Diverse Thinking Different Learning

We are kicking off the new year with new topics and a lot of incredibly knowledgeable guests. This new episode is all about youth with both Autism and ADHD. We've had several episodes on them separately and while Autism and ADHD do have a lot of overlapping qualities, children who have both have unique differences. Today's guest is the perfect expert not only professionally, but personally as well...

As we enter 2022, many people continue to feel the lasting effects of 2020, especially students. But, by navigating through major disruptions in education during the last two years, we've learned many lessons that we can bring into the new year to help all students thrive. In this quick episode, let's kick off the new year with some reminders of what we've learned that can help us improve the way...

When it comes to slow processing speed, I knew I wanted an expert to help us better understand what it is and why it occurs. That expert is Dr. Ellen Braaten. Throughout her career and her research for her book Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up , Dr. Braaten has a plethora of information to share on the topic in today's episode about slow processing speed. Slow processing speed impacts many of the chi...

Following the previous episode's topic of math disorders, we're continuing the math conversation with Adrianne Meldrum. Now that we know how math disorders can impact a student, we can better take a look at what successful interventions look like and Adrianne is perfect for this task. Adrianne is the CEO of Made for Math, an all-online multisensory math intervention service. Their website describe...

In the next two episodes, we are focusing on math. We often hear the phrase "I'm just not a math person," but you never hear that with reading or other subjects. While math may not be a strength of every student, there are some students who have a learning disorder called Dyscalculia.  Today's guest is Monica Grillo. She has extensive experience in research-based math interventions and instruction...

Researchers at Duke University and Penn State have found significant associations between social emotional learning in Kindergarten and important young adult outcomes in education, employment, and mental health. Today's guest also points out that social emotional health is a driving force behind academic success. So how can we support all children in this area? Jake Greenspan is an expert and he j...

There are a number of different reasons behind why a child is struggling with writing. It could be dysgraphia, a disorder of written expression, a specific learning disability in the area of writing, or just being a little behind relative to their peers. The challenge is how to know the difference and how to help. Because writing is a skill that is impacted by several different learning difficulti...

Many adolescents experience the phenomenon of The Disintegrating Student. It is often described to me by parents and colleagues alike. These students have always done well in school with very little effort but then their grades start to decline as work piles up. This ultimately leads to increased anxiety and impacts a child's self-worth. These bright students are still bright, but as today's guest...

When it comes to mindfulness, we all have the tools readily accessible at all times to get started. Mindfulness is simple but powerful and can help address a child's emotional regulation, inattention, and anxiety. In fact, not only children benefit from this practice, but adults as well. But what do we mean by mindfulness? What does it look like and how can we start building these practices into o...

As a response to the feedback of last week's episode, it is clear to me that revisiting the topic of stress and anxiety in children and adolescents is greatly needed. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted us all in more ways than one and although many students are attending school in person again, things are still stressful and uncertain. Our stress and anxiety levels are constantly fluctuating and w...

With depression in children and teens on the rise, it is important to know the red flags and what to do to help. 3.2% of children between 3 and 17 are diagnosed with depression but when do you know what is expected sadness and when it crosses into something more serious? Today's guest helps us understand what depression looks like in children and adolescents and what they need and want from their...

Imagine a learning environment with one student and one teacher in the classroom. For some, this may seem too good to be true. For others, there are many questions that arise, like socializing, independent work, and how to find success with this model. Today, Jaime Porras and Vailet Yarijanian from Fusion Academy join me in a discussion about a customizable 1:1 learning experience for middle and h...

For many families, it is hard to hear that your child has been struggling in school. Some parents may already know or have a feeling their child is struggling.  They have even received assessment results, only to feel worried about the negative stigma or sharing that information with their school. Today's discussion is all about the importance of collaboration between parents, families, and educat...

One in five children struggles with learning, processing, or has attention issues. Not all of these children fit into the box of a specific diagnosis and as we've talked about before, many areas of difficulty overlap. Some children fall into a category called ALPS (Attention, Language Processing, and Sensorimotor), a term coined by today's guest Carol Kauffman.   Carol has over 40 years of experie...

The umbrella of auditory processing disorders is very broad and many signs might overlap with other types of learning differences. This can make things very confusing, especially for parents who are looking for answers. That is why I have asked my go-to expert on the topic, clinical audiologist Dr. Bea Braun to join us on Diverse Thinking Different Learning. Her years of experience, thorough testi...

As we get started and accustomed to a new academic year for students, we need to take a moment to talk about sleep. How much sleep do children and adolescents actually need? What are signs that they are getting quality sleep or insufficient sleep? Many adults track their own sleep, but are you monitoring your child's?   When children and adolescents don't get enough sleep it impacts their ability...

I love hearing from previous clients and students who have entered or are entering adulthood. But sometimes, they're reaching out for assistance because they have found that they aren't as prepared for this transition as they might have thought. The transition to adulthood can be scary for a lot of families, but is especially overwhelming for those with disabilities and neurodiversities. When shou...

Applied Behavioral Science, or ABA, has been a hot topic for the last few years and has become somewhat controversial. To help us understand it better, I've invited Nicole Ballinghoff to the Diverse Thinking Different Learning Podcast today.    Nicole Ballinghoff has over 15 years experience and is passionate about ABA. She has seen firsthand the impact it has made on the lives of individuals with...

Continuing our recent conversations on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder, today's guest and I discuss the ways communication is impacted. Jessie Ginsburg joined the Diverse Thinking Different Learning Podcast and shares her approach of helping the whole child.    Jessie is a Speech-Language Pathologist in Los Angeles, the creator of ASD from the Inside Out and founder of the...

1 in 54 children in the United States are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. With this number growing, it would make sense that this is a very well understood disorder. Unfortunately there is a lot of confusion surrounding ASD, what it looks like, and what to do about it. Because of this confusion, I knew we needed an expert to help us better understand and that is Dr. Lisa Hancock.   Dr. Ha...

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, our children and teens were faced with a huge transition. But now that schools are slated to reopen fully this fall, they are faced with yet another transition. Today's discussion is a wonderful gift for parents who may be concerned about their teens reentering in-person schooling, especially if they have social challenges.   On the show today is...

In today's episode, we're discussing Sensory Processing Disorder. As with many other topics, this episode could really be turned into multiple conversations, so today we're starting with what Sensory Processing Disorder is and our guest will help us understand how it manifests and interacts with other disorders.   My guest today is Courtney Duckworth-Harris, an Occupational Therapist and owner of...

How do you inspire kids to love math, and do you approach things differently when working with students who have learning disorders? The truth is, a lot of kids find math challenging and that challenge may stop them in their tracks. So how can we as parents, teachers, and caregivers help them persist? This is the perfect topic for today's guest, Allison Dillard.   Allison is the host of The Alliso...

We have seen an increase in ADHD referrals and diagnoses in the last year. Many parents reported an increase in ADHD symptoms in children who were diagnosed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and some parents wondered whether their child has ADHD after watching their child learn from home. It is important to note that while many children and families struggled during the pandemic, others thrived.  As w...

After the year we've had, we're ready to dive back into school and a sense of normalcy. But for many students and their families, fine motor skills have taken a back seat for longer than we thought. That's why I've asked Jennifer Morgan, occupational therapist and founder of MOST Kids OT to be on the Diverse Thinking Different Learning Podcast today to help us understand fine motor skills, dysgrap...