Learn with Dr. Emily

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, the nation's largest preventable and costly health problem is teen drug addiction. As parents, drug and alcohol abuse is something that keeps us up at night. And while we can talk with them until we're blue in the face about the dangers, we're never really sure about how effective our conversations are. Well what if addiction preve...

We all know that co-regulation is essential for fostering a sense of connection and engagement among students, which ultimately makes lessons easier to follow. But what are the best ways to co-regulate? Today we welcome Allison Morgan, who shares her tips. And it's not all about regulating the students - educators must regulate themselves first. --- Allison Morgan MA, OTR, E-RYT, is the founder an...

Have you heard of ARFID?  It stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which sounds pretty scary. You may wonder if this is like picky eating, but it’s actually very different from picky eating.  Today on the podcast, Polina Shkadron emphasizes that children with ARFID should eat for themselves rather than to please others. Her approach prioritizes family dynamics, fostering trust and...

Join me on today’s episode as I talk with Libby Taylor and Emmy Renquist of SchoolUp. We discuss what to consider in a learning environment for your neurodivergent child, what questions to ask on school tours, and what the options are in our local area of Wake and Durham counties.   Learn more at SchoolUp Wake . --- Sign up for Dr. Emily's weekly newsletter at www.learnwithdremily.com This is a pu...

As parents, our natural instinct is to shield our children from stress. Life's hard enough as adults, so we want to let kids be carefree.  But is that strategy counterproductive and actually harmful to our children? Today, Dr. Emily Edlynn calls for a cultural shift towards balanced, autonomy-supportive parenting that prioritizes both child and parental well-being over societal pressures and exter...

Parental fear and reactive behavior often stem from concerns about safety or our own emotional overwhelm, making it challenging to respond thoughtfully to our child's emotions.   Today, Mr. Chazz, a former Montessori teacher turned multi-faceted educator, shares his insights on recognizing and embracing emotions as a pathway to better emotional regulation for both parents and children.  If you're...

Many of us struggle to advocate for children with disabilities and empower them to navigate their futures with confidence.  So how can you prepare children with disabilities for fulfilling lives while emphasizing their choices and abilities? In this episode, Kelley Coleman shares her insights on how inclusive education, self-advocacy, agency, choice, communication, and relationships can transform...

Contrary to the medical model of prescribing antibiotics or stitching up a wound, mental health is not simply about "fixing" patients. Therapists can feel pressure from parents or school staff to improve a child’s emotional or behavioral functioning as quickly as possible, but mental health is both a science and an art. It also takes trust and time. In today’s episode, Dr. Matt Zakreski and I talk...

Parents, you've got all the tech time questions, and Better Screen Time 's Andrea Davis has the answers. What's the latest info on how much time kids are spending on devices? When are kids ready for devices? Specifically for phones? When are they ready for social media? How do you set boundaries around technology? How do you bring up the potential for sexting, nudes, or pornography? Is there value...

While working in the classroom as a teacher in both special education and general education settings, and in helping her own kids learn to read, Melissa Jackson started to notice that the teaching methods she had been taught in teacher prep courses didn't work equally with neurotypical and neurodivergent learners. So what did she do about it? Today, Melissa and Dr. Emily King discuss the challenge...

The hilarious and uber-talented Kim and Penn Holderness ( YouTube ) just released a new book, ADHD is Awesome , and they're on the show to tell us all about it! We explore: Reframing ADHD as a superpower Uncovering strategies like visual cues Using timers Setting boundaries  Emotional aspects of ADHD Gender differences in expressing emotions Personalized teaching methods for neurodivergent student...

PDA most commonly stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance.  But Dr. Casey Ehrlich prefers to call it Pervasive Drive for Autonomy or Protective Demand Avoidance.  Today, Dr. Ehrlich unpacks why understanding PDA and nervous system responses starts with supporting children's drive for autonomy and equality. She and Dr. Emily also discuss the alarming issue of burnout in children, and the transform...

