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

For this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist, speaker, podcaster, media commentator, and an expert on a variety of psychological and mental health issues. Dr. Saltz is also the author of the new book, The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius, which explores the strengths of neurodiversity.Dr. Saltz is mental health advocate and is passionate about fostering acceptance and understanding for differently wired ways of being. In our conversation, Dr. Saltz and I talk about the connection between neurodiversity and strengths, how kids can be best primed to tap into their gifts and reach their full potential, what needs to happen to eliminate the stigma associated with being differently wired, and much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation.Dr. Gail Saltz is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of medicine and a psychoanalyst with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. A frequent contributor in the media, she is a columnist, bestselling author, podcast host and television commentator and one of the nation’s foremost go-to experts on a variety of psychological and mental health issues, especially those pertaining to women’s emotional well-being, relationships, and the mental health aspects of current news. Things you’ll learn from this episode The inspiration behind and audience for Dr. Saltz’s book, The Power of Different How Dr. Saltz defines genius (both with a “big G” and a “small g”) The connection between neurodifferences and strengths What do our kids need to tap into their inner genius How we as parents can help our kids connect with their untapped potential and strengths The benefits of neuropsych testing and getting data about a child’s strengths and weaknesses The 80:20 ratio of teaching to kids strengths versus deficits What Dr. Saltz thinks it will take for the conversation around neurodiversity to change 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

This week I’m excited to be bringing to the show Dr. Ross Greene, an expert in explosive children. Dr. Greene is a powerful voice in the movement to change the way children, and in particular differently-wired children, are treated. Many parents in the Tilt community know him as the author of the The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children. But he’s also the author of Lost at School, and his most recent book Raising Human Beings, a speaker and curriculum developer, and the originator of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model. This model helps parents, teachers, and kids work together to solve problems in a way that respects our kids while supporting them in improving their behavior.Dr. Greene is also the founder of Lives in the Balance, which aims to provide resources and programs to caregivers of explosive children and behaviorally challenging kids, address the issues that cause many of these kids to slip through the cracks; and to promote practices that foster the better side of human nature in all children. Dr. Ross Greene is the Founding Director of Lives in the Balance, served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and is now adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech and adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. Resources: The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Dr. Ross Greene Lives in the Balance (Dr. Greene’s website) Lost at School: Why Our Kids With Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Dr. Ross Greene Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child by Dr. Ross Greene Lost and Found: Helping Behaviorally Challenge Students (and While You’re At It, All the Othersby Dr. Ross Greene The Kids We Lose (upcoming documentary) 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

In this special kid’s POV edition, 13-year-old Asher answers listeners' questions on everything from his strategies for staying organized with school assignments to how he feels about having ADHD.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

Author and life coach Andrea Owen shares her personal story of how she continues to live her best life while accepting and embracing who her differently-wired son is.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

Debbie talks with cultural changemaker, author, and entrepreneur Jess Weiner about how to become successful advocates to best support our differently-wired kids.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

Today I’m excited to be bringing to the podcast Peter Shankman, a multiple-startup founder, best-selling author, and the creator of Faster Than Normal, a leading ADD/ADHD podcast, focusing on the benefits of being gifted with ADD/HD, which describes who Peter is. In this episode, we talk about Peter’s new book, Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain, along with Peter’s story of how he’s learned how to not only manage his ADHD, but tap into the gifts that come along with the diagnosis. As the mama of a boy with ADHD, I loved this conversation and Peter’s infectiously positive attitude in the way he moves through the world. But even if your child doesn’t have ADHD or perhaps isn’t differently-wired at all, Peter’s perspective on the importance of self-knowledge and setting yourself up for success, as well as his ideas around productivity and creativity, are messages everyone can benefit from. Things You'll Learn from This Episode: Peter’s story of growing up with ADHD in the 1980’s How Peter manages his ADHD without medication to make it work for him rather than against him An inside look at Peter’s podcast centered on interviewing successful people about how they tap into the gifts of their ADHD How Peter has developed rules and systems for himself to help keep himself focused and on task The importance of self-awareness and self-knowledge for people looking to own and benefit from their ADHD Peter’s advice for parents raising kids with ADHD  Resources Mentioned: Peter Shankman’s website Faster Than Normal Podcast Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success With the Secrets of the ADHD Brain by Peter Shankman 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

