Autism & Neurodiversity

As parents, teachers, coaches, therapists, etc. who mentor autistic and neurodivergent young people, it can feel like we’re at war. We’re battling dysfunction, regression, and stagnation. In this episode, Jason shares his favorite quotes from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, and he applies them to mentoring and parenting. We’d love to hear what your favorite quote is from this episode. Email support@jaso...

Emotional dysregulation is a core symptom of ADHD and Autism. In this episode, Debbie discusses why neurodivergents are more likely to get emotionally dysregulated, what approach supports emotional regulation, and how we play a role in emotional regulation. Debbie also discusses what you need to detach from to create more attachment and improve your relationship with your child, teen, or young adu...

When you’re parenting and mentoring autistic and neurodivergent young people, there are several factors that can compound the challenges. Only focusing on one factor can lead to power struggles. This topic often comes up in conversations with parents of our students at TechieForLife. In this episode, Jason offers insights into understanding the factors to be aware of and what solutions are needed....

To effectively and sustainably parent, teach, coach, or work with autistic and neurodivergent children, teens, and young adults, you want to be showing up from a higher brain state not a stressed lower brain state. Self-mentoring is a simple and profound tool to help you engage and recharge your brain so you can access your own wisdom, intuition, and resourcefulness to better mentor and support ne...

*Trigger warning, specific talk about suicide. Autism suicide or talk of suicide is a difficult topic that comes up for many autistic and neurodivergent young people. The rates of suicide are higher in the neurodivergent population than among neurotypicals. We are sorry if you are having to deal with suicide or the possibility of it in someone you love. Our goal of this podcast is to support you a...

Parenting or working with an autistic and/or neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult comes with challenges. I want you to enjoy your experience more. I want to support you in showing up as the parent and supporter you want to be. You don’t have to wait for things to get better, for your young person to change, or for people to give you the support you need to enjoy things now. Listen in, to fin...

Depression in autistic and neurodivergent young people and how to effectively treat it, has not been studied as extensively as in the general neurotypical population. There a some common misunderstandings about what depression is and isn’t, what causes it, and what helps it especially for neurodivergents. In this episode, Jason offers some important things to understand about depression and especi...

The male to female ratio of autism diagnosis is approximately 4:1. The diagnostic criteria is based primarily on male samples and does not account for how females present. This may be contributing to late and under-diagnosis in females. Dr. Ingrid Boveda recently presented her findings on autistic females at a conference we attended and we’re excited for you to hear from her. We discuss the differ...

When you have a neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult, it can be challenging to figure out what supports and accommodations are helpful or needed. Whether you are completely new to this with a fresh neurodivergent diagnosis or you’ve been at this a while, I have some perspectives to offer you on this episode to help you approach these decisions with more confidence. Because I know it can be o...

Autistic and neurodivergent children, teens, and young adults need us for the long-haul. When you’re a parent, caregiver, or mentor in some capacity it can be easy to get burned out. In this episode, Jason dives in to one of the biggest contributors to burning out for him and offers some tips for combating it. What You'll Learn from this Episode: One of the big causes of burnout for parents, careg...

Parenting a neurodivergent young person into adulthood can be a messy and challenging process. We appreciate Karen coming on our show and sharing her perspectives and insights as an educational consultant and mother to an autistic adult daughter. She is passionate about helping young people, and her perspectives from her professional and personal experiences can help us better support our neurodiv...

There are plenty of things to get stressed about when you are parenting a neurodivergent young person. The extra support demands, the crisis that pop up, the unmet expectations and societal judgements, and our own lack of self care to name a few. When we’re stressed it’s hard to show up as the parent we want to be. I want you to know you don’t have to continue parenting like that. Listen in to lea...

How do you know you’ve done your job to help your neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult develop? We don’t necessarily know what their full capabilities and disabilities will be. In this episode, Jason talks about what it can take to help someone with neurodivergent disabilities develop and live their best life. What You'll Learn from this Episode: How to know if you’ve done your job. How to h...

Do you feel like you struggle and fail a lot as a parent? Or do you watch your neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult suffer through fails over and over again? How we respond to these fails can actually support development or hinder it making things so much harder. You really can turn fails into amazing wins. Listen in to learn what I mean by this and start experiencing more developmental wins...

Are you making things worse by trying to be an involved parent of your neurodivergent teen or young adult? It can be tricky when they are neurodivergent and still need supports but also want to be more independent. If you stay in the parent roll and try to keep them in a child roll you may ultimately be doing more harm than good. It may be time to remove yourself from the parent/child equation. In...

Do you sometimes have a hard time connecting with your neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult? Whether you’re neurotypical or neurodivergent yourself, there are many things that might be getting in the way of connection -positive connection that is foundational to effective parenting and mentoring. Listen in as I discuss one of the biggest things that gets in the way of connecting and some sim...

College readiness is not the same thing as college capable. There is an important difference between these, and there are specific skills necessary to be college ready. When you look at preparing your neurodivergent teen for college and independence you’ll want to make sure you are focusing on these, too. Listen in on our discussion with Eric (who is autistic himself) as we talk about what parents...

Are you a worrier? Anxious? Do you worry about your autistic or neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult? Worrying is exhausting! It feels terrible! If you’re ready to get off the worry bus and experience more well-being in your life, and parent with confidence, give this episode a listen. Debbie explains why worry is not helping you support your child’s development, and may be adding stress to...

Receiving a neurodivergent diagnosis can be confusing. Especially when you get it later in your life as a teen or adult.​ You may not know how you feel about it or what it means. In this episode, Jason has some perspectives to share with you to help you going forward. What You'll Learn from this Episode: What a diagnosis means and what it doesn’t mean. Why having a neurodivergent brain can cause y...

Do you have hesitations around getting your child, teen, or young adult evaluated or diagnosed? Are you worried it will put them in a box? Or they will use it as a crutch? Are you against the idea of your child, tee, or young adult being labeled? In this episode, Jason addresses some of the common concerns and explains why the pros far outweigh any perceived cons. What You'll Learn from this Episo...

Life is full of problems and parenting a neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult offers some unique ones. In this episode, I share a different way to look at problems that helps you tap into your best problem solving mode. I also explain why the way you view negative behaviors may be adding to your struggles instead of alleviating them. What You'll Learn from this Episode: A more helpful way to...

If you're not good at having boundaries or clear on your priorities, you may be heading for burnout, which doesn't serve you or allow you to continue to be there for those that you love and care about. To effectively and sustainably parent or work with neurodivergent children, teens or young adults, it's valuable to examine what your priorities are and how to protect your emotional resources. In t...

With a neurodivergent brains, there are inherent weaknesses and different timelines for development than typical brains. Neurodivergent young people struggle with some things that typical brained peers don’t struggle with or have figured out much earlier in their development. There are also gifts that come from having a neurodivergent brain or raising a neurodivergent child, teen, or young adult....

How can you find more joy? In this episode, Jason takes a deep dive into the difference between joy and happiness, and how it plays into our relationships with ourselves and others. For neurodivergent children, teens, and adults who sometimes struggle with relationships and connecting, Jason offers some helpful perspectives to find more joy in your relationships with yourself and others. What You'...

Holidays and big events should be fun, right? What’s not to love- family, friends, food, festivities, breaks from routines, changing things up, maybe some travel, lots of stimulation, high expectations… Oh wait! No wonder some kids, teens, and young adults, especially neurodivergent ones, struggle, get overwhelmed by it all, or even have melt downs. In this episode, I share some perspectives and t...