Diverse Thinking Different Learning

• Ep. 247: Helping Kids by Building Stronger Families: A Systems Approach to Support with Dr. Adi Soffer

  We happily welcome Dr. Adi Soffer to Diverse Thinking Different Learning this week! Adi Soffer, PsyD is a licensed psychologist who works with children, teens, and families, and she combines family structure therapy with evidence-based practices to help families strengthen communication, establish healthy boundaries, and deepen emotional connections. Passionate about guiding parents and children through challenges such as anxiety, behavioral issues, and major life changes, Dr. Soffer offers care via her private practice, Kesher Psychological Services. She sees clients in Los Angeles and provides virtual sessions throughout California and Florida. When a child is struggling with learning, behavioral, or emotional challenges, the focus is often on finding the right therapy for the child. However, as Dr. Adi Soffer explains, this approach may be missing an important piece - the family system. She firmly believes that families function as interconnected systems, and when one member is struggling, the whole system feels the impact. By shifting the focus from fixing the child to strengthening the entire family system, families can reduce stress, improve relationships, and lead to better outcomes for kids and teens. Dr. Soffer outlines her approach to family systems therapy, bringing the entire family into the first session, not just "the identified patient." Instead of discussing the child's problems, she asks questions about the family's dynamics, traditions, and what they would like to change. This allows her to observe the family's communication patterns, boundaries, and power dynamics. She also highlights the importance of understanding the family's structure and communication style, as these factors can deeply impact a child's emotional well-being and behavior. Dr. Soffer explains how poor communication, conflict avoidance, or unclear expectations can contribute to ongoing stress at home, which in turn affects the child. By working with the family, however, she helps them develop healthier communication and set clear expectations and boundaries. This, in turn, can reduce the child's anxiety and stress, as they no longer have to worry about the unpredictability of their home environment. We also explore how the family systems approach shifts when working with teenagers, who are often pushing for more independence, with Dr. Soffer discussing the importance of balancing the teen's need for autonomy with the family's need for involvement and how this can create an environment of empathy and connection within the family. Overall, we highlight the powerful impact that a family systems approach can have on supporting children and teens struggling with various challenges. By addressing the entire family system, therapists can create lasting change and help the whole family thrive.   Show Notes: [3:03] - Hear how Dr. Adi Soffer begins therapy by including the entire family system rather than isolating the child. [6:43] - Dr. Soffer observes family dynamics via structured activities, games, and collaborative drawing. [9:32] - Family therapy examines communication, boundaries, and where each member fits in the relational hierarchy. [12:21] - Dr. Soffer makes the case that clear routines and consistent boundaries reduce chaos and help children feel secure and less anxious. [14:29] - Parents often unintentionally reinforce anxiety by teaching children that the world is frightening. [16:27] - Therapy highlights how children's struggles often reflect parental triggers and emotional challenges. [19:29] - Removing the "identified patient" label eases a child's burden and reduces family pressure. [20:13] - Dr. Soffer argues that constant focus on negative behavior teaches children to internalize damaging beliefs about themselves. [22:02] - Teens need both autonomy and clear parental boundaries to be successfully independent. [25:28] - Families begin to align as a team when therapy highlights shared responsibility and individual identity. [27:39] - Dr. Soffer explains how emotional Jenga can help parents model vulnerability and normalize healthy emotional expression for children. [30:27] - Hear how a teen realized that his parents' feelings mattered too after returning from a month away. [32:34] - Dr. Soffer argues that parents build resilience by balancing support with boundaries and not over-accommodating their kids. [35:09] - A parent's real role is preparing children to face failure, rejection, and life's challenges. [36:18] - It's important for children to face discomfort and uncertainty instead of being shielded by anxious parents. [39:18] - Dr. Soffer asserts that focusing on family strengths can transform household dynamics and improve the overall atmosphere. [40:38] - How can Dr. Soffer be reached? Links and Related Resources: "Anxiety and the Family" Episode 167: From Surviving to Thriving: A Mom's Hierarchy of Needs and Well-Being with Leslie Forde Episode 202: How Low-Demand Parenting Can Reduce Stress and Support Neurodivergent Youth with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our "When Struggles Overlap" Live Webinar Email Dr. Wilson: [email protected]  Connect with Adi Soffer, PsyD: Kesher Website Dr. Soffer's LinkedIn Page Dr. Soffer's Facebook Page Dr. Soffer's Instagram Page

