Non Linear Learning - Rethinking Education for Neurodivergent Learners

I am in conversation with Robin Green, an expert in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, as she shares her knowledge and experience with Ear Seeds, a non-invasive, pain-free acupressure technique that can benefit children with Down Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, and other disabilities.    Discover how Ear Seeds can help alleviate symptoms such as anxiety, focus and memory issues, pain, digestive...

When your child learns in a Neurodivergent way - whether they have ADHD / are Autistic / have Down Syndrome, it is highly unlikely that a structured school environment that teaches concepts step-by-regimented step is working out for them. If you find your child stuck - learning the colors, learning the alphabet, learning numbers, it may be time to branch out.  And by branching out, I mean dismissi...

Is it Sleep or is it ADHD? You could really ask that question a million ways … Is it Blood Sugar Balance or is it ADHD? And so on… And it is likely both. The name of a collection of symptoms is different from the cause of the symptoms.  In Functional Nutrition and Learning for Kids we look at the Ins and Outs of Learning and Brain Health. What comes from the inside - nutrition and gut health, and...

“LIfe outcomes are poorer for kids who are not good readers” - says today’s featured guest Dr. Marnie Ginsberg. The truth of this statement is profound for neurotypical kids. Unfortunately, most kids with Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, or Autism are not even allowed to become good readers or to access material that is age appropriate.    In episode 106 - we go into one specific area of Reading Com...

Did you know that there are almost 120,000 published papers studying Magnesium in Pubmed, and 150 of them just study Magnesium supporting hyperactivity.  Over 300 study the effects of Magnesium and sleep and over 2000 publications study Magnesium and depression and it goes on. In fact last I looked, you could type in Magnesium and ANYTHING and you’d find a study for it. But should you do Magnesium...

I am chatting with experienced Special Educator Ange Anderson. And this is a unique episode in that it ended up being a pretty exhaustive list of various sound therapies that Ange has used over the years and has found to be impactful in improving her students’ regulation.  Among other things we talk about: Sound Baths Music Therapy Auditory Integration Therapy, etc.  I often talk about 6 things yo...

What’s common between Salads, cold milk, and lack of sleep? Nidhi Pandya, Ayurvedic Practitioner explains that every one of these can lead to increased Vata which is a common core of most neurological issues.  Join me as I discuss how and why thousand year old Ayurvedic frameworks are still relevant today in treating diseases and dysfunction, that may never have been discussed in ancient times. We...

“When we have trauma patterns in our nervous system, the only possible outcome are behaviors that come from a trauma place.” Today’s episode is all about TRAUMA and the NERVOUS SYSTEM. Until this episode, I freely admit that I might have had a misunderstanding of trauma as an event, as opposed to an experience. Dr. Aimie calls it as anything that leaves a lasting effect on the body. Whether you ha...

Do traditional systems of medicine align with modern understanding of disease? The one question on my mind has always been that a lot of the disorders and dysfunctions we see today are rather new, at least in their extent and prevalence. How do Ayurveda or Chinese Medicine provide us with answers? Also, how far do we feel comfortable veering from traditional food practices, and moving away from fo...

Did you know I taught the binary system of numbers to my son when he was maybe 9 years old. Not only that - at the time he could go back and forth between the binary and decimal system for small numbers.  The twist is that my son has Down Syndrome, is Autistic and non-speaking. But I wouldn’t classify him as a genius. Over years I have worked on and refined a process that I call Non-Linear Educati...

There is often a correlation between how a child eats and how they learn. Dr. Bill Sears in this podcast talks about 4 points that he teaches kids and parents to focus on: Go Fish Go Green Go Nuts, and  Go Blue I am so excited to interview someone whose work I have followed so closely when my kids were younger. I am pretty sure I was on the “ askdrsears.com " website all the time. In this episode...

How can your child progress beyond purees? Today’s episode is part 2 in the series on Feeding Disorders in Down Syndrome - we are continuing on from Episode 92 with Dr. Kay Toomey who leads us a beautifully detailed explanation on the hierarchy of what feeding should like, especially in children with Down syndrome.  This particular episode comes with several handouts that Dr. Kay Toomey references...

