Learn with Dr. Emily

Parenting is challenging. Add neurodivergence and a busy job to the mix, and sometimes (ok, often) you feel like you deserve that glass of wine. But does it make things better or worse? Are you a sober-curious parent?

Today, Casey Davidson and Dr. Emily share their personal journeys of transitioning to sobriety, shedding light on the challenges of moderation and the addictive nature of alcohol. There are both physical and e...

On today’s podcast, Dr. Lori Desautels joins me to discuss how students experience trauma at school, and how we need to move away from traditional discipline approaches and towards promoting emotional regulation for students and educators. We dive into practical strategies in an effort to promote a positive learning environment for all students.

This episode is for teachers wanting to better understand the emotional experi...

Much of the content on this podcast centers around raising neurodivergent kids. But what about when they become young adults?  How do we think about higher education options and entering the workforce?

Today, North Carolina Business Committee for Education Executive Director Caroline Sullivan joins Dr. Emily to discuss the groundbreaking LiNC-IT program. Launched in 2018, LiNC-IT provides invaluable support for neurodiverge...

How can educators cultivate a classroom environment that's the most conducive to learning?  What are the real secrets to a successful and regulated classroom?

Today, Emily Daniels discusses the Regulated Classroom framework, which emphasizes practices like co-regulation, connectors, activators, settlers, and affirmations. By understanding behaviors through past experiences and utilizing Polyvagal theory, educators can crea...

For everyone who's a parent of a neurodivergent child, you might be taking care of your aging parents as well. You're in a Sandwich Generation, and it's not easy to navigate setting boundaries, finding support outside your family, and prioritizing your own mental health.

Today, Edla Prevette has some advice for navigating the complexities of this family dynamic.

As a mental health counselor for over thirty years, Edla Prevet...

Today we're sharing an episode from Neurodiverging with Danielle Sullivan. It's a super interesting conversation on PDA, an acronym for Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Demand for Autonomy. I enjoyed listening to this, and I think you will too!

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Today host Danielle Sullivan discusses their experience parenting PDA children. Danielle has a child with pathological demand avoidance/ pervasive demand for autonomy a...

The Holidays are here, so 'Tis the Season for hearing about travel anxiety from many parents raising neurodivergent kids. Some can’t fathom going to a restaurant without causing a scene so an extended vacation seems out of reach. Many are surprised when I say, “Your child can totally do this! Maybe not yet, but just like any other skill you have taught your child, traveling takes practice.” In this episode, learn how you c...

If you are raising an autistic child or one with ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing differences, you may have had some moments when you’ve looked at others and thought, “I wish it was easier for my child to just sit down and eat with the family” or “Wow, that child just joined right in with that group of kids like it was nothing!”

When your child is achieving milestones on their own timeframe, you quickly learn to surrend...

Today we're sharing an episode I was a guest on recently, Calm the Chaos Parenting with my friend Dayna Abraham.

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This week, we're diving into a topic that keeps popping up in our community, and it's a two-part issue.

Firstly, some parents are puzzled about how to help their kids at school as they come home on Fridays exhausted and frustrated, or they flat out refuse to go to school, claiming it's just too stressful. Even...

Today we're sharing an episode from an awesome parenting podcast called Motherhood Unstressed with Liz Carlisle. This conversation with author Jenn Granneman on working with highly sensitive people and what superpowers they possess is fantastic, so I know you'll enjoy it.

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You’re too sensitive. You’re overreacting. Grow a thicker skin. You take everything so personally.

We hear these comments all too often. There’...

Many of you know that Dr. Mona Delahooke suffered a brain aneurysm about two months ago and has been fighting hard in her recovery ever since. Her family shared last week that she has regained consciousness (!) but that there is still a long road to recovery.

So please join me in wishing Mona well today as we lift up her work through the magic of podcast sharing while she continues to rest and recover.

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Educators, it'...

Welcome to another Q&A podcast! 

Full disclosure, I can't answer complex or detailed questions about dynamics between kids, or teachers and kids, or parents and kids, when I don't know the full story. But what I can answer is general topics that keep coming up with parents, teachers, and kids, whether it's a clinical topic, an educational topic, a child psychology question, or just a general parenting question.

Today we ...

Today I have a special treat for the educators who follow me. A few weeks ago I offered a free webinar for teachers in Pre-K through 8th grade where I talked about what's going on behind the behavior, and how to stay curious and figure out what students are struggling with so we can shift our mindset from thinking these students are giving me a hard time to these students are having a hard time.

So on today's episode, I'm r...

As parents, we are all are working toward the same goals: Raise a human that is independent and kind. Many of us start with goals like “successful” and ”happy,” but because these are such relative terms, I find it more helpful to define goals within the framework of independence, which is my definition of success anyway. I also don’t think I know any kind people who aren’t also generally happy people so that brings us back...

Welcome to another Q&A podcast! 

Full disclosure, I can't answer complex or detailed questions about dynamics between kids, or teachers and kids, or parents and kids, when I don't know the full story. But what I can answer is general topics that keep coming up with parents, teachers, and kids, whether it's a clinical topic, an educational topic, a child psychology question, or just a general parenting question.

Today we ...

As a parent or teacher, what should we do when our child is in the middle of a meltdown?

Today we welcome Dayna Abraham, a National Board Certified educator, parent of three neurodivergent children, and an ADHD adult herself. Dayna introduces her Calm the Chaos framework, which consists of four key principles: Connection, Understanding, Empowerment, and You (the parent as a calm presence). These principles form the foundat...

I’m just going to say it: Homework is a thorn in the side for most parents raising neurodivergent kids. In case you haven’t experience it, let me explain:

You wake up in the morning ready to implement your well-crafted morning routine that includes the most efficient way to get your child clothed, fed, packed up, and in the car with the fewest moments of frustration, tears, and conflict with siblings. Because school is ...

Are you facing the dilemma of whether homeschooling is the right choice for your neurodivergent child? Are you concerned about the challenges it might bring, such as college admissions or socialization?

Today, we sit down with Amy Langston, an autistic self-advocate, to explore her remarkable homeschooling journey. Discover how she and her family tackled the decision to homeschool, overcame obstacles, and reaped the benefi...

As parents and educators, we know that children often experience a “honeymoon” the first day (or week) of the new school year. It’s a time when many children are blissfully distracted by their new outfit, their new backpack, their new teacher, their new pencil, or their new classmates so they often make it through the first few days or weeks just fine.

But at some point, many children begin to settle in, look around and thi...