

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
Debbie Reber
Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of raising a neurodivergent child? Full-Tilt Parenting is here to help. Hosted by parenting activist and author Debbie Reber, this podcast is your go-to resource for navigating life with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), giftedness, and twice-exceptional (2e) kids. With expert interviews and candid conversations, you'll discover practical solutions for things like school challenges and refusal, therapy options, and fostering inclusion, social struggles, advocacy, intense behavior, and more — all through a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming lens. Whether you're struggling with advocating for your child at school or seeking ways to better support their unique needs, Debbie offers the guidance and encouragement you need to reduce overwhelm and create a thriving, joyful family environment. It's like sitting down with a trusted friend who gets it. You’ve got this, and we’ve got your back!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 26, 2025 • 37min
TPP 016b: Understanding and Navigating the Parent-Teacher Relationship with Becca Wertheim
Becca Wertheim, a second-grade teacher at an inclusion school in North Carolina, talks about her experience as a teacher meeting the individual educational needs of a group of students with diverse learning styles, and her insight for parents who are looking for better support and communication with the teachers in their children’s lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 23, 2025 • 39min
TPP 466: Rebecca Bush Offers a Pathway for Parents with Newly-Identified Dyslexic Kids
Today we’re talking about dyslexia—what it is, what it isn’t, and how parents can best support their children after a diagnosis. My guest is Rebecca Bush, a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and founder of Lead Changes, a private practice that supports children with dyslexia, as well as the author of the new book Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child, a compassionate, step-by-step guide for families just beginning this journey. In our conversation, Rebecca shares the myths and misconceptions parents often encounter, and the critical importance of early intervention. We talk about the early signs to look for, how language and advocacy shape outcomes, and the support systems that can make all the difference. Rebecca also offers practical, reassuring advice for parents navigating the emotional and practical realities of raising a child with dyslexia.
About Rebecca Bush
Rebecca Bush is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and the founder of Lead Changes, a private practice that supports children with dyslexia and the families who love them. With nearly 20 years of experience in education, including roles as a classroom teacher, literacy leader, and founding director, Rebecca brings a rare blend of deep expertise and grounded empathy to every conversation.
Rebecca specializes in helping parents navigate the emotional and practical journey after a dyslexia diagnosis, offering evidence-based strategies, advocacy tools, and encouragement that’s both real and reassuring. She’s also the author of Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child, a compassionate, step-by-step guide for families just beginning the path. Beyond her work in literacy, Rebecca is trained in equine-assisted services and believes deeply in the power of movement, connection, and trust-building as tools for emotional resilience. She’s known for keeping things honest, hopeful, and jargon-free, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but it should come with support.
Things you'll learn from this episode
How Rebecca’s work as a dyslexia therapist helps parents understand the complexities of language acquisition in reading and writing
Why early intervention and structured literacy approaches like Orton-Gillingham are critical for supporting children with dyslexia
How parents often grapple with feelings of overwhelm and guilt, especially given the genetic component of dyslexia
Why community, advocacy, and resources like Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child are invaluable for families on this journey
How dyslexia can overlap with other learning differences such as dysgraphia and dyscalculia
Why understanding how the brain processes language is key to effectively addressing dyslexia
Resources mentioned
Rebecca’s website, Lead Changes
Dyslexia and Your Newly Diagnosed Child: Parenting Essentials, Tips and Strategies to Help Your Child by Rebecca Bush
Free Trust Your Parent Gut Quiz
Rebecca on Instagram
Orton-Gillingham
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Sep 19, 2025 • 47min
TPP 247a: Dr. Jody Carrington on Lifting Up Educators, Parents, Caregivers, and Anyone Else Who Supports Children
My guest for this episode, Dr Jody Carrington, a clinical psychologist, speaker, and author based in Alberta, Canada, has spent most of her career working with children and families who have experienced trauma, and has learned that kids can only be as okay as the adults in their lives are okay. The result of her insights is the wonderful book Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting With Those We Teach, Lead & Love.
Jody offers powerfully grounded insights and strategies for parents, caregivers, and teachers to connect with and show up for our kids and each other.
Things You'll Learn from This Episode:
Why it’s so important that kids have meaningful connections with adults in
their lives, including (and perhaps especially) teachers
The importance of showing emotional regulation to kids (and why emotional regulation can’t be learned without dysregulation)
What is a “light up moment”
How labels are often relied upon in schools to provide context but miss the actual story
Jody’s answer to the question: “Is it ever too late” with older kids who may
have experienced trauma or have really tricky conduct
Why and how our real power comes from connecting and supporting each other
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Sep 18, 2025 • 21min
TPP 465: How Can I Help My Kids Find Meaning When I’m Struggling to Find it Myself?
