While career changes are possible later in life, our first choice defines much of our career so it’s important to make careful decisions. But when multipotentiality comes into play, there could be many solid options. Throw in something like perfectionism, and it can bring the process to a halt. Dr. Jon Goodwin from UC Santa Barbara joins Emily to talk about multipotentiality, and when there’s more than one right answer. This episode is brought to you by On Your Marq, a college success program for neurodivergent students at Marquette University. Call 414-288-0203, or go to https://www.marquette.edu/on-your-marq. Sign up for our free course, Using Fandoms + AI to Develop Coping Skills for Neurodivergent Kids, available through our learning portal, the Neurodiversity University.  Head to our new merchandise page to check out our popular “a little weird is good” t-shirt, along with lots of other shirts and swag to tell the world you support the podcast! ABOUT THE GUEST - Jon W. Goodwin, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where also serves as the Director of Clinical Training for the doctoral- and specialist-level school psychology programs. His research is focused on the assessment of learning differences and psychoeducational services for high ability students. As a licensed psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist, he provides advanced training and supervision in psychoeducational assessment, counseling and psychotherapy, and the delivery of psychological services in schools. BACKGROUND READING Jon at LinkedIn Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara

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. To register for SPACE, submit your information through this portal. For more details, head to Neurodiversity University. 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 (including Breaking Free of Child Anxiety & OCD) and chapters on childhood and adolescent anxiety. He is also the father of three boys. BACKGROUND READING Research via Google Scholar Breaking Free of Child Anxiety & OCD SPACE on Facebook

Intelligence is divided into several categories, and today we’re talking about non-verbal intelligence. It’s often harder to recognize, so it can be a struggle for people with higher non-verbal intelligence to show their abilities. What are the signs of high non-verbal intelligence? How can we tease out those signs in people who mask, or those who have spiky profiles? Mark Hess is the editor of the SENG Library, and President of the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented. Mark and Emily are talking about non-verbal intelligence, today on episode 160. Here’s a link to register for our free webinar about the SPACE program, happening Monday, February 27 at 8:00pm eastern/5:00pm pacific. SPACE is a service provided through the Neurodiversity University. Get more info on the website. Bridges Academy Online is a proud sponsor of episode 160. For more information go to bridges.edu. ABOUT THE GUEST Mark Hess is the President of the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented and editor of the SENG Library. He has published nine books for gifted specialists, including I Used to Be Gifted, as well as a number of resources for educators on critical thinking and social-emotional needs of gifted students. Through his role with Portable Gifted and Talented, Mark has shared over 25,000 free resources. You can visit his website at www.giftedlearners.org. When he’s not speaking or writing, Mark is the Gifted Programs Specialist in a large urban school district in Colorado Springs. BACKGROUND READING Mark’s website LinkedIn Facebook I Used To Be Gifted

Often, autistic girls are called shy, introverted, perfectionistic, confused, anything BUT autistic. There is a pervasive impression, even in the medical community, that autism occurs in boys vastly more often than girls. The result is, autistic girls are missing out on services and tools that are available to them. Holly Blanc Moses is a therapist, and the host of The Autism ADHD Podcast, and she joins Emily Kircher-Morris to talk about missing autism in girls. On Your Marq at Marquette University is a proud sponsor of episode 159. For more information, go to http://www.marquette.edu/on-your-marq. Also, here’s the link to pre-order A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children, Second Edition. ABOUT THE GUEST - Holly Blanc Moses is passionate about helping neurodivergent children, adults and their families. Over the last 23 years, she has provided mental health therapy in the areas of emotional regulation, anxiety, social interaction, depression, parent-child relationship, and school success. She is the host of The Autism ADHD Podcast and Autism ADHD TV. Holly is also the mother of two neurodivergent children. BACKGROUND READING The Autism ADHD Podcast Autism ADHD TV Facebook group for parents Facebook group for professionals Holly’s practice Education and course website  

The technology world is changing quickly. For confirmation, look no further than ChatGPT. Parents, teachers, and mental health professionals are rushing to determine where to draw new lines, and which lines to erase, so that kids are able to safely utilize resources and entertainment. Also, what is okay to post publicly? How can kids cope with FOMO (fear of missing out)? How can we help them deal with anxiety when they see the highly filtered lives of others on social media? Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World, and the forthcoming book Growing Up in Public. Dr. Heitner joins Emily Kircher-Morris to discuss these issues and more. This episode is sponsored by Understood. Visit U.org for expert resources on ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning and thinking differences. If you’re a parent with kids who may be struggling with anxiety or obsessive & compulsive thoughts, make plans to join us for a free webinar to learn more about a new program we’re offering through the Neurodiversity Alliance, called SPACE. Here’s the link to register, and download the PDF for more information. Listen to episode 88 for our conversation with Dr. Eli Lebowitz about the SPACE program. ABOUT THE GUEST - Dr. Devorah Heitner is a resource parents turn to for empowering advice on raising resilient and kind kids in an always-connected world. Her previous book, Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World, was an Amazon bestseller, and she is a featured speaker at conferences and independent & public schools in the United States and abroad. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN Opinion, Fast Company, and elsewhere. Dr. Heitner earned a Ph.D. in media/technology and society from Northwestern University and has taught at DePaul University, Lake Forest College, and Northwestern. Here's a link to Devorah's free email course, Seven Day Tech Habit Reset.  

