Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

As many listeners know, Asher is doing a gap year this year, having graduated from high school last summer. And so I’ve been pretty immersed in this topic, but I’ve been getting so many questions from families who want to know more about navigating gap year. And in fact, I’ve been hearing more and more about the benefits of gap years for ALL students, not only neurodivergent kids, especially since the pandemic. The questions I get the most are what exactly is a gap year? How is a parent to know if their child would benefit from taking a gap year? How should a student be spending their time between high school and college, if that is indeed the next step for them? And where should I start when it comes to finding and vetting the best programs and possibilities for a child taking this year between high school and what comes next?To explore this topic, I invited Dr. Eric Endlich, a clinical psychologist, founder of Top College Consultants, and expert who guides students with learning differences and mental health challenges through the college application process. I asked Eric how we can determine as parents whether our kid is ready or not for college, what types of gap year experiences for neurodivergent students exist, and how universities perceive a student taking a gap year when considering their application. We also talked about how to find the right program for your student and how to do some voting to make sure it’s the right fit.As you’ll hear from the episode, Eric has a wealth of knowledge about ways to navigate the sometimes lengthy and unique runway for neurodivergent students. I hope you enjoy this conversation!About Dr. Eric EndlichEric Endlich, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and founder of Top College Consultants, guides students with learning differences and mental health challenges through the college application process. Dr. Endlich has served on the Learning Differences/Neurodiversity and DEI Committees of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and was honored by IECA with a “Making a Difference” award for contributions such as a database of neurodiversity-friendly colleges. He co-teaches a course, Working with Students with Learning Differences, and co-manages a 16,000-member Facebook group for parents of college-bound neurodivergent students. A national presenter, researcher and professional writer, Dr.Endlich has been interviewed by various media including Forbes, Money magazine, College Confidential and U.S. News & World Report. Things you'll learn The key components when considering a student’s college readiness, including academic capabilities and independence skills What types of gap year experiences are possible (from formal programs to DIY) How colleges perceive gap years, as well as whether to apply to universities before or during a gap year A look at the types of formal gap year programs specifically designed to support neurodivergent students Strategies and insights for researching and vetting gap year programs  Resources mentioned Top College Consultants Top College Consultants' Articles Neurodiversity in College (Top College Consultants' Resource) Top College Consultants on Facebook Young Scholars Academy The Dorm (therapeutic treatment center for young adults) Parents of College Bound Students with Learning Disabilities, ADHD and ASD (Facebook group) Dynamy Gap Year program Mansfield Hall (post-graduate program in Connecticut) Mitchell College Landmark College Summer Program Middlebridge School (post-graduate program in Rhode Island) SOAR Gap Year program Semester Off Program (Massachusetts) Franklin Academy (post-graduate program in Connecticut) Winston Transitions (non-residential post-graduate program in New York) CIP Transition Program at Berkeley (California)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and gifted education advocate Deb Douglas explains the importance of helping gifted learners advocate for themselves, as well as how parents can support them in doing so.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting Coach Margaret Webb joins Debbie Reber for this Parent Lean-In episode, where they answer a listener question:Our 9 year old (autism, ADHD, anxiety) struggles with games/ any competition and responds with physical aggression when he loses. We have tried many therapies and medication with no changes in this area. We know this is a nervous system response and possible PDA response, thus accommodate at home by allowing him to win. However he has started to play games at school and is having outbursts as his peers don't accommodate and will win. I'm not sure if our accommodations are inadvertently creating more issues as he is so used to winning and if we should create more opportunities at home for him to lose so he can learn to work through it, however I feel like we've tried that and he still was never able to cope. Would love any ideas! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If I told you there was a passive intervention that could help your kiddo and your family increase the window of tolerance in the way the world is received, would you believe me? Well today, I’m sharing a conversation on exactly that — it’s called the Safe and Sound Protocol, and it’s essentially a therapeutic listening program designed to support emotional regulation and neuroception. I was first introduced to SSP by a therapist our family was working with and I wanted to know more about how it works, and how it can support kids who have what Dr. Mona Delahooke refers to as a less-sturdy nervous system platform.I reached out to educator, author, and bodyworker Autum Romano to join me for this conversation, as she is passionate about nervous system regulation as a foundation for transformative whole health. Autum, who is also neurodivergent and twice-exceptional, is known for her intuitive healing approach. She recently collaborated with Dr. Porges on a case study for his upcoming book on the benefits of the Safe and Sound Protocol, and last year published her own childrens’ book called Body Wisdom and the Polyvagal Theory, which introduces polyvagal theory in an easy-to-understand way.In this conversation, we talk about what neuroception is and why it’s critical to helping our kids develop a felt sense of safety, as well as what the Safe and Sound Protocol actually is. She explains