Debbie Reber and Zach Morris answer a listener's question about how parents can support their kids' search for meaning and connection while navigating their own struggles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 16, 2025 • 43min
TPP 464: Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Post-Traumatic Parenting and Breaking the Cycles that Almost Broke You
Today we’re diving into the ways our own trauma can shape how we show up as parents, and how we can begin to break those inherited cycles with Dr. Robyn Koslowitz, a clinical child psychologist, trauma treatment expert, and author of Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be. In our conversation, Robyn shares insights from her book, including the concept of “secret ACEs,” the “trauma app” that can override our instincts, and the different subtypes of post-traumatic parenting. We also talk about how to recognize our triggers, the importance of self-care, and the role of the inner child in this work. Robyn’s approach blends research, clinical wisdom, and lived experience, and she offers practical hacks for navigating the challenges of parenting when trauma is part of our story.
About Dr. Robyn Koslowitz
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz is a clinical child psychologist, trauma treatment expert, and author of Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be. As the founder of the Post-Traumatic Parenting model, Dr. Koslowitz helps parents break free from inherited patterns and become the parents their children—and their inner child—need. Her core message is simple yet profound: Your inner child can’t raise a child, but raising your real-world child can heal your inner child.
Dr. Koslowitz combines research-backed tools, clinical insights, and lived experience to help parents transform trauma into growth. As she says, Adulting is hard. Adulting is especially hard if you never childed.And parenting? That’s adulting on steroids. Her “trauma app” metaphor has reached thousands, empowering parents to recognize and rewrite the patterns that no longer serve them—or their children.
Things you'll learn from this episode
How trauma can shape parenting by acting as a mirror, map, and motivator for healing
Why hidden or “secret” ACEs accumulate and impact the way parents show up with their children
How children often reveal a parent’s triggers, creating opportunities for growth and repair
Why post-traumatic parenting can manifest in patterns like paralysis, perfectionism, or disengagement
How healing begins with befriending our instincts and using the AIM method of acceptance, integration, and meaning-making
Why self-care and play are essential tools for connection, regulation, and attunement in parenting
Resources mentioned
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz’s website
Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle, Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be by Dr. Robyn Koslowitz
Post-Traumatic Parenting Podcast
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Instagram
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on LinkedIn
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz on Threads
Dr. Robyn Koslowitz’s YouTube channel
Erik Erikson
Georgie Wisen-Vincent on Unlocking Our Kids’ Emotional Balance and Resilience with The Way of Play (Tilt Parenting podcast)
The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Kind and Confident Kids by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent
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Sep 12, 2025 • 44min
TPP 318a: What Parents Need to Know about the IEP Process, with Therapist Beth Liesenfeld
If you’re the parent of a differently wired kid with a diagnosed
learning disability, you likely have had experience with Individualized
Education Plans, otherwise known as IEPs. And if this is you, my hunch
is you have some feelings about IEPs and the whole process — the
stresses, the unknowns, the fact that it might feel like you have to
understand a completely different language just to get the services and
supports your child needs and deserves in schools.
Occupational therapist Beth Liesenfeld, the woman behind a company, podcast, and resource called The IEP Lab, joins us to answer your
questions around how parents can better prepare for an IEP meeting, what
makes a good IEP, and how we can go about making changes on an IEP if we realize the accommodations aren’t being effective or if a school isn’t following through in the way the IEP outlines.
Beth Liesenfeld, MOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist passionate about
providing “insider” information of the school’s process and culture to
parents in order to increase collaboration between parents and school
staff! Her company, The IEP Lab, provides online workshops and courses
as well as produces The Parent IEP Lab Podcast.
Things You'll Learn from This Episode:
What parents actually need to know before they go into an IEP meeting
The criteria for designing an effective and supportive IEP
The intention behind the goals written into any IEP, and how to create goals that lead to hoped-for outcomes
What parents can do if their children’s school doesn’t follow through on the accommodations provided in their child’s IEP
How to include accommodations for students who are struggling with school refusal and therefore may not be meeting attendance requirements
What the IDEA says about seeking an IEP for twice-exceptional children who may be performing “adequately” but aren’t reaching their potential
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 9, 2025 • 36min
TPP 463: Author and Advocate Julie Green on Generational Autism and Radical Acceptance
In this episode I’m talking with Julie Green, author of the memoir Motherness, a powerful exploration of generational autism, parenthood, and radical acceptance. Julie, who was late-diagnosed herself and is raising an autistic child, takes us inside her journey of self-discovery and diagnosis, and we talk about the emotional complexities of coming to understand our own neurodivergence while parenting neurodivergent kids. We explore the healing power of writing, the importance of storytelling and compassion, and the challenges many families like ours face along the way. Julie’s memoir is a testament to these shared experiences, and this conversation is a deeply honest look at what it means to parent—and to live—with radical acceptance.