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• Ep. 246: Accommodations, Modifications, or Remediation? How to Know What Your Child Really Needs with Amy Cushner

  For this episode of the show, we are joined by Amy Cushner! Amy has dedicated more than 30 years to the Shelton School and a lifetime to advocating for neurodivergent individuals, infusing passion, humor, and wisdom into every stage she graces. From classrooms in Dallas to conferences in China, she has become a sought-after voice championing inclusive, strengths-based approaches across both education and business.. In this episode, Amy breaks down the important differences between accommodations, modifications, and remediation in the education system, explaining how these terms are often used interchangeably but have distinct purposes that can significantly impact a child's learning journey. Amy discusses the historical context, which traces back to Thomas Jefferson's vision for public education and the challenges of the "Goldilocks effect," ensuring the right fit for every student. She highlights why it's so important to understand the "magic number" that determines when remediation is provided, highlighting that the need for support does not disappear just because a student falls short of the threshold. Amy stresses the importance of understanding important distinctions as they have major implications for a student's educational journey, particularly when it comes to college and career choices, and she also emphasizes the crucial role of early intervention and the empowerment of students to self-advocate, using visual cues and clear communication about their accommodations. Throughout our conversation, Amy shares some valuable insights and practical advice for parents and educators, highlighting the need for a collaborative approach and the recognition that every child's learning journey is unique.  Show Notes: [3:21] - Amy Cushner traces public education's evolution from Jefferson to modern challenges in individualized learning. [6:54] - Students often get accommodations when remediation or intervention is truly required. [7:12] - Amy criticizes rigid "magic number" cutoffs for remediation, calling them unfair and financially motivated. [9:13] - Accommodations, Amy explains, provide classroom access without altering expectations or content. [11:18] - Amy contrasts accommodations with modifications, which lower expectations to match processing or cognitive challenges. [13:54] - Amy highlights knowing accommodation vs. modification and likens it to learning another country's customs. [15:12] - Remediation can help develop missing skills caused by neurological learning differences, not intellectual deficits. [17:31] - Research shows us that remediation builds entirely new neural pathways, effectively rewiring students' brains. [20:17] - When schools won't fund remediation, parents have to seek external diagnoses and licensed therapists. [23:19] - Hear how true remediation requires trained therapists. [26:45] - Remediation needs to be paired with accommodations like audiobooks for full access. [27:39] - Amy explains how modifications alter curriculum expectations, influencing future school and college options. [30:02] - Amy suggests that teachers can use accommodations across the board to help build learning from the ground up. [32:32] - Starting instruction too high frustrates students, while accommodations let them build confidence gradually. [34:59] - Educational advocates help parents navigate laws, testing, and school obligations, helping to ease parental burdens. [38:10] - Timely intervention prevents years of lost learning caused by eligibility cutoffs. [41:21] - Amy encourages early remediation and teaching children to self-advocate for their accommodations. [44:29] - Honest conversations can help kids avoid developing inaccurate, damaging narratives about struggles. [45:48] - Amy reframes nonstandard brains as strengths that offer unique ways of seeing the world. [47:02] - What is the best way to get in touch with Amy Cushner? Links and Related Resources: "How to Initiate a Special Education Assessment" Episode 109: "IEP and 504 Plan Q&A with Vickie Brett and Amanda Selogie" Episode 164: "5 Keys to Productive IEPs with April Rehrig" Episode 218: "Understanding IEPs and 504 Plans: Which One Is Right for Your Child? - Marisol Chianello"   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our "When Struggles Overlap" Live Webinar Email Dr. Wilson: [email protected]    Connect with Amy Cushner: Amy's LinkedIn Page Phone: 972-855-8949 Email: [email protected]   

