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Neurodiversity Podcast

Neurodiversity Podcast

Written by: Emily Kircher-Morris
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The Neurodiversity Podcast talks with leaders in the fields of psychology, education, and beyond, about positively impacting neurodivergent people. Our goal is to reframe differences that were once considered disabilities or disorders, promote awareness of this unique population, and improve the lives of neurodivergent and high-ability people.2026 Neurodiversity Alliance Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • Autistic Girls Are Going Undiagnosed or Misdiagnosed

    Autistic Girls Are Going Undiagnosed or Misdiagnosed
    Jul 23 2026

    Often, autistic girls are called shy, introverted, perfectionistic, confused, anything BUT autistic. There is a pervasive impression, even in the medical community, that autism occurs in boys vastly more often than girls. The result is, autistic girls are missing out on services and tools that are available to them. Holly Blanc Moses is a therapist, and the host of the Autism ADHD Podcast, and she joins Emily Kircher-Morris in this encore presentation to talk about missing autism in girls.

    You can register now for our upcoming continuing education course for mental health professionals, Clinical Implications of Late-Identified Neurodivergence: Strategies for Identity Integration and Therapeutic Support. The course will be presented by Dr. Amy Marschall, author of the book Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy, and will be available both as a live event on Friday, August 7 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific, and afterwards in video form. Both versions are worth 1.5 hours of APA and NBCC-approved CE credits. Register here.

    Holly Blanc Moses is a Licensed Psychological Associate, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and an ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider with over 23 years of experience in ADHD, Autism, and anxiety. Over the last 23 years, she has provided mental health therapy in the areas of emotional regulation, anxiety, social interaction, depression, parent-child relationship, and school success. She is the host of The Autism ADHD Podcast and Autism ADHD TV. Holly is also the mother of two neurodivergent children.

    BACKGROUND READING

    The Autism ADHD Podcast, Autism ADHD TV, Facebook parent group, Facebook professionals group, Holly's private practice, Holly's education and course website

    The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com

    If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.
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    33 mins
  • The Right to Be Heard: Reclaiming Communication Autonomy

    The Right to Be Heard: Reclaiming Communication Autonomy
    Jul 16 2026
    The baseline premise of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) rests on the fundamental principle that communication is an inherent human right rather than a privilege to be earned through baseline cognitive compliance. Too often, school systems and clinical providers inadvertently stall access to verbal alternatives by requiring non-speaking students to prove communicative readiness or complete repetitive testing metrics. Brenda Del Monte, an AAC specialist and author, alongside Sarah Kinsella, an assistive technology specialist, join Emily Kircher-Morris to discuss ways to reverse this traditional framework. They work to dismantle the clinical assumptions that hinder expressive access. TAKEAWAYS Communication should be an absolute human right that must be provided without pre-qualifying conditions, compliance mandates, or prerequisites of demonstrated cognitive readiness. Implementing top-down testing protocols on assistive devices turns natural expression into an artificial performance. The usage of hand-over-hand physical guidance to steer a student's selection on an assistive device overrides physical autonomy and lessens authenticity. Changing communicative environments requires a baseline differentiation between a user's current physical selection skills and their potential capabilities. Introducing descriptive, speech-generating tools does not reduce a child's internal drive to develop natural verbal language, and actively enhances social interaction. Our latest CE course for mental health professionals is available now online. It's called The New 3 Rs: Mindfulness-based Resilience, Regulation, and Relationships, and is facilitated by Dr Christopher Willard. In this course, we explore how resilience develops, what stress and overwhelm do to the developing nervous system, and why relational safety is not simply a nice addition to an intervention. The training video is available now, and is worth 1.5 APA- and NBCC-approved CE hours. Click here to take the course now. Brenda Del Monte is a speech language pathologist and an assistive technology evaluator and facilitator. She worked as an SLP in Washington state public schools for 7 years. She is currently a private practitioner in AZ where she does home based therapy, as well as AAC evaluations and trainings. Her background includes experience in the medical setting, private setting and birth-to-three. Her role at SETC involves teaching webinars and classes, creating video tutorials, and collaborating with districts on implementing assistive technology with children with a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities. She published the book I See You In There in October 2021. Sarah Kinsella is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) passionate about empowering students with complex communication and learning needs through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Holding a Master's degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Sarah has been providing support and training to children (birth-21), their families, and educators in WA state for nearly two decades. She currently works for the Special Education Technology Center (since 2015) where, in addition to providing technical assistance and training, she co-hosts and develops content for the "Awe and Wonder AAC & AT Podcast". Her background includes 11 years as a public school SLP, serving 6 of those years as district Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist. BACKGROUND READING Special Education Technology Center website, SETC on Facebook, Brenda's Technically Speaking website, Technically Speaking on Instagram, Technically Speaking on YouTube The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.
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    33 mins
  • What We're Learning About (Pervasive) Pathological Demand Avoidance

    What We're Learning About (Pervasive) Pathological Demand Avoidance
    Jul 8 2026
    When an autistic child or teen consistently pushes back against daily expectations, traditional parenting and teaching methods often default to high-pressure enforcement. This pattern routinely triggers escalating defensive behaviors, creating a continuous loop of friction that strains the entire family system. In this encore conversation, Sandra McConnell, an advocate known as the PDA Mama Bear, joins Emily Kircher-Morris to unpack the nuanced framework of pervasive demand avoidance and explore how it reshapes typical social navigation. They talk about ways to shift the focus away from top-down behavior tracking, and why common behaviorist tools like point charts or sudden restrictions fail to foster authentic growth for youth with this cognitive profile. TAKEAWAYS PDA represents a distinct neurodivergent profile rooted in a protective baseline of sensory anxiety and a heightened resistance to coercion. Traditional behavioral adjustments such as top-down discipline, sudden restrictions, and performance rewards lose their utility when applied to youth with deep demand avoidance patterns. Apparent behavioral compliance can hide severe internal masking and exhaustion, which often surfaces later as profound burnout and sudden academic avoidance. Manifestations of demand avoidance often vary between protective escape patterns and a desire to control the immediate household environment. Shifting the caregiver approach from a position of top-down authority to that of an instructional mentor lowers daily pressure and builds authentic family trust. Protecting a child's long-term social and emotional development requires moving away from absolute compliance demands to focus instead on reducing baseline nervous system stress. This week's special CE training for mental health professionals features Dr. Christopher Willard, and is titled, "The New 3 R's: Mindfulness-Based Resilience, Regulation, and Relationships." The training is live online Friday, July 10 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm Eastern, and is approved for 1.5 APA and NBCC continuing education hours. Everyone who registers can earn those credits by watching the event live, or can choose to watch it later. Register here. Sandra McConnell is a blogger, speaker, and trainer on Autistic Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). She conducts webinars, workshops and conferences all across the country to train and inform people about PDA. She has two graduate certificates in Learning Differences & Neurodiversity specializing in Executive Functioning and Autism (Landmark College, 2021); a certification in PDA through the UK-based, OCN-accredited organization Neurodivergent Education Support and Training (NEST, 2020); a master's degree in Forensic Psychophysiology (Argosy University, 2006); and a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Criminology (UNM, 2000). Sandra lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband, who's ADHD, her 13-year-old son, who's PDA, her 10-year-old son, who's ADHD, and her 6-year-old daughter, who's TBD. BACKGROUND READING Sandra's website The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you're invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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