Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities

Topics discussed: Episode 156 kicks off the Beyond the Crime series with a look at the numbers: roughly 38% of people in U.S. prisons report at least one disability (versus about 15% of the general population), and conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and language disorders are all over-represented in custody. Laurie and co-host Ashton stress that disability does not cause crime, and that the e...

Topics discussed: Laurie announces a new spinoff series called "Beyond the Crime: Disability and Justice" — exploring how disabilities like ADHD, autism, intellectual disabilities, and language disorders intersect with the criminal justice system at every stage, from interrogations and confessions to competency hearings and wrongful convictions. The series isn't about excusing crimin...

Topics Discussed Amy Kopelman introduces Pathlitics , a platform that rates 700+ colleges on their level of learning disability and ADHD support, combining structured database research with honest firsthand reviews from current college students who learn differently. College disability services websites are vague and often overpromise, so families should start researching early, involve their stud...

In Episode 153 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie concludes her interview with Amber (BaconBearzz), a YouTube content creator known for covering true crime stories centered on scams and manipulation, by diving into the intersection of neurodivergence and the criminal justice system. They close with practical advice for parents newly navigating an autism or ADHD diagnosis: ask every questi...

In Episode 152 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Amber (BaconBearzz), a YouTube content creator known for covering true crime stories centered on scams and manipulation, who opens up about her own late ADHD diagnosis -- which came only after a 2023 breakdown triggered by a cascade of family crises, including her daughter's sudden vision loss and her autistic son being foun...

In Episode 151 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie and Cara tackle one of the most common questions they receive from parents - whether there are truly different "types" of dyslexia - and work through terms like stealth dyslexia, double deficit dyslexia, phonological dyslexia, and visual/surface dyslexia to separate legitimate research-based concepts from labels that have been po...

In Episode 150 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie shifts the focus away from typical back-to-school prep and onto a group of students that she thinks about most: the bright, well-behaved kids making good grades who are quietly struggling behind the scenes. Grades only tell you what a student produced, not what it cost them... and smart kids are especially skilled at compensating for learn...

In Episode 149 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie speaks with Charlotte, a University of Tennessee sophomore who works for We Know Campus - a service that connects high school students with vetted, high-achieving current college students via 30-minute Zoom calls to give honest, unscripted insight into campus life, academics, social culture, disability services, and more. The service is ex...

In Episode 148 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie speaks with Francesca Corbis and Melanie Roy from K Altman Law, a nationally recognized special education and disability rights law firm, who walk through the most common pitfalls families encounter in the IEP and 504 process - including the critical distinction between medical and educational diagnoses, the subjectivity of "education...

In Episode 147 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Caryl Frankenberger of Frankenberger Associates, a virtual organization of 22 coaches offering two core programs - individualized executive function coaching and a unique one-on-one social learning program - serving students from elementary school through adulthood across the US and internationally. Caryl walks through how both...

In Episode 146 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Lesli and Erin — two certified dyslexia therapists transitioning from public school work into their new private practice, Dyslexify — covering what dyslexia therapy actually is, why the school system keeps failing to catch and address it early, and what effective, structured literacy instruction looks like. Resources: Dyslexify...

In Episode 145 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie, Sydney, and Cara have a "Hot Topics" discussion where they each bring a current study or topic covering the systemic gaps in how learning disabilities get identified, a commonly overlooked processing disorder that flies under the radar in schools, and exciting new neuroscience research reframing how we understand and diagnose AD...

In Episode 144 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie introduces Cara Fennell, a new member of the Diagnostic Learning Services team who recently transitioned from nearly a decade as a special education teacher and educational diagnostician in Texas public schools to the private sector. Cara shares her background in early childhood special education and walks through what the school-based eva...

In Episode 143 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie speaks again with Christine Levy of the Levy Educational Advocacy Group for an "IEP 101" deep dive, covering what an IEP is, how it's structured, and the most common pitfalls families encounter. Christine walks through the core components of an IEP — parent input statements, present levels of performance, measurable goals, pr...

In Episode 142 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie speaks with John Gassner, an ADHD-certified life coach with the practice Order Out of Chaos, who runs their ADHD Athlete Coaching Academy. The conversation centers on how ADHD intersects with competitive sports for student athletes — the struggles, the benefits, and coaching strategies that help kids thrive in both arenas. Resources: Order...

In Episode 141 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie speaks with math tutor Heide Putt, founder of Mathtastic, about the three main categories of math struggle she sees in students: knowledge gaps, dyscalculia (a true math learning disability), and math anxiety. Heide shares how her background in Montessori and IB education -- both rooted in individualized, inquiry-based learning -- shaped h...

In Episode 140 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie revisits her conversation with Dr. Sandra Elliott of Touch Math, a multi-sensory math program using touch points to help struggling learners connect abstract numbers to physical objects. She explains the science behind dyscalculia and how Touch Math's structured approach bridges concrete and abstract thinking for students who find math...

In Episode 139 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie continues explaining school voucher programs. While school voucher/ESA programs offer flexibility, families of students with disabilities should be cautious - IDEA's strongest protections only apply in public schools. Once a child moves to a private school, IEPs are no longer legally enforceable and services become limited, leaving fam...

In Episode 138 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie and Sydney explore the newly launched school voucher programs, specifically Texas's Education Freedom Account (EFA), which opens for applications in February 2026. Resources: ESA and Voucher Handout: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHAq1wGjXI/UDGoMY_q217FyQ8ZiXDNgw/view?utm_content=DAHAq1wGjXI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=...

In Episode 137 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie and Sydney discuss why many students and adults seek testing accommodations only when facing high-stakes exams such as the SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, GRE, bar exam, or medical licensing tests. Requests often come from two groups: high-school students whose families are newly aware of the accommodations process, and older college or graduate stu...

In Episode 136 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie and Crystalyn chat with Frances Okonkwo, CEO of SEEDS International ABA Services, who shares her personal and professional journey into applied behavior analysis (ABA). Originally pursuing a medical career, Frances discovered ABA through a friend and quickly fell in love with the field because of the meaningful impact it had on individuals...

In Episode 135 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie discusses the emotional impact of learning disabilities and ADHD with Jacob Santhouse, a licensed counselor and the founder of Olive Counseling. Santhouse, who is dyslexic himself, focuses his practice on the emotional side of neurodivergence rather than just the academic or language-based struggles typically associated with dyslexia. He n...

In Episode 134 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Christine Levy, the founder of Levy Educational Advocacy. Christine shares that her passion for advocacy grew from her diverse background in education, which included roles in elementary education, specialized instruction, and administration. Resources: Levy Educational Advocacy Website: https://www.levyadvocacy.com/ Contact inf...

In Episode 133 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Nancy Disbrow, founder of Neuro-osity. Nancy shares her background as a former corporate HR executive who, after 20 years, realized her calling to advocate for neurodiversity in the workplace. Living with dyslexia and ADHD herself, she recognized how little awareness there was in corporate environments about differently wired br...

In Episode 132 of Let’s Talk Learning Disabilities, Laurie interviews Alex Merrill, founder of Alliance Tutoring, about specialized tutoring services for students with learning disabilities and executive functioning challenges. Alex shares his journey from being a teacher for 15 years at various New England private schools to launching Alliance Tutoring in 2019, initially working with students exp...