Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of raising a neurodivergent child? Full-Tilt Parenting is here to help. Hosted by parenting activist and author Debbie Reber, this podcast is your go-to resource for navigating life with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), giftedness, and twice-exceptional (2e) kids. With expert interviews and candid conversations, you'll discover practical solutions for things like school challenges and refusal, therapy options, and fostering inclusion, social struggles, advocacy, intense behavior, and more — all through a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming lens. Whether you're struggling with advocating for your child at school or seeking ways to better support their unique needs, Debbie offers the guidance and encouragement you need to reduce overwhelm and create a thriving, joyful family environment. It's like sitting down with a trusted friend who gets it. You’ve got this, and we’ve got your back!

Episodes

TPP 317a: A Conversation About Autistic Burnout with Neurodivergent Support Specialist Kristy Forbes

June 19, 2026 • 48 mins
Kristy Forbes joins me to talk about what autistic burnout is and how it presents, why “deep rest” is critical for someone experiencing autistic burnout, and how autistic burnout is differentiated from mood disorders or depression. We also talk frankly about the challenges of seeing burnout in autistic / PDA children through a neuronormative lens, and how that may lead to therapies and strategies that may be the oppo...
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TPP 508: Dr. Zachary Rubin on What Every Parent Should Understand About Allergies

June 16, 2026 • 32 mins
Today we’re diving into the complex and often overwhelming world of allergies, asthma, and related conditions—and what it really takes to support kids (and families) living with them. My guest is Dr. Zachary Rubin, a double board-certified pediatrician and allergist/immunologist who’s known for making allergy science accessible and understandable to millions. He’s also the author of the new book, All About A...
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TPP 507: A Conversation with Dr. Destiny Huff About Neuroaffirming Advocacy in School

June 9, 2026 • 40 mins
Today we’re diving into what it really looks like to advocate for our neurodivergent kids in school in a way that’s truly aligned with who they are. My guest is Dr. Destiny Huff, a trauma therapist, advocate, and educator whose work is deeply informed by her own lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic mother. In our conversation, we explore the limitations and pitfalls of traditional IEP processes, what a genuine...
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TPP 307a: Eliza Fricker Talks Parenting a Child with PDA

June 5, 2026 • 35 mins
Eliza Fricker joins me to talk about PDA or pathological demand avoidance – and in fact I know many people interpret PDA as persistent desire for autonomy. I’ve done a few episodes on PDA before but never from a parent’s perspective so after reading Eliza’s book, The Family Experience of PDA, I knew I wanted to share her perspective with the Tilt community. During this episode, we talked about how demand avo...
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TPP 506: A Deep Dive into Autistic Burnout in Children with Jodie Clarke

June 2, 2026 • 45 mins
Today we’re talking about autistic burnout—what it is, how it shows up in children and young people, and what it actually takes to support recovery. My guest is Jodie Clarke, an autistic and ADHD professional with more than 20 years of experience specializing in autistic experience and mental health, particularly in children and teens. In this episode, Jodie talks about the signs and causes of autistic burnout, how it&r...
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TPP 301a: Navigating Big Life Transitions with Differently Wired Children (a Solocast)

May 29, 2026 • 32 mins
Our family has gone through our fair share of big changes, which you’ll hear all about in this episode, so this is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. Especially as a parent of a differently wired kid, I know that there are some extra challenges that might come up when their routines, environment, life circumstances, or supports change, and our kids are also more likely to be resistant to changes...
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Dr. Susan Baum on 2e Learners & Elmbridge University’s Program on Cognitive Diversity

May 28, 2026 • 19 mins
This is a short, special mini-episode I’m sharing because my friends at Elmbridge University (formerly Bridges Academy) let me know that enrollment is now open for the next cohort of their truly unique graduate program in cognitive diversity in education, and application deadlines are coming up in June. When Dr. Susan Baum—one of the leading voices in twice-exceptionality and Chancellor of the program—said she ...
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TPP 505: What Happens When We’re No Longer Here? Financial Planning for Differently Wired Families

May 26, 2026 • 41 mins
Today we’re talking about something many families know they need to think about—but often don’t know where to begin: financial planning for children with disabilities. My guest is Mary McDirmid, a Chartered Special Needs Consultant and the co-founder and COO of All Needs Planning, a nationwide firm built by caregivers, for caregivers. In our conversation, Mary walks us through why proactive planning matters so muc...
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TPP 375a: How Can Our Family Navigate Vacations When They Throw Off My Child's Need for Routine

May 22, 2026 • 19 mins
In this Parent Lean-In episode, Debbie answers a listener’s question about how to travel and navigate vacations with a child who is tied to routines. Debbie shares her past experiences and offers tips for pre-trip planning, addressing concerns ahead of time, establishing new routines while traveling, being flexible, using visual aids, and getting the child active and moving, and more.   Resources Mentioned Debbie ...
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TPP 504: Celia Bray on Staying Anchored in an Intense World