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• Ep. 245: What Is Executive Function Coaching? with Rana Lustyan

  Joining us for this episode of Diverse Thinking Different Learning is Rana Lustyan! Rana Lustyan is the founder of Growing Minds Coaching, where she helps students with learning differences develop confidence, independence, and academic achievement. She combines strength-based coaching, neuroscience-informed methods, and practical executive function tools to create personalized routines that last.   Rana shares her personal journey with ADHD and how it inspired her to help students, especially girls and young women, build the essential life skills needed for lasting confidence and independence. She explains that executive functioning coaching is distinct from educational therapy or tutoring; it is a dynamic, strengths-based approach that helps individuals develop practical skills around planning, organization, time management, task initiation, and more. Rana's POSITIVE acronym outlines the key areas of focus, from prioritizing goals to evaluating progress! The coaching process involves an in-depth intake to understand the student's unique challenges and strengths, followed by weekly 45-minute sessions and regular accountability check-ins. Rana highlights the importance of building trust and meeting the student where they are, often sharing her own experiences to help them feel understood and supported. Rana's approach includes periodic family team meetings to celebrate wins and address any additional concerns, with the ultimate goal of autonomy and equipping students with the tools to manage their lives independently. She also discusses the phasing-out process, where support is gradually reduced as the student gains confidence and mastery. Whether struggling with procrastination, perfectionism, or emotional regulation, Rana's executive functioning coaching can be helpful, especially for girls and young women with ADHD. Show Notes: [3:02] - Rana explains how executive function coaching builds strengths-based strategies for planning, time management, autonomy, and lifelong resilience. [6:33] - Girls often go undiagnosed with ADHD, masking symptoms through perfectionism, overwork, and internal hyperactivity. [8:54] - Acronyms such as POSITIVE help students remember EF skills such as planning, self-advocacy, and initiation. [11:39] - Task initiation, time management, and visualization strategies support students in overcoming procrastination and distractions. [14:36] - Intake sessions can help gather detailed family, academic, and personal context to build trust and customize coaching. [16:14] - Rana argues that students gain confidence via productive first sessions and ongoing check-ins between weekly meetings. [18:45] - As a coach, Rana validates feelings while guiding students toward solutions parents often mishandle. [20:55] - Executive function struggles may include procrastination, perfectionism, rigidity, emotional regulation issues, and burnout risks. [23:56] - Misinterpreting EF challenges as laziness or lack of motivation delays vital support, especially for girls. [25:19] - Rana argues that family team meetings celebrate student wins, build autonomy, and align goals between parents and children. [28:24] - Rana's 16-session model promotes autonomy via flexible, individualized coaching cycles. [31:07] - EF coaching normalizes struggles, strengthens family bonds, and equips students for lifelong growth. [34:43] - Rana offers resources and consultations through Growing Minds Coaching's website and direct email contact! Links and Related Resources: Episode 11: Executive Functioning 101 Episode 99: Straight Talk About ADHD in Girls with Dr. Stephen Hinshaw Growing Minds Coaching - Executive Functioning Skills Coaching: What Parents Should Know Growing Minds Coaching - Downloads & Worksheets   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our "When Struggles Overlap" Live Webinar Email Dr. Wilson: [email protected]    Connect with Rana Lustyan: Rana's ChildNEXUS Profile Rana's Instagram Profile  

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• Ep. 244: From Burnout to Balance: Supporting Parents Raising Neurodivergent Kids with Leslie Forde