In this episode of the Tilt Parenting Podcast, I’m talking about sensory processing disorder in children with the fabulous Carol Kranowitz, the author of many books about SPD, including The Out-of-Sync Child and The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up. A former preschool teacher, Carol is passionate about informing people about sensory processing disorder in children and helping parents and educators understand how to recognize and support kids with sensory issues.I read Carol’s book The Out-of-Sync Child when Asher was about four years old, and I immediately had that sense of YES . . . this is what’s going on, so it was a thrill and honor to get to chat with Carol about what sensory processing is, how to recognize it in kids, what it looks like at different ages, as well as to hear Carol’s thoughts on efforts to get SPD fully recognized as a disorder. This is a fascinating conversation with one of the world’s top voices on SPD—I hope you enjoy it!  Things you’ll learn from this episode What sensory processing disorder in children is The 3 types of sensory processing issues: sensory modulation (most common), discrimination issues, and sensory based motor problems How parents can recognize if their child has sensory processing issues The connection between SPD and other neurodifferences such as autism, ADHD, and OCD What to expect for sensory processing disorder in children at different ages  Resources mentioned for sensory processing disorder in children Carol Kranowitz’s website The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz Star Institute (www.spdstar.org) Jean Ayres (Sensory Integration Global Network) Lucy Jane Miller (founder of the Star Institute) Helping People Accept That Your Child Has SPD (online course at Star Institute) 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

Debbie talks with Julie Neale talks about her journey as mother to two differently-wired boys and how she's supporting mothers in living an E.P.I.C. life through Mother's Quest.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

A conversation with the coauthor of "Child Decoded," Dr. Robyn McEvoy, about how parents can forge a viable path to move forward and best focus their energy in raising their exceptional child.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

This week I’m talking with Zach Morris, the executive director and development of curriculum and instruction at LEARN Inc. LEARN Inc. is an non-for-profit school in Missoula, Montana in the United States which is approaching education in a thoughtful and alternative way, and with powerful results, especially for their neurodivergent students, which make up to 75% of the student body. Their mission is to facilitate individualized learning opportunities that honor neurodivergence, encourage social collaboration, and foster whole-person growth. And as a result, the kids at LEARN are getting the opportunity to develop with confidence and feeling seen for who they are.I know that this education piece—figuring out how to help our child develop a love of learning and reach their full potential—is one of the most challenging pieces of raising differently wired kids, and I just have to say that talking with Zach left me feeling inspired, hopeful, and motivated. Zach believes there is a different way, and he’s doing his part to push the needle forward. Together we talk about the the philosophy of nonviolent communication, what can happen for our kids when we practice compassion with them, and how parents like us can bring some of Zach’s philosophy into our lives to support our kids. This was one of those mind = blown conversations for me. I hope you like it. Zach Morris M.Ed is a leader in education. He holds a Montana State educators license, he is HANDLE level 1&2 certified, and he is an active pursuant of Non-Violent Communication practices. His current research targets neurodiversity and learning. Things you’ll learn from this episode What it looks like when education is grounded in compassion and the principles of nonviolent communication, ecological literacy, and whole person learning (social, emotional, physiological, and academic) Why Zach believes the key to education is individualization and diversity within the system How a child can be shifted from feeling they do everything wrong to feeling like they can are heard and can contribute How Zach helps a child with PTSD from their previous educational experiences recover How parents can incorporate Zach’s philosophy into their daily lives Why Zach believes that we have choice in everything  Resources mentioned for whole-person learning Learn Inc A Deep Dive Into Diagnoses, Assessments, and Labels, with Dr. Melissa Neff  The Center for Nonviolent Communication  Speak Peace in a World of Conflict  Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life  Dr. Devon MacEachron on Assessing and Supporting Twice-Exceptional Learners  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