372: The Neurodivergent Learner, Emily King, Ph.D.
About this episode
Dr. Emily King discusses the importance of foundational needs for neurodivergent learners before academic success can be achieved.
Academic learning is the cherry on top. Everything else has to be in place first before a child can even access the parts of their brain that do the reading, writing, and math — rested, safe, connected, not hungry, not overwhelmed. That's the reframe returning guest Dr. Emily King brought to our conversation this week, and it's one I wish every parent and teacher heard before the school year started. Dr. Emily King is a licensed psychologist and former school psychologist who now spends most of her time working with the parents and teachers around neurodivergent kids. Her new book, “The Neurodivergent Learner,” walks parents and teachers through everything that has to align before academics can even happen. We talk about why the traditional special education model, built on the same diagnose it, treat it, fix it logic as the medical system, doesn't actually fit complex neurodevelopment. Growth happens in waves, not straight lines, and regression doesn't mean something is broken. We dig into pacing, how some kids need things slowed down while gifted, ADHD, or twice exceptional kids need things sped up or they'll disengage. We talk about the emotional side of ADHD, why kids would…
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- 368: Preparing for the Back-to-School Transition, with Penny Williams
- 367: Systems that Work with the Brain, with Angela Kingdon, Ph.D.
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