Neurodiversity Podcast

What are you grateful for regarding neurodiversity? Our listeners share their thoughts, and Emily Kircher-Morris reflects on the things she's thankful for during this kickoff of the 2021 holiday season. While we're on the subject, thank YOU for making 2021 the biggest year of growth in our history! 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

Emily Kircher-Morris has a discussion with Joy Lawson Davis and Deb Douglas, authors of a new book called Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students, about equity challenges in public education. They provide a snapshot of the contributors who helped write the book from their individual perspectives as marginalized, neurodivergent students, and describe why eliminating gifted programs won't fix equity issues in gifted education. Many more topics as well, on episode 104. ABOUT THE GUESTS - Dr. Joy Lawson Davis is a career educator with over 30 years of experience as a practitioner, scholar, author, and consultant. A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Dr. Davis holds both Master's and Doctorate degrees in Gifted Education. She is currently the Special Populations columnist for the NAGC publication Teaching for High Potential, and serves on the Gifted Child Today advisory board. Dr. Davis served a two-year term as chair of the NAGC's Diversity & Equity Committee and is an at-large member of the NAGC Board of Directors. Deb Douglas has a Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, and is the architect of the GT Carpe Diem Workshop, a system designed to empower gifted and high-potential children to self-advocate. She's a past president of the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted. 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

Learning to empower our kids and students to do for themselves is often harder than just doing it for them. But ultimately they will need autonomy, so we must help them hone their executive function skills now. Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Sarah Kesty about how to go about helping our kids, and how to retrain teachers to help their students be self-empowered. It's another great conversation you shouldn't miss. ABOUT THE GUEST - Sarah Kesty is an executive function expert, an international speaker, an autism specialist with the state of California, a published author, and a 504 and IEP expert. She's also the host of The Executive Function Podcast. Sarah specializes in developing executive function skills in teens and tweens. She's the author of Everyone Has Something, which she hopes will empower divergent learners to embrace their journeys and reframe their struggles in a positive light. She has worked with students with a range of disabilities for over 15 years, and writes for educational media such as KQED and Edutopia. The Neurodiversity Podcast is available on Facebook and Instagram at Neurodiversity Podcast, and on Twitter @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com.

People with ADHD have to face both the strengths and struggles that come along with their diagnosis. During ADHD Awareness Month, we're presenting some important conversations we've had along the way about ADHD, including this conversation with Brendan Mahan, who shares his struggle with ADHD and executive function. This conversation was first released in October of 2019. ABOUT THE GUEST - Brendan Mahan, MEd., MS, is an ADHD/Executive Function consultant, coach, and speaker. As a veteran educator, he is skilled at teaching people how to effectively manage the challenges they face. He and his twin sons have ADHD, and he enjoys helping others with ADHD meet the challenges they face. Brendan is also host of the ADHD Essentials podcast. The Neurodiversity Podcast is available on Facebook and Instagram at Neurodiversity Podcast, and on Twitter @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

Emily Kircher-Morris previews the inaugural GTN Awareness Week with Marc Smolowitz, producer and director of the upcoming movie The G-Word. We talk about the organization behind the event and how you can get involved. GTN Awareness week is October 25-29, and will feature different events each day. To take part in the free activities and discussions, go to www.thegwordfilm.com. To hear the interview with Marc about the stories of the people featured in The G Word, and for more info about the movie, click here. ABOUT THE GUEST - Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the film and entertainment business. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Krakow, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based film company that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The Neurodiversity Podcast is available on Facebook and Instagram at Neurodiversity Podcast, and on Twitter @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

People with ADHD have to face both the strengths and struggles that come along with their diagnosis. When ADHD is combined with giftedness (twice-exceptionality), those struggles can be magnified, or maybe worse, hidden. On episode 100 Dr. Matthew Fugate shares data from his research about ADHD and provides parents and teachers insight into better understanding our kids. This conversation was first published June 26, 2019. About the guest - Dr. Matthew Fugate received his doctorate in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies at Purdue University. Prior to this, he worked as an elementary teacher in the Houston Independent School District where he also served as a Gifted Coordinator and Magnet Coordinator. Dr. Fugate's past research has examined the relationship between working memory and levels of creativity in gifted students who have ADHD characteristics. He also examined the coping mechanisms of twice-exceptional girls in secondary school as they navigate both their academic studies and interpersonal relationships. He has presented to parents, teachers, and schools across the United States and internationally on topics such as creativity, curriculum compacting, identification, twice exceptionality, underserved populations, and total school cluster grouping. The Neurodiversity Podcast is available on Facebook and Instagram at Neurodiversity Podcast, and on Twitter @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

Today's classroom can feel like an alien environment for neurodivergent learners, and the resulting anxiety can derail and disrupt their educational experience. Simple and easily-implemented accommodations can completely change outcomes. How important is placement for a child's happiness and well-being? What do psychological professionals understand that educators often don't? Creating an educational environment for neurodivergent kids in a system that isn't made for them, on episode 99 of the Neurodiversity Podcast. ABOUT THE GUEST - Dr. Laura Anderson Kirby is a licensed clinical psychologist, providing evaluations and therapy for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While ASD is her specialty, Dr. Kirby has broad training in child clinical psychology and works with children and families from various backgrounds with a wide range of presenting problems including anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depression. She's also the parent of two children. ​Dr. Kirby has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Duke University, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. At Yale, she was trained in the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) program, which is a parent-training program recently found to be quite effective for decreasing childhood anxiety. She's the author of a children's book called Henrietta's Thistleberry Boots.

Some colleges and universities are beginning to understand the challenges of autistic and otherwise-neurodivergent people to adapt to the higher education experience. One such university is Marquette, who has developed a program called "On Your Marq," to equip autistic students for the new rigors of academia. Emily Raclaw runs the program, and Emily Kircher-Morris sits down to talk with her on episode 98. Emily Raclaw, MS, LPC is the director of Marquette's On Your Marq program. She's a lifelong Milwaukee resident and brings 15 years of disability in education expertise to the program. She has presented at several conferences and trained other college success programs on the topics of disability as diversity, neurodiversity, and programming. Emily taught high school special education, worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and coordinated a college success program for students with disabilities. She is an expert in program creation and development, as well as a disability advocate and professional. She is also a licensed professional counselor. 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 our Twitter handle is @NeurodiversePod. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

On episode 97 we talk with Fleassy Malay about prosopagnosia, commonly referred to as "face blindness." What are the symptoms? What can you do to lessen the effects, and how can you enlist the help of your friends and colleagues? Fleassy is a TEDx speaker and viral poet, is the host of the new "Fierce Gentle - The Courageous Voice Podcast," and deals with the challenges of prosopagnosia every day. ABOUT THE GUEST - Fleassy Malay is a two-time TEDx speaker and viral poet. She's a global advocate for women's rights, LGBTQI+ visibility, and a fierce voice for the power of authenticity and courage as a social change tool. Founder and CEO of Melbourne's acclaimed Women's Spoken Word organization and monthly event, Mother Tongue, she has guided the voices of thousands of women into the world. Fleassy studied at the famous London stage institution The BRIT School, which was also the source of talents such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Kae Tempest and more. She now writes and presents regularly to her online community of over 20k followers with poetry, talks, and opinion pieces. In 2017 she published her book, Sex and God, and in 2018, launched her album of spoken word, Unhear This. In 2020 she successfully crowdfunded her latest book Virago: A Poetic Manifesto. 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

This is the final installment of our series on suicide among gifted and 2e people. Today, Lisa shares the story of what led to her son's suicide, and we get a glimpse of her current state of mind, nine months after Nick's death. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255.