We’re still in a years-long pandemic. Humanity feels like it’s crumbling. How do we deal with the inevitable feelings of existentialism? It’s common for neurodivergent people to experience it more intensely, and at an earlier age. They question life, worry about death, and generally ask, “what’s it all about?” Our guest is Leon Garber, author of a blog called Leon’s Existential Cafe, and we’re diving deep on episode 157. It’s an encore presentation of a chat from 2020, but is very pertinent today. Today’s episode is sponsored by The Council for Exceptional Children. For more information, go to exceptionalchildren.org. ABOUT THE GUEST - Leon Garber is a philosophical writer, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Psychotherapist — specializing in Existential Psychotherapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Trauma Therapy. He’s also the author of Leon’s Existential Cafe, a blog exploring issues of death, self-esteem, love, freedom, life-meaning, and mental health/mental illness, from both empirical and personal viewpoints. His practice is based in Brooklyn, NY.

What more do parents need to understand about their neurodivergent kids in order to reach that “aha” moment? Does it ever even really arrive? Penny Williams, author of Boy Without Instructions, host of the Beautifully Complex Podcast, and co-founder of The Behavior Revolution, joins Emily Kircher-Morris on episode 156 to talk about understanding what motivates our kids to be who they are. This is an episode every parent should hear. Download the Behavior Wheel here. Today’s episode is sponsored by The Council for Exceptional Children. For more information, go to exceptionalchildren.org. ABOUT THE GUEST - Penny Williams is a coach for neurodivergent families and the award-winning author of four books on ADHD, including Boy Without Instructions. She’s the host of the Beautifully Complex Podcast, co-host of the annual Neurodiversity Summits, and co-founder of The Behavior Revolution, an initiative devoted to celebrating and supporting kids with ADHD or autism.  Penny empowers parents to help their neuro-atypical kids - and families - thrive.

Often, neurodivergent people have a completely different communication experience than neurotypicals. They respond differently to regulation, attention, and motivation, and often parents struggle when trying to improve connections with their kids. Linda Murphy is the author of The Declarative Language Handbook, and she’s joining us with ideas on how to reframe communication and break down barriers. Here’s a link to the Neurodiversity University, where you can find info on our first two courses, Strategies for Supporting Twice-Exceptional Students, and Foundations of Dyslexia for Educators. We’ll be adding courses for parents, mental health professionals, and more as we enter 2023, so look for more information along the way. Episode 155 is brought to you by Bridges Academy Online, a high school education for twice-exceptional students. Find them at bridges.edu. ABOUT THE GUEST - Linda Murphy is a speech language pathologist and RDI Consultant. She co-founded the “Peer Projects Therapy From the Heart” clinic in Beverly, Massachusetts, and has authored several books and numerous articles during her career. Linda has enjoyed working with individuals with social learning differences for over 25 years.

What does it take to make a counseling practice neurodiversity-affirming? What do we need for the wider mental health community to understand or embrace in order to better support neurodivergent people? Dr. Andy Kahn from Understood.org is here to talk with Emily Kircher-Morris about these subjects and many more. The Belin-Blank Center is a proud sponsor of episode 154, for more information, go to www.BelinBlank.org. Here’s a link to the Neurodiversity University, where  you can find info on our first two courses, Strategies for Supporting Twice-Exceptional Students, and Foundations of Dyslexia for Educators. We’ll be adding courses for parents, mental health professionals, and more as we enter 2023, so look for more information along the way. ABOUT THE GUEST - Dr. Andrew Kahn is a licensed psychologist specializing in working with neurodivergent individuals. He’s also the Associate Director of Behavior Change & Expertise for Understood.org. His extensive experience within the public school system encompasses providing training, evaluation, consultation and therapeutic support to students, families and staff. Dr. Khan has also worked closely with underserved communities, and supported school committees to develop policies on mental health supports, suicide prevention, and access to learning interventions. Dr. Khan himself identifies as a person with learning and thinking differences. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse, and both master’s and doctoral degrees from Nova Southeastern University.

Destigmatizing labels. Teaching mental health professionals to be neurodiversity-affirming. Reasonable expectations of your kids, and when is it enough? Plus many other questions, asked and answered, on our third Ask Me Anything. Emily Kircher-Morris dishes it out on episode 153!  To get in on the asking, join our Facebook group: The Neurodiversity Podcast Advocacy & Support Group.