  Joining us for this episode of Diverse Thinking Different Learning is Leslie Forde! ​​Leslie is the CEO and Founder of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® and soon-to-be published Author of Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs. Her business provides evidence-based tools to help moms reclaim their time and well-being from the never-done-list while also helping employers retain working parents and caregivers. Since March of 2020, over 3,700 parents have participated in her research study (the longest-running of its kind) on the pandemic's ongoing impact on work, care, and wellness. With more than twenty years in senior leadership and a decade focused on media and technology in childcare, eldercare, mental health, and education, Leslie is a sought-after speaker and consultant. She advises organizations such as HubSpot, Merck, Scholastic, and the Barr Foundation on how to retain and support parents, caregivers, and people of color. Our conversation explores the growing crisis of parental stress and maternal mental health, which has been made so much worse by a perfect storm of factors such as the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs, shortages in healthcare and childcare resources, and the unique challenges faced by parents of neurodivergent children. Leslie shares some insights from her extensive research on the topic, explaining how parents, especially mothers, are struggling to balance the demands of caregiving, household management, and careers, often at the expense of their own well-being. The guilt, shame, and lack of flexibility in the workplace make it especially difficult for many parents to ask for the support that they desperately need. Leslie highlights the critical importance of parents, especially mothers, prioritizing self-care even in small ways to build resilience and model healthy behaviors for their children. She provides practical tips such as identifying a daily "anchor" activity and being mindful of decision fatigue to help parents carve out time for their own mental, physical, and emotional needs. Our conversation also goes into the direct connection between parents' mental health and their children's wellbeing, and how, by supporting parents, we can have a profound impact on the whole family. This conversation offers a powerful and timely exploration of the parental mental health crisis, with practical insights and solutions that can make a real difference for families! Want a deeper dive into today's topic? Join Karen and Leslie for a ChildNEXUS & Mom's Hierarchy of Needs Joint Discussion; register here! Show Notes: [2:41] - Leslie argues that rising costs, long wait times, and poor support leave families emotionally and financially strained. [4:15] - Leslie points out how coordinating specialists, schools, and daily routines creates an overwhelming, often invisible burden. [6:13] - Mothers face worsening burnout as post-pandemic losses strip away time, resources, and support systems. [9:58] - Social conditioning and low workplace safety pressure women into overcommitment despite exhaustion and caregiving needs. [12:55] - Leslie asserts that many workplaces equate commitment with overwork, leaving parents afraid to ask for flexibility and support. [15:03] - Leslie points out how parents often feel isolated and ashamed when children struggle academically or socially. [17:39] - Many mothers feel trapped without partner support or financial means. [20:51] - Leslie asserts that ignoring self-care leads to burnout that harms health, family, and career stability. [23:46] - Exhausted parents struggle to engage with energetic children, straining relationships and shared activities. [25:47] - Leslie argues that parenting requires constant exhausting micro-adjustments, like juggling trains on endlessly shifting tracks. [28:36] - Dr. Wilson recommends Leslie's book for guidance. [29:11] - Leslie advises parents to establish a daily anchor habit and reduce fatigue around making decisions. [32:57] - Dr. Wilson points out that it's important to support parents of neurodivergent children while also encouraging their own self-care practices. [33:28] - Leslie agrees and reports that post-pandemic self-care has declined as responsibilities have increased and systems have become more strained. [36:48] - Leslie praises Karen's guidance for parents while emphasizing time management and self-care as very important. [38:10] - What is the best way to reach Leslie? Links and Related Resources: Episode 151: Parenting with ADHD: Insights and Inspiration with Holly Blanc Moses Episode 167: From Surviving to Thriving: A Mom's Hierarchy of Needs and Well-Being with Leslie Forde Episode 202: How Low Demand Parenting Can Reduce Stress and Support Neurodivergent Youth with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge Leslie Forde - Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs®   Connect with Us: Register for "Thriving Together Supporting Your Child and Yourself" with Leslie Forde and Dr. Karen Wilson Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Email Dr. Wilson: [email protected]    Connect with Leslie Forde: Email: [email protected]  Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® Website Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® on Instagram Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® on Facebook Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® on Twitter Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® on Pinterest Mom's Hierarchy of Needs® on LinkedIn  

