Advocating for your child when school systems won’t bend

About this episode

Jessica talks with education advocate Tricia McGhee about advocating for neurodivergent kids in school systems that resist flexibility.

Our episode today starts with that call from school every parent dreads… Jessica talks with mom and education advocate Tricia McGhee after a classroom discipline incident forces a bigger conversation about neurodivergent kids and school systems that just aren’t built to flex. In this episode, we’re also looking at what happens when getting a diagnosis doesn’t lead to help or services — and why collaboration with schools matters just as much as understanding our own kids.

People in this episode

Host: Jessica Shaw

Guest: Tricia McGhee

Topics covered

• advocacy
• neurodivergent kids
• school systems
• collaboration
• diagnosis
• education

Keywords

• advocacy
• neurodivergent
• school systems
• education
• diagnosis
• collaboration
• parenting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Understood.org

More episodes of Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids

• First-gen parents, neurodivergent kids, and redefining excellence · June 9, 2026 · 17 min
• We didn’t know we had ADHD. Then motherhood hit. · May 26, 2026 · 25 min
• I’m an ADHD expert. My kid still can’t get help. · May 12, 2026 · 23 min
• The hidden grief of parenting a neurodivergent kid · April 28, 2026 · 19 min
• Debbie Reber on homeschooling a neurodivergent kid · April 14, 2026 · 30 min
• Parenting with ADHD: Balancing chaos and consistency · March 31, 2026 · 24 min