Square Peg Round Whole

This is the episode where Lou announces her recent diagnosis of terminal lung cancer but the focus of this episode is a discussion between Lou and parent Advocate, Symone Wheatley-Hey.  Symone discusses her struggles with the WA education system and the efforts of the WA Square Peg Round Whole group to engage with Education Minister, Sue Ellery.

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions...

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions to Australian Schools!
https://www.change.org/CPSinAustralianschools
Please write to Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and request that CPS (Collaborative Proactive Solutions) be introduced to NSW schools: office@mitchell.minister.nsw.gov.au

 In this episode, Lou talks to Yenn Purkis. 
Yenn Purkis is an author, public servant and p...

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions to Australian Schools!
https://www.change.org/CPSinAustralianschools
Please write to Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and request that CPS (Collaborative Proactive Solutions) be introduced to NSW schools: office@mitchell.minister.nsw.gov.au

Call to Action: Towards the end of this episode, Sarah and Lou make a plea for listeners to cont...

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions to Australian Schools!
https://www.change.org/CPSinAustralianschools
Please write to Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and request that CPS (Collaborative Proactive Solutions) be introduced to NSW schools: office@mitchell.minister.nsw.gov.au

This is a long episode but worth every minute of your time!  Whilst this episode focuses on educ...

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions to Australian Schools!
https://www.change.org/CPSinAustralianschools
Please write to Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and request that CPS (Collaborative Proactive Solutions) be introduced to NSW schools: office@mitchell.minister.nsw.gov.au

This episode is a conversation between two loving mums.  Lou talks to Jane Hancock, mum to previ...

Please sign and share this petition to bring Collaborative Proactive Solutions to Australian Schools!
https://www.change.org/CPSinAustralianschools
Please write to Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell and request that CPS (Collaborative Proactive Solutions) be introduced to NSW schools: office@mitchell.minister.nsw.gov.au

Lou has been working towards this interview for a long time and her determination has paid off. ...

Dr David Roy has lived through the worst trauma possible; knowledge that his son was allegedly abused whilst attending his special school aged 3 years old.  This episode shares shocking details but also the inspirational advocacy that came from it.  Lou and David discuss the events that led to David and his wife's drive for a Parliamentary Inquiry following the alleged abuse and neglect of their son and the ongoing agitation t...

Lou interviews Katrina and Kat from the Bridges Learning System.  On the same journey as Lou, moving away from behaviourism and towards neurodiversity affirming practices, these two clever women have created a wonderful curriculum for neurodivergent children.  The "Insight Sprites" take children through an affirming process where they discover neurodiversity and through interactions with the characters, learn to accept an...

Finally the wonderful Chris Varney is on the podcast!  Lou and Chris talk about the foundation of the I CAN Network, Chris's life growing up, self acceptance and development of Autistic identity and how he learned that it's more important to be proud of what you CAN do than what you CAN'T!  If you haven't checked out the I CAN Network for the Autistic person in your life, you're missing out.

PLEASE...

If you think you can help the Future Schools Alliance with a financial donation, to create a new education system that will be able to teach our Square Pegs, please go to this link and donate now!

https://www.mycause.com.au/p/281370/lets-build-a-new-model-of-schooling?fbclid=IwAR0OUiQWRHjSdhgw4cDbEny3ybz9Cwhi2vRaB98D9sDFbo-Q2ENFpwALYj0

Lou and Peter Hutton energetically discuss Australian education and everything ...

Lou and Ash Kuchel will be speaking at the "My Spirited Child" Victoria ADHD Conference and what better way to discuss the excitement than to invite the founder and organiser, Rebecca Perkins on to the podcast!

In this episode, Lou chats to Rebecca about her journey parenting and leading the way in education of the broader community about ADHD and other neurodivergences.  Rebecca's accomplishments are so imp...

Lou interviews Sarah Humphreys from Inclusive Schools Australia.  Sarah has an uncanny way of just making inclusive education to be so black and white and easy to implement.  She would argue, that's because it is!   She talks about the "50 Shades of Grey" around non-inclusion and how to avoid that. Sarah accurately and simply describes Universal Design for Learning and how universally designing anything will benefit ...

In this episode, Lou an Mel discuss Mel's early life and how her passion that led to a PhD in medieval studies soon changed to a brand new world of Autism once her children were born and  four members of the family were identified as Autistic.  The discussion continues as Mel shares her experiences from behaviourism to neurodiversity affirming approaches, peaceful parenting, home schooling and the birth of the organisation she...

With a neurodivergent lens over the whole conversation, Paul and Lou explore the risk taking behaviour of our teens.  They discuss alcohol, weed, vaping and cocaine in detail and then go on to focus on the Year 9s, sleep overs and the inevitable driving risks and drug testing that can get, especially those taking ADHD medications in hot water.  Finally they finish with an often neglected topic around drug interactions, especially r...

Today is a discussion between the two Lous!!  Lou Kuchel speaks to Lou Brown about ADHD.  When Lou B was a child, she was misunderstood.  That led to shame and a poor self image.  After discovering her son was ADHD, she realised she's also neurodivergent and that led to a re-birth of sorts.  Lou realised that everything she had experienced in her earlier years, now has an explanation.  The world opened up and Lou became an ADH...

In this final episode for the 2021 season, Lou and Will discuss Will's lived experience as a young neurodivergent person living with Dyslexia and probable ADHD.  Will explains the rollercoaster ride of his younger years and the experience of being misunderstood by everyone around him, struggling with drugs and alcohol and finding his strengths.  It's a discussion of self-discovery and self acceptance.  Will is also super ...

This is a long episode but it is well worth it and packed with a huge amount of resources and helpful and practical advice and information.  There's quite a few light bulb moments where Lou connects the dots such as a realisation that you can't apply Collaborative Proactive Solutions if you don't have a trusting relationship with the child first.  Christina Keeble is a complex and authentic neurodivergent educator.  ...

Lou and George talk about "the human right to read, write and numerate" as George put it.  They discuss the correct language used to describe learning disorders Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia.  The diagnosis and school experiences, teachers' approaches,  George explains some key messages for parents and teachers, where to get help and access supportive resources, reasonable adjustments, assistive technology and...

This really is "A Special Understanding".  It's an understanding of Treacy and everything she's been through in her life from years of mis-diagnosis and all that comes with that, of the trauma, fear and challenges of single parenting a neurodivergent child when you don't understand your own neurology.  It's the revelation when the penny drops.  It's fierce advocacy at school and in the world in ge...