Beautifully Complex

Gender diversity is more common among neurodiverse kids and teens, especially those on the autism spectrum. People who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth are three to six times as likely to have autism as people who don’t question their gender assignment, according to the latest studies on the subject. Neurodivergent kids have trouble fitting in and they often explore different communities to discover where they fit, including the transgender community.  In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I have an open and honest conversation with transgender woman, Wynne Nowland, about how parents, friends, and families can support a child or teen who is questioning their assigned gender or has reached the realization that they are transgender. One of the most important aspects is getting mental health experts involved to help you and your child navigate gender exploration and gender identity. A humanistic approach is key to a healthy journey. This episode is for every human! It’s time to open our hearts and minds to accept every single person as their authentic selves.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

We’re working on our next free online Parenting ADHD & Autism Summit — Decoding Behavior Summit February 11-13, 2022. In interviewing all these experts on behavior, parenting, ADHD, autism, and anxiety we have had our own lightbulb moments.  In this episode of the podcast, we’re sharing some of what these experts will be offering during the Decoding Behavior Summit and letting you know how you can participate in this online conference for free.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Many individuals with ADHD struggle with anxiety as well, wether it be an additional condition or the result of the challenges that come with ADHD. Anxiety is often misunderstood by parents and other adults in a child’s life, and can feel like it should be easily rationalized away. But, those with anxiety know no amount of rationalizing can just “turn off” an anxiety attack. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Psychologist, Dr. Dawn Huebner offers both insights for understanding anxiety, as well as strategies to help your child through the difficult challenges of anxiety.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Your parenting mindset is the #1 most important aspect of parenting kids with ADHD, autism, or other neurobehavioral disorders. Being the best parent you can be for your neurodiverse kid is 90 percent about changing yourself — it’s never about changing your kid.  This episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast is part of our Behavior Revolution series. Penny and Sarah outline the perspective you need to adopt to address behavior in a compassionate and effective way, while honoring your child’s neurodiversity (instead of trying to change it). Let’s start 2022 by getting your mind right for parenting your neuro-atypical child.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Ari Sokolov grew up with ADHD, but she didn’t let her struggles in school define her. Instead, she found ways to make her strengths of creativity and problem-solving work for her. And everything changed when she accidentally walked into a computer science class in middle school and discovered coding. Coding is an outlet for her ADHD creativity and hyperfocus and she grew so passionate about it that it became her path forward. My guest on this episode is 20-year-old Ari Sokolov, a college student and app developer who founded The Trill Project, a safe space for teens and adults to get mental health support. Join us to hear Ari’s inspiring story.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. Even more so for parents raising neurodiverse kids, like those with ADHD or autism. And yet, self-care is the first thing we sacrifice as parents, thinking we are doing better by our kids and our families in doing so. The reality is, the less we care for ourselves, the less we have to give to others. Sacrificing your self-care is actually making you less able to give your all to others.  On this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking to the author of “Sit Down to Rise Up,” Shelly Tygielski about radical self-care. Listen in to learn about developing compassion-based resilience and creating a community of care for yourself to prevent caregiver depletion and burnout. You’ll leave this episode feeling valued and inspired.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Creative parenting not only helps you create moments of magic, but it also fosters trust and independence, emotional expression, out-of-the-box thinking, happiness through connection, and the ability to let go of perfection. Creative parenting can cut through the stress, anxiety, and struggle to bring more light and joy to your child, yourself, and your family, as well. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, theater producer, Nina Meehan, shares the basics of creative parenting and the tools you need to embrace creativity in all aspects of your parenting. We all have creativity within us — Nina helps you rediscover it and use it to bring mre magic and joy to your family.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

By college age, 66-85 percent of all people have been impacted by trauma. And marginalized populations — including those with disabilities like ADHD, autism, and anxiety — are much more likely to experience trauma, many consistently and frequently. We can’t prevent all trauma, but we can affect how our kids (and ourselves) cope with it and heal it. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Dr. Randall Bell, author of “Post-Traumatic Thriving,” outlines the three choices an individual faces after trauma and the strategies scientific research identifies as necessary to thrive. If you are the caregiver of a child with ADHD, autism or anxiety, I can almost guarantee your child has been traumatized — and you probably have too — just by trying to succeed as a neurodiverse person in a neurotypical world. I encourage you to listen to this episode and help your family heal.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Kids with special needs get in trouble at school — both disciplinary action and involvement of law enforcement — far more than neurotypical students. Kids with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, and autism are suspended far more than their peers. And that’s not ok. It’s downright scary for parents of kids with behavioral issues when they know the behaviors are a manifestation of the disability but the school is still taking punitive measures to try to stop the behavior. These interventions often quickly escalate to law enforcement involvement, which no parent wants for their child. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, educational and criminal attorney (who happens to have ADHD), Robert Tudisco, walks you through what to do to prevent the escalation of behavior challenges in school and the very, very important steps you need to take if and when your child is facing disciplinary actions or arrest at school. We also talk about how to handle the threat of truancy for kids with school refusal and avoidance. You must not miss this episode!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.

The common advice from many clinicians for parenting kids with ADHD is to start a behavior chart and reward system to create external motivation. The problem is that these charts and systems often add more work for overwhelmed parents and kids, and often don’t produce results. And in our schools and classrooms, they end up instilling shame, blame, and fear, which is actually harming our children. Tune in to this episode of the Parenting ADHD podcast to learn a better way to help our kids do well. Afterall, kids do well when they can.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beautifully-complex--6137613/support.You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and Regulated Kids.com — because it’s not just about the struggles, it’s about progress, one step at a time.