how it essentially re-patterns the brain’s nervous system through listening, creates a safe space for brain and body integration, and leads to impactful, long-lasting results.This is a fascinating conversation about polyvagal, neuroception, and nervous system support that definitely left me wanting to know, and experience, more. I hope you get a lot out of it. About Autum RomanoAutum Romano is an educator, author, and bodyworker who’s passionate about nervous system regulation as a foundation for transformative whole health. Autum holds certifications as a Neuromuscular Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist, Safe and Sound Protocol Provider, Craniosacral Therapist, Reiki Master, and Certified Trauma Informed Care Provider with over 27 years in the field and more than 25,000 massages given. Known for her intuitive healing approach, Autum is also neurodivergent and twice-exceptional. She recently collaborated with Dr. Porges on a case study for his upcoming book on the benefits of the Safe and Sound Protocol.In collaboration with her son, Autum has authored a children’s book titled Body Wisdom and the Polyvagal Theory. Crafted for pre-readers and individuals with dyslexia, their goal is to democratize the Polyvagal Theory, viewing it as a user manual for the body. They aim to make this valuable knowledge accessible to a diverse and inclusive audience. Things you'll learn: How neuroception works to detect safety or threat without conscious awareness The ways in which body work can help individuals understand their neuroception What the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is and how it stimulates the ventral branch of the vagus nerve through music The benefits of going through the SSP on our kids’ window of tolerance and nervous system How Autum’s book Body Wisdom and the Polyvagal Theory introduces polyvagal theory to kids of all ages  Resources mentioned: Autum Romano’s website Autum on Instagram Autum on Facebook Body Wisdom and the Polyvagal Theory by Autum Romano Dr. Stephen Porges and Polyvagal Theory Safe and Sound Protocol My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem Deb Dana’s website, Rhythm of Regulation Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory by Deb Dana Deb Dana on Befriending Our Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory (Tilt Parenting Podcast) To receive 10 percent of Autum’s Safe & Sound Protocol Home Program, use the code TILT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode, I’m talking with Elisheva Schwartz, a dyslexia researcher, mother, wife, intelligence re-definer, and host of The Dyslexia Quest podcast. Elisheva is on a mission to empower the dyslexic community to fully understand both the strengths and the difficulties of the processing style.If you have a child with learning differences like dyslexia, this is a must-listen-to episode, as Elisheva gets personal and shares her story of her own childhood of struggling to reconcile her passion for learning with repeatedly being told she was learning disabled. Luckily for the rest of us, Elisheva has channeled the pain of her own childhood journey to helping families raising kids with learning differences help their kids feel empowered and confident about who they are, while also knowing how to advocate for them in school. I hope you enjoy our conversation. About Elisheva: Elisheva Schwartz is a dyslexia researcher, mother, wife, intelligence re-definer, and podcast host. She’s on a mission to decode the dyslexic mind and empower the dyslexic community to fully understand both the strengths and the difficulties of the processing style.Both her academic background in Cognitive Science and Education, as well as her own personal experiences with dyslexia, allows Elisheva to draw on a unique blend of both the personal and scientific. Elisheva often writes about dyslexia, cognition, learning, creativity and intelligence, and maintains an occasional column at The Creativity Post.Additionally, Elisheva often speaks at universities and conferences, with some of her latest speaking engagement including The International Dyslexia Association (Panel) and University of Philadelphia.  THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: Elisheva’s personal why for creating The Dyslexia Quest What the biggest roadblocks are for kids with learning differences like dyslexia in a traditional school setting What reframing dyslexia to view it through a strengths-based lens looks like How parents can help kids feel more positive about their learning differences How parents can work with schools to get them the support their child needs Elisheva’s advice on how parents can best approach their child’s learning differences and support their child What parents can expert in their journey of supporting their kids What the gifts of dyslexia are  RESOURCES MENTIONED: The Dyslexia Quest Podcast Elisheva on Instagram Elisheva on Facebook The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Brock L. Eide Dyslexic Advantage (website) Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I can’t tell you how many parenting books I’ve read, but I can tell you that sometimes when I finish reading a parenting book, I feel a sense of loss or stress or as if I'm somehow behind and need to backtrack to get things going in the right direction. So when I come across a book that feels supportive and accessible, I’m always happy to share it with you. And that is definitely the case with The 5 Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans, the new book by friend of the pod Dr. Aliza Pressman.I think what I love so much about Aliza’s work is that she compassionately reminds us that there’s no one “right” way to raise good humans. Instead, in her book she helps parents charge a manageable course for raising good humans that’s in alignment with our own values and our children’s unique temperaments. The five principles outlined in her book that she walks through with us in this conversation – Relationship, Reflection, Regulation, Rules, and Repair – can be used to get things right often enough, because there’s not getting a perfect score in parenting. Lots of great reminders in this conversation, and the one I appreciated the most is that even though what it takes to raise good humans may sound simple, that doesn't mean that it’s easy, or that it’s not going to feel messy. In fact, it’s most definitely going to feel messy, and that’s okay! About Dr. Aliza PressmanDr. Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist with nearly two decades of experience working with families and the health care providers who care for them. Aliza is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Behavioral and Developmental Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital where she is cofounding director of The Mount Sinai Parenting Center. Aliza is also the host of the award-winning podcast, Raising Good Humans. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College, an MA in Risk, Resilience, and Prevention from the Department of Human Development at Teacher’s College and her PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Aliza also holds a teaching certificate in mindfulness and meditation from The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley. Aliza is the mother of two teenagers. Things you'll learn from this episode The definition of a 'good human' is subjective and varies from family to family The five principles of parenting are relationship, reflection, regulation, rules, and repair Resilience is an important aspect of parenting, especially for neurodivergent children The principles can be applied to various parenting situations, including sibling conflicts Parenting is supposed to be messy — there is no one-size-fits-all approach  Resources mentioned for the 5 Principles of Parenting Aliza Pressman’s website The 5 Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans by Dr. Aliza Pressman Aliza’s Raising Good Humans Podcast Aliza on Instagram Mount Sinai Parenting Center SeedingsGroup W. Thomas Boyce (Orchid Children)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Math for Middles founder Adrianne Meldrum explores common math challenges for atypical learners, why a multisensory math approach works, and how to help kids struggling with math push through their blocks.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about OCD on the show, so when anxiety and OCD expert Natasha Daniels reached out about her new book, Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids, I was excited to get into it all and pulled together a lot of questions ready to make this conversation as helpful as possible for our community.You may know Natasha from her popular AT Survival Parenting podcast, or some of her other books like Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide, How to Parent Your Anxious Toddler, Social Skills Activities for Kids, andIt’s Brave to Be Kind, or from her past visit to this show. She has more than two decades of experience as a child therapist, and combines her clinical expertise with her lived experience in her work, as she’s raising her three kids with anxiety and OCD. You also may have seen her work featured in places like Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, PsychCentral, The Child Mind Institute and The Mighty.So for today’s conversation, I wanted to do a deep dive into OCD and learn more about what it is, how it manifests, signs of OCD that might be missed by parents, how to tease out when something is OCD versus anxiety or ADHD or other types of neurodivergence, and lastly, how parents can support their children if they have OCD. And of course, Natasha shared some insights and tools from her new Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids, which is truly a powerful, and easy-to-use resource for any child navigating OCD and the challenges that come along with it. About Natasha DanielsNatasha Daniels is an anxiety and OCD child therapist with over two decades of experience. She combines both her clinical expertise with her lived experience, raising her own three kids with anxiety and OCD.She is the author of several books including Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide, How to Parent Your Anxious Toddler, Social Skills Activities for Kids, It’s Brave to Be Kind, The Grief Rock, and Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids.She is the creator of the website AT Parenting Survival, As well as the host of the show AT Parenting Survival Podcast and the Youtube channel, Ask the Child Therapist. Her work has been featured in various places including Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, PsychCentral, The Child Mind Institute and The Mighty. Things you'll learn from this episode How OCD begins and manifests in children What intrusive thoughts or feelings are and how they can lead to compulsions Why OCD is often misdiagnosed as ADHD, anxiety, or self-harm and why it’s important to receive an accurate diagnosis What exposure response prevention (ERP) therapy is and how it supports individuals with OCD What OCD with support looks like over time with helpful treatment and the development of coping skills The importance of early intervention in supporting children with OCD How Natasha’s book Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids provides evidence-based tools and strategies to help children understand and manage their OCD  Resources mentioned for Unmasking Autism Natasha Daniels’ website Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Overcome OCD With CBT and Exposures by Natasha Daniels Natasha Daniels Talks about Anxiety and OCD in Kids (Tilt Parenting Podcast) AT Parenting Podcast AT Parenting Survival Online Courses AT Parenting survival on Instagram AT Parenting survival on Youtube Filmmaker Chris Baier Helps Families Get Unstuck from OCD (Tilt Parenting Podcast) UNSTUCK: An OCD Kids Movie (Available with Spanish, French, Russian, Greek, Portuguese subtitles and an audio description) Help for Childhood Anxiety and OCD with Dr. Eli Leibowitz (Tilt Parenting Podcast) Space Treatment website   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author, coach, and mindfulness expert Michelle Gale (Mindful Parenting in a Messy World) talks about how mindfulness not only supports our children's development, but allows us to parent with more joy and confidence.Connect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Alok Kanojia discusses healthy gaming habits for kids, distinguishing addiction from normal gaming, the impact of gaming on children with ADHD, and the importance of holistic approaches. The conversation explores fostering open communication, balancing virtual and real-world identities, and setting achievable goals for raising healthy gamers.