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• Ep. 243: From Inclusion to Belonging: Creating Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools with Amanda Morin

  We are happy to welcome Amanda Morin to the show this week! Amanda is a neurodivergent advocate for neurodiversity, an award-winning author of six books, an early childhood expert, and a nationally recognized speaker who is passionate about building accessible and inclusive spaces for neurodivergent people. Drawing on her background in learning and child development, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), special education, advocacy, and mental health, she translates complex information into clear, practical insights for parents, educators, and employers striving to design inclusive content, programs, and strategies that make the world more accessible for everyone. In our discussion today, Amanda unpacks the concept of "neurodiversity-affirming" schools - classrooms that go beyond just "including" neurodivergent students and instead actively celebrate and empower them. She explains how a neurodiversity-affirming approach involves letting go of rigid structures and control and instead creating flexible, "controlled chaos" environments in which all students can learn and thrive in the ways that work best for them, benefitting not just neurodivergent students but, again, all learners! Amanda also highlights the importance of using especially precise and affirming language, distinguishing between "neurodivergent" (those whose brains process information differently) and the broader "neurodiverse" (the natural diversity of all minds). She also discusses how naming and understanding differences, rather than avoiding them, can go a long way toward destigmatizing neurodivergence. Perhaps especially crucially, Amanda explores the "double empathy problem," the idea that communication challenges often stem from a two-way lack of understanding rather than just deficits in the neurodivergent individual, and she shares some practical strategies for bridging this gap, such as narrating facial expressions and using visual cues. As the new school year approaches, this conversation is sure to offer some invaluable insights for educators seeking to create truly inclusive, strengths-based classrooms that empower all students to do their best! Show Notes: [3:06] - Amanda Morin highlights moving beyond "inclusion" toward belonging, creating flexible, student-centered learning environments. [6:43] - Neurodiversity-affirming practices benefit all students by gradually rethinking classrooms to embrace every mind. [9:37] - Just like biodiversity, neurodiversity means different minds adapt uniquely but remain equally valid. [11:25] - Amanda explains neurodivergence as brain-environment interactions that require supportive accommodations. [13:21] - Stigma is a major barrier to neurodivergent students' mental health and persistence. [14:14] - Naming diagnoses openly helps students replace self-blame with understanding. [17:00] - Hiding diagnoses often leads children to form harmful, inaccurate stories about themselves. [18:24] - Amanda urges giving kids language to explain their struggles instead of adopting negative labels. [20:08] - Amanda touches upon the double empathy problem in which communication requires adjustment between neurodivergent and neuro-normative people. [23:44] - Teachers can model narrating emotions and expressions to reduce students' stress around social cues. [24:06] - Hear how Amanda uses a "battery activity" to help students visualize and communicate their energy levels. [27:12] - Amanda encourages urges describing behavior neutrally rather than judging it as "good" or "bad." [30:13] - Hear how Amanda prefers "neuro-normative" over "neurotypical" because it avoids implying a single correct way of being. [32:37] - Amanda highlights a project reframing IEPs around strengths and motivation, not just deficits and skills gaps. [35:37] - Amanda encourages small classroom changes that affirm neurodivergent students' agency and sense of belonging. [37:52] - Amanda invites educators to connect! Links and Related Resources: Emily Kircher-Morris & Amanda Morin - Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported Episode 168: 5 Tips for Supporting Neurodivergent Youth The Understood Blog - "Academia to action: Parents of neurodivergent kids need answers"   Connect with Us: Get on our Email List Book a Consultation Get Support and Connect with a ChildNEXUS Provider Register for Our "When Struggles Overlap" Live Webinar Email Dr. Wilson: [email protected]    Connect with Amanda Morin: Amanda's Website Email Amanda: [email protected] Phone: 1-207-907-9182  

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