Learn with Dr. Emily

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.

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Allison Morgan MA, OTR, E-RYT, is the founder and CEO of Zensational K...

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 self-efficacy by supporting...

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.

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This is a public episode. If you wou...

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 external achievements. 

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Dr....

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 looking to manage emotional t...

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 lives.

Tune in for practica...

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 about how structured appr...

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 in having a family device?
• Ar...

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 challenges faced by neurodivergent in...

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 students (including Penn's vision for a ...

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 transformative power of play therapy...

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. There are both physical and e...

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 understand the emotional experi...

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 invaluable support for neurodiverge...

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 theory, educators can crea...

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 over thirty years, Edla Prevet...

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!

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Today host Danielle Sullivan discusses their experience parenting PDA children. Danielle has a child with pathological demand avoidance/ pervasive demand for autonomy a...

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 this episode, learn how you c...

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, you quickly learn to surrend...