Parenting is challenging. Add neurodivergence and a busy job to the mix, and sometimes (ok, often) you feel like you deserve that glass of wine. But does it make things better or worse? Are you a sober-curious parent? Today, Casey Davidson and Dr. Emily share their personal journeys of transitioning to sobriety, shedding light on the challenges of moderation and the addictive nature of alcohol. Th...

On today’s podcast, Dr. Lori Desautels joins me to discuss how students experience trauma at school, and how we need to move away from traditional discipline approaches and towards promoting emotional regulation for students and educators. We dive into practical strategies in an effort to promote a positive learning environment for all students.   This episode is for teachers wanting to better und...

Much of the content on this podcast centers around raising neurodivergent kids. But what about when they become young adults?  How do we think about higher education options and entering the workforce? Today, North Carolina Business Committee for Education Executive Director Caroline Sullivan joins Dr. Emily to discuss the groundbreaking LiNC-IT program . Launched in 2018, LiNC-IT provides invalua...

How can educators cultivate a classroom environment that's the most conducive to learning?  What are the real secrets to a successful and regulated classroom? Today, Emily Daniels discusses the Regulated Classroom framework, which emphasizes practices like co-regulation, connectors, activators, settlers, and affirmations. By understanding behaviors through past experiences and utilizing Polyvagal...

For everyone who's a parent of a neurodivergent child, you might be taking care of your aging parents as well. You're in a Sandwich Generation, and it's not easy to navigate setting boundaries, finding support outside your family, and prioritizing your own mental health. Today, Edla Prevette has some advice for navigating the complexities of this family dynamic. As a mental health counselor for ov...

Today we're sharing an episode from Neurodiverging with Danielle Sullivan . It's a super interesting conversation on PDA, an acronym for Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Demand for Autonomy. I enjoyed listening to this, and I think you will too! ---- Today host Danielle Sullivan discusses their experience parenting PDA children. Danielle has a child with pathological demand avoidance/ pe...

The Holidays are here, so 'Tis the Season for hearing about travel anxiety from many parents raising neurodivergent kids. Some can’t fathom going to a restaurant without causing a scene so an extended vacation seems out of reach. Many are surprised when I say, “Your child can totally do this! Maybe not yet , but just like any other skill you have taught your child, traveling takes practice.” In th...

If you are raising an autistic child or one with ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing differences, you may have had some moments when you’ve looked at others and thought, “I wish it was easier for my child to just sit down and eat with the family” or “Wow, that child just joined right in with that group of kids like it was nothing!” When your child is achieving milestones on their own timeframe, y...

Today we're sharing an episode I was a guest on recently, Calm the Chaos Parenting with my friend Dayna Abraham. ---- This week, we're diving into a topic that keeps popping up in our community, and it's a two-part issue. Firstly, some parents are puzzled about how to help their kids at school as they come home on Fridays exhausted and frustrated, or they flat out refuse to go to school, claiming...

Today we're sharing an episode from an awesome parenting podcast called Motherhood Unstressed with Liz Carlisle . This conversation with author Jenn Granneman on working with highly sensitive people and what superpowers they possess is fantastic, so I know you'll enjoy it. ---- You’re too sensitive. You’re overreacting. Grow a thicker skin. You take everything so personally. We hear these comments...

Many of you know that Dr. Mona Delahooke suffered a brain aneurysm about two months ago and has been fighting hard in her recovery ever since. Her family shared last week that she has regained consciousness (!) but that there is still a long road to recovery. So please join me in wishing Mona well today as we lift up her work through the magic of podcast sharing while she continues to rest and rec...

Welcome to another Q&A podcast!  Full disclosure, I can't answer complex or detailed questions about dynamics between kids, or teachers and kids, or parents and kids, when I don't know the full story. But what I can answer is general topics that keep coming up with parents, teachers, and kids, whether it's a clinical topic, an educational topic, a child psychology question, or just a general p...

Today I have a special treat for the educators who follow me. A few weeks ago I offered a free webinar for teachers in Pre-K through 8th grade where I talked about what's going on behind the behavior, and how to stay curious and figure out what students are struggling with so we can shift our mindset from thinking these students are giving me a hard time to these students are having a hard time. S...