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

This episode of "A World of Difference," explores the basics of Individualized Education Programs through our new HealthDay News segment, “In the Know.” Our “Ask the Experts” panelists will give tips for acing the IEP process.  And you'll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Meredith O'Connor, a YouTube sensation and singer with learning differences who has tuned into her life of being bullied...

Perhaps you remember the classic song, “The Greatest Love of All” and its defining lyric: The greatest love of all | is easy to achieve | Learning to love yourself | It is the greatest love of all Yet, for children who learn differently, achieving this outcome isn’t always so easy. Classmates, and even adults, can stigmatize children as being weird, odd, or dumb. This discrimination undercuts thei...

This episode of "A World of Difference" explores best practices for parents considering college for students with learning differences both through the eyes of a Texas family facing the critical decisions involved and through wise counsel from our expert panel. You'll also meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Mackenzie Thorpe, a British artist whose heartwarming paintings and sculptures make the wo...

On this episode of “A World of Difference” “The People’s Shark,” Daymond John , CEO of FUBU and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank,”  discusses being a uber-successful entrepreneur and living with dyslexia. From running a business in his basement to starring on a hit reality television show, Daymond John has embodied the word “entrepreneur” and is now inspiring others to pursue their goals and empower...

This episode of “A World of Difference” is devoted to providing care for the caregivers, the parents, and guardians of children with learning differences. On an extended segment of “Ask the Experts,” our panel will discuss symptoms of caregiver burnout, strategies for coping, and ways to not only survive but thrive in the joys of raising your different thinkers. And later, you’ll meet this episode...

On this episode of “A World of Difference,” we’ll visit an innovative small private school in Leesburg, Florida that integrates art and movement into the three R’s and has proven to be just what the doctor ordered for its students with ADHD.    Next, we’ll do a deeper dive into the alphabet soup of ADHD and explore ways that parents can better support their children with the help of our...

From the moment Noah crammed animals two by two into a floating Old Testament menagerie, mankind has shared a close bond with animals.  According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors considered essential to the health and well-being of both.  &nbsp...

Jack Canfield, the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, once observed that “self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable.” Low self-esteem doesn’t play favorites. But it can betray a fondness for children with learning disabilities. And because school-based learning programs are created for the masses — meaning neurotypical children — a child wh...

As high school seniors await acceptance letters from their dream and "safety" schools, they dream of ditching the constraints of high school for the freedom that college life brings. For parents of aspiring collegians who learn differently, the reality of that looming independence comes with heightened uncertainty, anxiety, additional hurdles to negotiate, and the overriding question: is my child...

The Flying Wallendas earned fame and a reputation as circus daredevils for performing stupendous acts of balance on a high-wire.  Yet, even the uncanny skill with which they performed their incredible seven-person chair pyramid stunt pales in comparison to the balance required by parents of children who learn differently when it comes to walking the tightrope of when to push your child and pu...

How can parents help their autistic child succeed academically?  What are some tools, strategies, and resources that parents can lean on to provide their child with autism added support?   We'll explore these questions and provide some practical strategies with our panel in our “Ask the Experts” segment.   And we'll meet this episode's "Difference Maker," author, filmmaker, and disa...

Students who learn differently are underrepresented in STEM fields. This episode of "A World of Difference," which celebrates and supports families living with learning differences, offers strategies for supporting STEM. It also profiles the STEAM Lab at The Christ School in Orlando which inspires dyslexic students to embrace science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

This episode focuses on ''Ensuring Workforce Diversity Includes Neurodiversity,'' and features Carolyn Jeppsen, Co-Founder/CEO/President, BroadFutures, a national organization that helps job candidates with learning disabilities reach their highest potential and works to change employer perceptions about learning disabilities. Also featured: RAISE, a local Florida grassroots program that equips cl...

This episode of "A World of Difference" examines the first three decades of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a Q&A with Haley Moss, Florida's first openly autistic attorney, reflections from disability advocates Dr. George J. Hagerty, president of Beacon College, and author/filmmaker/disability activist Quinn Bradlee, founder of Friends of Quinn. The show also includes an extended inti...

"A World of Difference" is a newsmagazine style show that celebrates and educates parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, employers, and more on how to navigate the journey of neurodiversity. This episode focuses on helping parents prepare their children for success once they return to in-person learning on campus following the COVID cocoon. It includes a feature on the Sleboda family and...

"A World of Difference" is an new TV show and podcast that celebrates and supports families navigating the journey of neurodiversity. Episodes feature profiles of families with children from kindergarten to college with learning disabilities and learning differences, provides advice from experts from Beacon College, America's first accredited baccalaureate institution dedicated to educating neurod...