist, a parent, and a behavior consultant. Growing up twice-exceptional with undiagnosed disabilities gave Amelia some firsthand experience with neurodivergence, and she is now raising a fantastically neurodivergent child of her own. Her book "The Parents' Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder" was published in 2020, and her next book for teachers will be released in the spring of 2022.

Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming World Aug 10, 2021

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Emily Kircher-Morris and Joel Schwartz talk about what it would take to create a neurodiversity-affirming world where old stereotypes and perceptions are shed. Such a shift would allow neurodivergent people to be themselves, and society would benefit from a new perspective, where strengths and uniqueness of the neurodiversity community are recognized and embraced. Episode 91 is a conversation you shouldn't miss.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Joel Schwartz is a licensed clinical psychologist who co-runs Total Spectrum Counseling, a private practice in San Luis Obispo, CA with his wife Brittany Bovee Schwartz, LCSW. All of the practice's providers are neurodivergent. Dr. Schwartz specializes in therapy and testing for the misunderstood. As a therapist, he is warm, compassionate, and strongly humanistic, allowing for all the oddities and unexplored aspects of his clients to emerge and be validated. As a testing psychologist, Dr. Schwartz specializes in difficult and complex cases.

Dr. Schwartz grew up in Southern California. He developed an early interest in psychology, strangely enough, from a childhood filled with science fiction stories. These stories often provided fascinating looks into human psychology and the human spirit. Dr. Schwartz attended UCLA as an undergrad where he conducted research in the field of neurolinguistics. From there, he attended Yeshiva University's Ferkauf School of Clinical Psychology for his Master's and Doctorate degree. He has worked in various settings including colleges, clinics, a federal prison, and residential treatment centers.

Neurodiversity at University: The Transition to College Jul 29, 2021

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How is college different from high school for neurodivergent students? There's almost no comparison, and that makes the transition difficult for many. Elizabeth Hamblet is a specialist who helps neurodivergent people make decisions and successfully enter the higher education world. Emily talks with Elizabeth about the big move on episode 90.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Elizabeth C. Hamblet is the author of From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities, published by the Council for Exceptional Children, and a laminated guide on college transition, available from National Professional Resources.

Elizabeth has worked both ends of the college transition, beginning her career as a high school special education teacher and then moving to the college level in the late 1990s. She is now at her third university, where she helps students with time management, organization, reading, and study skills. In 2008, Elizabeth began offering programs to families and professionals on transition to college for students with disabilities, speaking locally and at national conferences.

She's also a contributing writer for Disability Compliance for Higher Education, a journal for higher education disability professionals, and her work has also appeared in the Journal of College Admission, Teaching Exceptional Children, ADDitude Magazine, Attention, Raising Teens, and Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, and on platforms like Understood.org and ADDitudemag.com.

Releasing the Potential of High-Ability Kids Jul 15, 2021

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How can we knock down the walls that surround many neurodivergent kids? Should teachers play a role in their students' social and emotional well-being, or is school only about academic rigor? What are some teaching techniques that will get kids talking and participating? Emily Kircher-Morris and Jim Delisle have a conversation about ways to release the potential that's often locked inside neurodivergent kids, on episode 89.

ABOUT THE GUEST - James Delisle, PhD, was a professor of education at Kent State University for 25 years and was selected by faculty and students there as a "Distinguished Professor", the University's most prestigious teaching award.

Jim has worked on behalf of gifted children and teens for nearly four decades. The author of hundreds of articles and 17 books that have been published in multiple languages, he continues to consult with schools worldwide in an effort to increase awareness of the needs of gifted children and adults. For the past several years, Jim has worked part time with highly gifted 9th and 10th graders at the Scholars' Academy in Conway, South Carolina.

What To Do When Kids Worry Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Parents often struggle with helping their children manage anxiety. Dr. Eli Lebowitz of Yale University joins us to talk about his research and work with children and their parents on managing anxiety and OCD. He's also developed a program to teach parents how to help their children with anxiety, and to help therapists learn new therapy techniques.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Professor Eli Lebowitz studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety at the Yale Child Study Center. His research focuses on the development, neurobiology, and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, with special emphasis on family dynamics and the role of parents in these problems.

Dr. Lebowitz is the lead investigator on multiple funded research projects, and is the author of research papers, books and chapters on childhood and adolescent anxiety. He is also the father of three great boys.

Say What? Neurodivergent Code Switching Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Most of us code switch. Code switching is when someone uses a certain type of language in one environment, but then switches to a different style of communication in another environment. Sarah Nannery and her husband Larry join us to talk about Sarah's experience with an autism diagnosis as an adult, and how, with Larry's help, she relearned how to navigate her professional world, and overcome the communication hurdles she faced.

ABOUT THE GUESTS - Sarah and Larry Nannery are a neurodiverse couple, loving (and stressed out!) parents, and the authors of What to Say Next: Successful Communication in Work, Life and Love with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They write about Autism, communication, parenting and partnership, and have been featured in Psychology Today and in the blog "What to Say Next."

Social & Emotional Curriculum: Learning With Heart Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

What kind of specific social and emotional support do high-ability kids need? How can we help high-ability students deal with perfectionism? How can teachers in gifted programs thrive when they are forced to play the role of counselor? How can we help neurodivergent kids cope with potential asynchrony between their emotional and intellectual abilities? We talk about all of these topics and more with Mark Hess, a Gifted Programs Specialist, on episode 86.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Mark Hess is a board member for SENG, editor or the SENG Library, and President-Elect of the Colorado Association for Gifted Students. He is the Gifted Programs Specialist in a large, urban school district in Colorado Springs. Mark's articles often appear in the NAGC blog, and he is an advisory committee member for NAGC's Teaching for High Potential. His 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Gifted Social-Emotional Curriculum books are available from Prufrock Press. As Portable Gifted and Talented, Mark has shared over 24,000 free resources for teachers and parents of gifted children.

"Pathological" Demand Avoidance? Words Matter May 18, 2021

Show notes

The language around autism and neurodiversity in general is changing. We talk with Kristy Forbes, founder of Australia-based inTune Pathways, about PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), the difference between PDA and other types of demand avoidance, and the changing language of autism, especially the terminology society uses to describe neurodivergent people.

ABOUT THE GUEST - Kristy Forbes is the founder of inTune Pathways, is autistic herself, and has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). She is a mother to four autistic children, ranging in age from 5 years to 21 years, all with varying autistic expression including non speaking and PDA, and she is married to an autistic man.

Kristy has the unique experience and insight into many perspectives: the teacher, the support specialist, the parent, the partner and the person. She understands, accepts, and acknowledges the very real challenges neurodivergent people and their families face, and the severely misunderstood and often undermined position they are in.

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