TWO biggest myths in nutritional interventions (and the reason most dietary changes don’t work). Did you know that 10-30% of children with ADHD don’t respond to medication, or worse, experience adverse effects to these medications? It is high time to try easier and more effective strategies such as dietary changes for brain health. If Food is Medicine, there should be nothing that can go wrong whe...

What if you had a toolbox that told you exactly where to start with your child’s health? Honestly, if we could all just find a place to start, just that one foothold over the seemingly rocky cliffs of food and nutrition, the next foothold is often apparent. Sometimes after years of a healthy, fantastic diet, you might hit a plateau again, and that is when a handy toolkit, right in place can help y...

If your child has trouble falling asleep, moving from a state of distress to a state of calm, if they have trouble with digestion, they likely have something called low Vagal Tone. The Vagus Nerve is the longest nerve in the body and touches so many aspects of our functioning and is known to be a factor especially in children with digestive, neurological and inflammatory concerns, and I think that...

Can you change your genetic expression based on what you eat? Conversely, if you are one of those people that are chronically deficient in say, Iron or Vitamin D, are your genes to blame? And what can you do about it? How can this apply to factors that affect Autism/ADHD symptoms? In this episode, Amanda Archibald, pioneer in genomic nutrition, explains to us how - not only do genes affect how you...

If your child struggles with anxiety, aggression, seizure or even sleep issues, how many times have you had someone advice you - “Have you tried CBD”? Every time I hear this, I wonder how CBD can be the answer to EVERY problem? It turns out, it is quite possible. Dr. Julie Buckley makes her second appearance on Episode 93 of Functional Nutrition and Learning for Kids in this fantastic deep dive in...

Today’s episode is one of a kind - an expert leads us into incredible detail into the physical and physiological principles behind picky eating and other feeding disorders, specially in children and adults with Down syndrome. If that sounds complex, I assure you that while it is complex, it is not complicated. Dr. Kay Toomey, in this episode talks to us about postural stability and breathing and h...

What information does LIGHT bring to your child? Can artificial sources of light actually lower attention and cause dysregulation? Can you hear a light?  Roudy Nassif, founder of VivaRays, and all-round light wiz leaves us with a lot of really new information about how light influences every body system we have and leaves us with 3 tips to use light to our benefit (and our kids’ benefit) Go outsid...

Is school the right place for Education? Today we discuss this age-old question with some interesting twists. If you are the parent of a child with Autism / Down Syndrome / Cerebral Palsy / Other hidden disabilities, you might find that the questions about school are very different for you.  I provide an decision / question framework to help you decide for yourself. Disclaimer: The information in...

Wouldn’t you love it if there were natural, plant-sourced, HERBAL alternatives to everything chronic you have been struggling with for your or your child, whether that be attention or digestive issues or immune support? Today’s guest Dr. Mary Bove is a herbal medicine expert and takes us through the ins and outs of herbal medicine, when it works and what is often missed in application for kids. He...

NOTE: This Episode is Available on YOUTUBE at https://youtu.be/aGRTnqxvsqg Danny Whitty is a nonspeaking Autistic and Apraxic man, who was unable to communicate his thoughts for 30 years of his life. He now uses S2C (Spelling to Communicate) to share his deep insight, advocacy, writing and poetry with the world. In this episode, Danny shares about the people that have made a difference in his life...

Some studies indicate that up to 50% of preschool aged kids might be considered picky eaters. It also reveals, on a more subtle level that most strategies that are used to help picky eating are behavioral / parenting, though Picky Eating is typically NOT a behavior response, nor a result of poor parenting.  Behavior is communication, what is viewed as negative behavior is an expression of pain / d...

Laura Fuentes, Author of my favorite cookbook Taco Tuesdays, mom, CEO and Instagram Star talks to us in very clear wisdom about what it takes to work with food struggles, dining table power struggles and mom fatigue.   If you think that in your home, picky eating may be more of a communication - mis-communication issue or a struggle that has less biochemistry and more behavior, this is the podcast...

For the first time I explore the fascinating world of  Functional Labs. Nichole Herms - a fellow Chemist who is a researcher at Spectracell Labs. In this podcast we explore how Lymphocyte Proliferation Assays (which is the technology Spectracell uses) can go beyond testing your child's current blood levels of nutrients to truly understanding: - Bioavailability of the nutrient - Accessibility (can...