
DEEP DIVE: Dr. Lynn Koegel on the Hidden Brilliance of Autism
From What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson
April 27, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
Dr. Lynn Koegel discusses the strengths of children with autism and the importance of shifting focus from deficits to abilities.
This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities. What if we're looking at autism in the wrong way? Dr. Lynn Koegel, co-author of Hidden Brilliance: Unlocking the Intelligence of Autism, explains how to engage with the strengths in kids with autism rather than focusing on what they're lacking. Dr. Lynn Koegel is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She and her husband developed Pivotal Response Treatment which focuses on motivation. She has been supporting autistic individuals for more than 40 years. Dr. Koegel and Margaret discuss: Why we're focusing on the wrong things when we assess kids with autism The power of peer support Connecting authentically with kids with autism Dr. Koegel explains that professionals are often trained to look at what's "wrong" with children with autism rather than what's right. It helps to look at the differences in children with autism, as Margaret likes to say, as morally neutral. Here's where you can find Lynn: autismPRThelp.com @lynn.koegel on Facebook hidden-brilliance.org What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson…
People in this episode
Hosts: Margaret Ables, Amy Wilson
Guest: Dr. Lynn Koegel
Topics covered
- autism
- parenting
- strengths in disabilities
- peer support
- engagement with children
Keywords
- autism
- parenting
- strengths
- peer support
- Pivotal Response Treatment
- clinical professor
- engagement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Stanford School of Medicine, autismPRThelp.com, hidden-brilliance.org
Books & works: Hidden Brilliance: Unlocking the Intelligence of Autism
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