May 19, 2026 • 42 mins
Today we’re exploring what it means to reconnect with our bodies and how that can transform not just our emotional health, but our parenting and relationships as well, with Celia Bray, a psychologist, somatic therapist, and the award-winning author of Inscribed: Your Body’s Hidden Script. In our conversation, Celia shares her own journey from disconnection to what she calls somatic mastery, and why learning to tune into...
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TPP 015b: A Conversation with 11-year-old Asher About Travel and Vacation Strategies

May 15, 2026 • 28 mins
11-year-old Asher joins me to share our best tips and strategies for making travel run more smoothly and having successful vacations with neurodivergent kids. As much as many families and their children may love going on vacation, the change in routine, different foods, shifting expectations, and new stimuli can even turn a trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth” (Disneyland) into one full of stress, anxiety, meltdown...
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TPP 503: The Real Work of Parenting Neurodivergent Young Adults (Part 3)

May 12, 2026 • 44 mins
You may recall that last fall, my friend and colleague Penny Williams,  a parenting coach for neurodiverse families, the author of four books on ADHD including Boy Without Instructions, and the host of the Beautifully Complex Podcast, and I did a two-part series on what it really looks like to support our neurodivergent young adults as they move toward living self-determined lives – Part one was here on Full-Tilt Parenti...
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TPP 013b: Margaret Webb Shares Tools & Mindsets for Surviving Summer Break

May 8, 2026 • 40 mins
I’m excited to be bringing parenting coach Margaret Webb back to the podcast this week. Margaret helps parents find more peace in parenting the child they didn’t expect when they were expecting, and part of her work is supporting parents survive summer break. Many parents (and not just parents raising differently-wired kids) limp across the finish line of a long school year only to find themselves facing the stress of...
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TPP 502: Alex Mortlock Explains Circadian Rhythm & Complex Sleep Challenges

May 5, 2026 • 45 mins
Today we’re diving into the nuanced world of circadian rhythm sleep syndromes, and how biological and environmental factors intersect in shaping our children’s sleep. My guest is Alex Mortlock, a registered clinical psychologist who has been in practice since 2010, with training rooted in evidence-based approaches to mental health. Alex will help us unpack what’s actually happening when a child’s sleep rhyth...
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TPP 501: An Intimate Conversation with Debbie & Derin About Their Co-Parenting Journey (Part 3)

April 28, 2026 • 42 mins
In this special episode, I’m joined by my husband, Derin, for a candid and heartfelt reflection on our journey together—more than eight years of parenting, navigating relationship shifts, and supporting our neurodivergent child through adolescence and into early adulthood. This is a personal conversation for us, one where we open up about what this path has really looked like behind the scenes. We talk about how our pa...
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TPP 319a: Dr. Gail Post on the Gifted Parenting Journey and Support for Families of Gifted Children

April 24, 2026 • 40 mins
Dr. Gail Post, the psychologist behind the popular Gifted Challenge blog, joins me to talk about her book, The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children, which combines research, theory, and clinical experience, and extends her advocacy efforts to address the needs of parents of gifted children. In this episode, we dive into the realities of parenting gifted and 2e kids &mdash...
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Episode 500: 10 Years Later: How We’ve Changed, How the Movement Has Grown (And What Comes Next)

April 21, 2026 • 61 mins
In this special 10-year anniversary and 500th episode of Tilt Parenting, I’m turning the spotlight toward the community that has shaped the show from the beginning. I’ll share key findings from a new parent survey about the lived experience of raising neurodivergent kids, including the profound isolation many families feel and the hard-won confidence parents develop as they learn to support their children. But the...
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TPP 284a: Maria Kennedy on What's Needed & What's Next in the Movement to Support 2e Students

April 17, 2026 • 51 mins
Supporting 2e students continues to be one of the biggest challenges for those of us raising twice-exceptional children, and today we’re going to do a deep dive into how to do this. Maria Kennedy, director of the Bridges Educational Group at Bridges Academy joins me to talk about how the definition of giftedness in some countries keeps gifted students from getting into gifted programs, the importance of appreciating every ch...
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You Might Also Like: Everyone Gets a Juice Box, from Understood.org

April 16, 2026 • 31 mins
Listen to an episode of Understood.org’s new podcast, Everyone Gets a Juice Box, about the messy realities of neurodiverse parenting with journalist and radio host Jessica Shaw. As a mom of two, she brings honesty and humor to the everyday chaos, victories, and challenges of raising kids who learn and think differently. In this episode, I’m the guest, and I share the story of how we ended up homeschooling—some...
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TPP 499: Stephanie Malia Krauss Shares Insights Into How We Thrive

April 14, 2026 • 40 mins
Today we’re talking about what it really means to thrive in a world that often feels overwhelming—for our kids and for us. My guest is Stephanie Malia Krauss, author, speaker, and strategist whose new book How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World explores the urgent need to protect the human essentials—things like sleep, play, connection, and wonder—that modern life so often erodes. S...
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