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 515: Dr. Emily King & the Neurodivergent Learner: A New Approach to Your Child's Success

August 4, 2026 • 48 mins
Today we’re exploring a more holistic, humane approach to supporting neurodivergent learners — one that starts with understanding the nervous system and builds from there. My guest is Dr. Emily King, a child psychologist who has spent more than 20 years working with neurodivergent youth in both school settings and private practice. She’s the creator of The Neurodiverse Classroom®, a professional development curric...
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TPP 421a: A Bonus Conversation with Dr. Stuart Shanker about Self-Regulation and Helping Our Children Successfully Engage with Life

July 31, 2026 • 64 mins
Dr. Stuart Shanker, author of Self-Reg, shares his expertise on self-regulation, offering practical strategies and compassionate insights to help neurodivergent kids and their families manage stress and build self-awareness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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TPP 514: An Introduction to Neurodiversity-Affirming OT, with Dr. Bryden Carlson-Giving

July 28, 2026 • 39 mins
Today, I’m joined by Bryden Carlson-Giving, an occupational therapy practitioner and the creator of the EMPOWER model, the first neurodiversity-affirming OT framework. Bryden is both neurodivergent and disabled himself, and his work focuses on helping practitioners challenge ableism and create more supportive, affirming environments for neurodivergent individuals. In our conversation, Bryden walks us through the EMPOWER mode...
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TPP 324a: A Conversation about Declarative Language and Co-Regulation, with Linda Murphy

July 24, 2026 • 44 mins
Linda Murphy describes declarative language as a positive, thoughtful communication style that emphasizes understanding, patience, respect, and kindness, and as you’ll hear from our conversation, it is an ideal communication style for really all children, but especially neurodivergent children and kids whose nervous systems are triggered by demands or more imperative communication styles. We discussed the different ways we ca...
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TPP 513: Understanding Dysgraphia: Beyond the Surface of Messy Handwriting, with Kelli Fetter

July 21, 2026 • 37 mins
Today we’re diving into dysgraphia—what it is, how it’s different from general handwriting struggles, and why so many kids go unsupported for far too long. My guest is Kelli Fetter, a certified handwriting specialist and occupational therapist, and the founder of Handwriting Solutions. Kelli breaks down the neurological underpinnings of dysgraphia, how it can show up differently from child to child, and why early ...
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TPP 311a: Deb Dana on Befriending Our Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory

July 17, 2026 • 40 mins
Deb Dana, a clinician, consultant, and author, gives us a primer of the key points of Polyvagal Theory, and in doing so, explains the ways in which it can support the way we parent our differently-wired kids. Deb explains the nervous system pathways, why co-regulation is essential to our survival, what befriending and listening to our autonomic nervous system looks like in practice, and the benefits of having a breathing practice. ...
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TPP 512: Dr. Katie Hurley on the "Manosphere" & Breaking the Boy Code

July 14, 2026 • 45 mins
Today we’re talking about boys—the messages they receive about emotions, strength, masculinity, and what it means to “be a man” in today’s world. My guest is Dr. Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist, parenting educator, and Vice President of Community Initiatives for The Jed Foundation, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention. Katie is the author of several boo...
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TPP 511: Jessica Patay on Building Brave Communities for Caregivers

July 7, 2026 • 38 mins
Today we’re talking about the power of community, resilience, and what it really means to show up bravely in the caregiver parenting journey. My guest is fellow community builder and mom on a mission Jessica Patay, the founder of We Are Brave Together, a global community supporting moms raising children with disabilities and other unique needs. Jessica’s work is deeply rooted in her own experience as a caregiving mom to...
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TPP 305a: Stuart Shanker on What Self-Regulation Is, Why It Matters, and How to Help Our Children (and Ourselves) Do It Better

July 3, 2026 • 44 mins
We are kicking off this season with a conversation with Dr. Stuart Shanker, who I first learned about through my friend Seth Perler as he’s been part of the TEFOS Summit. I love Stuart's message and recently devoured his book Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage With Life, and wanted to dive deeper with Stuart about it. In this episode, we get into the ways in which the bra...
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TPP 510: Mark Talaga on the Hidden Challenges of Giftedness in the Digital Age

June 30, 2026 • 34 mins
Today we’re exploring the intersection of giftedness, identity, and belonging—and what it means to support gifted kids in a world that’s changing faster than ever. My guest is Mark Talaga, director of the Center for Identity Potential, where he focuses on helping young people understand themselves more deeply and develop a grounded sense of who they are. In our conversation, Mark and I talk about the complexities...
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TPP 335a: Amanda Diekman Dropping Demands, Restoring Calm, and Finding Connection with Your Uniquely Wired Child

June 26, 2026 • 46 mins
Today I’m talking with Amanda Diekman, author of the book, Low-demand Parenting: Dropping Demands, Restoring Calm, and Finding Connection With Your Uniquely Wired Child Because low-demand parenting can be such an effective approach to supporting differently wired kids, especially kids who fall under the PDA profile of autism, I invited Amanda to join the show for a conversation about what this parenting approach looks like. ...
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TPP 509: Martina Nova on What Couples Get Wrong About Parenting Alignment

June 23, 2026 • 41 mins
Today we’re talking about something that can make or break the parenting experience: how we align with our partners in raising our kids. My guest is clinical counselor Martina Nova, author of the new book Same Page Parenting, where she offers a practical framework for helping couples move out of blame and into more honest, connected conversations about parenting. In our conversation, Martina and I explore what gets in the wa...
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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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