About Julie Green
Julie Green is the author of Motherness, a memoir about generational autism, parenthood, and radical acceptance, released by ECW Press in September 2025. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, HuffPost, Parents, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and more. She has been featured on CTV, BBC Radio, Global News, Sirius XM, and other media outlets, and was a finalist for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2024. Through her platform The Autistic Mom, Julie shares her lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic woman raising an autistic child.
Things you'll learn from this episode
How Julie’s decade-long journey to understanding her neurodivergence was shaped by limited representation for autistic women
Why writing became an essential tool for Julie to process her experiences and emotions
How receiving a formal diagnosis brought relief and clarity to her life story
Why Julie’s memoir Motherness shines a light on the complexities of parenting an autistic child while navigating her own identity
How practicing self-compassion and protecting her child’s privacy are central to Julie’s storytelling
Why community, connection, and embracing one’s identity remain vital for neurodivergent individuals and families
Resources mentioned
Motherness virtual book launch on September 23 (free registration via EventBrite)
Julie Green’s website
Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood, and Radical Acceptance by Julie Green
Julie’s Substack, The Autistic Mom
The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman’s Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home by Katherine May
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
Katherine May and the Electricity of Every Living Thing (Tilt Parenting podcast)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 5, 2025 • 48min
TPP 120b: Back to School Special with Understood's Amanda Morin
Amanda Morin of Understood joins Debbie for a special back-to-school episode to help families prepare for easing into the coming school year with as much confidence and serenity as possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 2, 2025 • 41min
TPP 462: Dr. Stephen Porges and Karen Onderko on the Safe & Sound Protocol
I’m thrilled to share this conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges and Karen Onderko about the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a therapeutic approach grounded in Stephen’s groundbreaking polyvagal theory. Stephen, a Distinguished University Scientist and originator of the polyvagal theory, has spent decades helping us understand how our nervous system shapes behavior, connection, and healing. Karen, who was instrumental in bringing SSP from the lab into clinical practice, has been a tireless advocate for expanding access to polyvagal-informed care around the world.
In this episode, we dive into the origins of SSP, the science behind it, and what makes it such a powerful tool for supporting emotional regulation—especially for people navigating trauma and neurodivergence. Stephen and Karen share stories from real-life applications of the protocol, explain how co-regulation plays a central role, and highlight the many ways SSP can foster connection and resilience. Whether you’re new to polyvagal theory or already familiar, this is a hopeful and inspiring conversation about what’s possible when we work with the nervous system to support healing.
About Dr. Stephen W. Porges
Dr. Stephen W. Porges is the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems. He is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™. In collaboration with Anthony Gorry, he co-created a Sonocea® Enhanced acoustic technology, engineered to support homeostatic functions and embedded in the Rest and Restore Protocol™.
With Karen Onderko, Deb Dana, and Randall Redfield, he is a cofounder of the Polyvagal Institute. He has authored several books, including the Polyvagal Perspectives: Interventions, Practices, and Strategies (2024). He has coauthored Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing (2025) with Karen Onderko.
About Karen Onderko
Karen Onderko is a passionate advocate for advancing the understanding and application of polyvagal principles to improve care, connection, and acceptance among people. She played an important role in bringing SSP from the laboratory to the clinical world, conducting the initial testing, developing the training, and supporting the SSP provider community. Together with Dr. Porges, she has written a book about SSP titled Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach to Connection, Change and Healing. Regularly witnessing the transformative power of a polyvagal-informed approach, she is eager to support the promotion of education and access to PVT for people in diverse communities throughout the world. Karen is a founding board member of the Polyvagal Institute.
Things you'll learn from this episode
How the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) draws on polyvagal theory to support nervous system regulation
Why melodic voices and filtered music can help calm the body and mind
How SSP offers a non-invasive, evidence-based option for individuals dealing with trauma and anxiety
Why co-regulation is a key part of making SSP therapy effective
How real-life case studies show powerful transformations when SSP is used, often alongside other therapies
Why the ultimate goal of SSP is creating greater flexibility in the nervous system’s response to stress
Resources mentioned
Dr. Stephen Porges’ website
Polyvagal Institute
Karen Onderko (at PVI)
Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing by Stephen Porges, PhD and Karen Onderko
Polyvagal Theory: Current Status, Clinical Applications, and Future Directions
Randall Redfield (at PVI)
Doreen Hunt (at Unyte)
Safe and Sound Protocol (at Unyte)
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Aug 29, 2025 • 35min
TPP 223a: Parenting Bright Kids Who Struggle in School, with Dewey Rosetti
Author, youth advocate, and co-founder of PEN (Parent Education Network) Dewey Rosetti talks about her new book, "Bright Kids Who Struggle in School" and teaching from a strengths-based approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices