Beacon College's "A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity" The Podcast

“A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity" | S4 E7 Helping LD Kids Deal with Loneliness Childhood. A time for scraped knees, giggles, and friendships forged in PlayStation battles and shared bags of Doritos. But for some children, that Norman Rockwell portrait of connection can feel like an out-of-focus selfie. That’s because neurodivergent youth, those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia or o...

A World Of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity, S4E6 | "The Science of Reading" You’ve probably heard the slogan that reading is fundamental. To put a finer point on it, literacy is a cornerstone of success — both in the classroom and beyond. It’s that realization that undergirds a national movement to change the way we teach readers. The “science of reading” approach leans on systemati...

“I HATE math!” It’s a common refrain uttered by many a young student taxed with solving for X or computing the hypotenuse of a triangle. Or if they don’t hate math, many students fear it as though it was a scholastic Freddy Kreuger. One study found that for 11% of American collegians mathemaphobia was so intense that they turned to counseling. But for some who get cold sweats, anxiety, or depressi...

On this episode, we visit a Virginia school for dyslexic learners and a Florida college for students with learning and attention issues whose students strive as vigorously on the soccer field or basketball court as they do in the classroom. Next, our panel of national experts shares the playbook for helping kids who learn differently find success and belonging in organized sports. Later, you’ll me...

Winning the Homework Battles Homework. The word gives kids shudders and triggers PTSD flashbacks in parents who recall their own dealings with protractors and prepositions. As the debate over the value of homework rages on, educators continue to embrace the adage that practice makes perfect. Try telling that to a child with learning and attention issues whose patience and ability to stay focused h...

On this episode of "A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity," we visit a Central Florida family that uses praise to nourish the souls of both their neurodivergent and neurotypical daughters. Next, our panel of experts shares how sincere and specific praise can bolster outcomes for children who learn differently. Later, you’ll meet our latest Difference Maker, a TV script writer,...

One million neural connections per second. That’s the speed at which brain science clocks a child’s brain developing between birth and age three. And science shows that early nurturing from parents and caregivers is vital to boosting those neural connections in budding brains and to equipping babies with the sensory pathways and brainy bedrock they’ll need to succeed in life. Yet, while every chil...

On this episode of "A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity," we meet a family that has treated regular talks about learning differences as second nature since their son’s diagnosis. Next, our expert panel guides parents to age-appropriate language to use from kindergarten through college for affirming talks with their neurodivergent children. Later, you’ll meet our latest “Diffe...

On this episode of "A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity," we visit a Virginia program that equips children with learning and attention differences with the social skills they need to regulate and recognize their emotions and succeed alongside their peers. Next, our panel of experts provides strategies and solutions for helping children of all ages better control their feeling...

Children coping with learning differences and mental health challenges can be more vulnerable to psychiatric issues that undercut their ability to learn, foster relationships, and overcome obstacles. On this episode of “A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity,” learn more as we explore the mental health needs of neurodivergent students.

Being a person of color in this country comes with a lot of baggage. Living with learning disabilities is no picnic either. So, imagine the child who is both neurodivergent and a person of color. The intersection between race and neurodivergence can be daunting. Black autistic children are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with conduct disorder, owing, one study found, to deeply rooted perception...

A recent blog post on Tech Nation, a growth platform for tech companies and leaders, asked an intriguing and important question: “In a technology-driven world, how is it possible to improve the world for everyone, without everyone’s input?”  Of late, more companies answering that question by leveraging the abilities, insights, and talents of a wide array of different thinkers by diversifying...

Vocational Rehabilitation, or VR, helps individuals with disabilities transition into the workforce. It can support training in any field or career from science to law that requires postsecondary education or a degree. And VR can provide help with planning for college and provide help with some of the costs of attendance.  Of course, it helps to understand the nuts and bolts of how vocat...

On this episode, we visit an Arizona twice-exceptional teenager who through her podcast is giving voice and shedding light on the 2e life. Next, our expert panel delves deeper into the dynamics of twice-exceptionality and how parents can best support and advocate for their kids. Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” world-renown paleontologist John “Jack” Horner whose success with scie...

Today, there are 193 recognized countries in the world. And according to a recent review published in the journal Science, about 10 percent of people worldwide live with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and autism. Meanwhile, Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires countries around the world ensure that students w...

One in five students has dyslexia, the most common language-based learning disability. In general, dyslexia impacts one’s ability to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. Yet, it’s no indicator of general intelligence. Still, kids who can’t read like their peers often suffer ridicule, battered self-esteem and withdrawal because they stop believing themselves smart and capable. But w...

In an unprecedented exodus, more than 47 million Americans in 2021 quit their jobs, according a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Many dub that great migration — driven by the COVID-19 pandemic — the Great Resignation. And there are few signs it’s slowing. All those departures mean opportunities for jobseekers. But opportunities for whom? Even as employers increasingly talk the talk a...

Social media is almost inescapable in today’s world, for better or worse. Today around seven-in-ten Americans use social media to engage the world, according to the Pew Research Center. The numbers are growing as quickly as the new social media platforms to accommodate the connections.   And while too much of it amounts to doom scrolling society’s slog towards perdition, British journalist Jo...

Maybe this sounds familiar: Friends are coming over for a visit and you issue clean-up orders to your child. Stash your toys in your toy box. Scoop up your clothes and put them in the hamper. And take out the garbage. Sometime later, the doorbell rings, and as you snake through the house you notice toys littering the floor, pajamas serving as area rugs, and the kitchen trash can erupting like Moun...

Seneca, the Roman philosopher, observed that “one of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.”  Wise words that put a finger on the conundrum often facing neurodivergent children: Many long for friendship, but struggle with understanding the nuts and bolts of being a pal. Meanwhile, potential friends often eye-roll neurodivergent interactions as w...

It’s not unusual for parents to gaze at their kids and see little mirrors reflecting back. Children can inherit mom and dad’s eyes, hair color, freckles, and other physical traits.  And if mom and dad’s brains are wired differently, time may reveal that their little ones also learn differently.  Rearing children is tough enough, but when it’s all in the neurodiverse family, navigating th...

While not a learning disability, executive functioning issues are typical with people with attention issues and learning differences. On this episode, you’ll learn the basics of executive function in our “In the Know” segment. Next, our national panel of experts will provide a deeper understanding and actionable strategies for enhancing executive function during our “Ask the Experts” conversation....

Recently, Comic Book Resources, a popular outlet for comics industry news, released its ranking of the 20 Best Superpowers of All Time.  The list included the usual suspects: Super-strength. X-ray vision. Flight.   One that didn’t crack the list was dyslexia.  Of course, dyslexia is far more common than heat vision considering between 5 to 10% of Americans live with signs such...

Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle observed that “Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.”  For kids with learning differences, one of the most power tools at their disposal is assistive technology.  What is it?  Assistive technology, or (AT), are products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons wit...

On this episode, in you’ll meet two young men living in vastly differently parts of the work but enjoying similar benefits as a result of taking up a musical instrument. Next, our “Ask the Experts” panel will explore the challenges and benefits music instruments hold for children who learn differently. Later, we’ll introduce you to our latest “Difference Maker,” a producer, educator and entreprene...