What are neuroaffirming and low demand parenting? Why are they important? And could they have the ability to alter the energy in your family home? Celebrating the individualism of your unique child and placing them at the centre of the decisions made about them is the most effective way to create a positive self image for your child. But what does this look like in practice? And how do we balance this against the need for boundaries andstructure? We’ll also talk about how these are different to permissive parenting , and the risks that permissive parenting poses to yourself and your relationship with your child. How do we walk the line to do the best for our child when parenting is already more complex than for many of those around us? Let’s discuss!

In this next episode in our Taboo Topics series, we discuss the realities of child to parent violence, its prevalence amongst children with neurodivergence and its impact. Let’s start by being clear, a child who is neurodivergent is not automatically violent or aggressive, but some are. And it’s parents and siblings who are often impacted by this violence. So how does it happen? We talk to Lee Tempest from VisAble about what it looks and feels like using lived experience. For those experiencing child to parent violence, you are not alone. We will also share any agencies that you may be able to speak to. This won’t be an easy episode, but it’s a very important one.

The world of supports for our neurodivergent child can feel huge and overwhelming. Who does what? How can they help? How often should my child see them? How many supports are too many supports? We want to do the best for our children, but is providing EVERY support the right answer? And can informal supports also have a place in helping your child? We chat to David Trembath of CliniKids, the clinical service of The Kids Research Institute Australia, about how to put your child at the centre of these decisions so you can be neuroaffirming, supportive and help your child be the best they can be.

Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) recently launched Stepping Stone, a program specifically designed tohelp parents and carers who’s children have additional support needs. So what is Triple P and, most importantly, what is Stepping Stones? And how can it help? Triple P was created in Australia to empower parents to raise an incredible next generation of children. It’s now available in over 30 countries across the world and has seen incredible success. But when your parenting has to look a little different, can Triple P help? We learn a whole suite of skills that are specific to our neurodivergent child, so a program developed for parenting neurotypical children is not likely to provide the correct fit. And that’s why they’ve just launched Stepping Stones. We chat to its creator Professor Mat Sanders about how and why they created Stepping Stones, how it’s differentand how it can help.

Neurodivergence can also come with high occurrences of other conditions and complexities, these are referred to as comorbidities. Today we discuss the most commonly occurring conditions - what they are, how they appear and how to spot them. Covering both mental and physical health conditions, this can seem daunting and overwhelming but, as they say, forewarned is forearmed, and, in Leah's own words, understanding these conditions helps us change the statistics and management for our children and those in the future. Leah talks to us not only from her experience running Heale Collab, but also from her own lived experience and shares some incredible knowledge that we can bring into our observation of our own children.

We all know the old adage of You Are What You Eat, but how true is this for ourneurodivergent children? Having a regular healthy diet when you are neurodivergent can provide a whole range of challenges. Sensory preferences, digestive discomfort, anxiety about food and other issues can make getting proper nutrition really tough. But what are the benefits of finding ways to inject certain nutrients into your child’s diet? Can nutrition have an impact on our child’s brain health and ability to manage their energy and regulation? And, on the flip side, what happens when a child’s diet is overlooked? We talk to dietician Eleni Georgiou about where to place your energy when trying to get your child to eat well, where you will get your most bang for buck and what to just let slide. We get right into the guts of all things food.

Any parent will navigate challenging behaviours from their children almost every day? But what happens when those behaviours are more frequent, extreme or developmentally inappropriate? How do we build fulfilling relationships with our children when their social and emotional language can be so different to ours?   We chat to Chelle Taylor of Blossomtree Psychology about the grit and muck of parenting, about the days when when it all feels too hard and about how to change the lens on making connections with your neurodivergent child.   This is the first episode in our Taboo Topic themed episodes and we look forward to bringing you more real and unfiltered conversations about the tough stuff.

So what are Learning Disorders? Let’s talk Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. How do we define them? How can parents and teachers identify them? What myths do we need to bust about them? We explore the every day challenges that these disorders can create, methods for identifying and supporting, and how we show our children that there are so many ways to be smart! Join us for this in depth discussion with Natalie Trigg, the Director of Thrive Specialist Resource & Community Centre and President of its governing charity, Thrive Teach Nurture Grow Inc. We also want to send a HUGE congratulations to Natalie and the team for their recent recognition. Thrive TNG has just been awarded Australian Dyslexia Association certificate is in recognition of Educational Centres in Australia providing exceptional services for dyslexia and related challenges. This award is very rarely handed out so is an incredible honour showing just how much work Thrive TNG does to support young people with dyslexia.

We cover a lot of loaded definitions on this podcast, and Giftedness is pretty high up there in terms of being incorrectly represented and misunderstood. So let’s get real and talk about what Giftedness actually is, the various types of Giftedness, and how to support your child through it’s challenges. We also delve into the term 2E, what it means and how it appears. We discuss the challenges of people seeing the behaviour rather than the child and how to support them. Dr Susan Nikakis, Vice President of the Victorian Association for Gifted and Talented Children (VAGTC) and author of numerous books on educating gifted children, brings her passion and knowledge to this conversation. This is the final episode of Season 2.

Use the power of language to give you strength to get through those tough times.

Set intentions, create focus and use affirmations to strengthen your resolve.

The conversation around self care is EVERYWHERE at the moment and it’s a buzz term that’s being bandied about for parents and carers of children with neurodivergences. But how much of it is helpful? What is TRUE self care? Why is it important? And how can we find realistic and achievable ways to help us be the best we can, to also give our children our best? Also released this week are a collection of mini-sodes that walk you through short, realistic moments of calm that you can call on in those moments when it all feels out of control. Carer burn out is a real and way too frequent condition and we want to help you find realistic ways to stem the tide. We’re joined by Sheree Inglis, Wellbeing Coach, Yoga Teacher & Reiki Master who’s passion is empowering women to prioritise their own wellbeing. I can’t think of anyone better to take part in this conversation!

When you need to shake out the cobwebs to get the job done, this helps clear the fog

Take three deep cleansing breaths to calm your nervous system

A style of breathing to help bring peace and clarity

Have you ever noticed that certain body movements can help your children feel safer in their own skin? Do you have a wriggler or a roller or a bouncer? Do they seek out your touch or shy away from it? Understanding your child’s vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile systems can be a key to helping them feel grounded and comfortable when other stimuli are overwhelming. We will be discussing what these systems are, why they are so important to the neurodivergent child and how you can be proactive in introducing ways that help these systems to support your child’s regulation journey. We're joined by Lisa Hughes of Occupational Therapy Helping Children as she shares more than thirty years experience of helping children feel comfortable in their bodies.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) can seem like magical “catch-all” wizards for our neurodivergent children. So in this episode we break down what an OT is, what they do and how they do it. We delve into the many ways an OT can support your neurodivergent child’s growing brain and why are they are fast becoming the essential spoke to your child’s support wheel. We’ll also answer some of our audience questions about OTs so we can demystify the incredible work that they do. Speaking with Stephanie Van Velzen, an OT for over `15 years and Practice Director of Uplift Therapy Ballarat, she’ll aim to help us understand how an OT can support your neurodivergent child.

Anxiety and neurodivergence seem to like hanging out together A LOT! Current statistics have approximately half the neurodivergent population also diagnosed with Anxiety. So why do we think they're such great friends? Let’s delve in to why Anxiety often partners up with a range of neurodivergent disorders. What triggers this pairing? How do we spot it? And how can we help our neurodivergent children navigate the symptoms of anxiety within their brain and body? Have a listen to this informative and insightful conversation with Laura Addabo, Psychologist at The ASD Clinic to learn more.

While receiving a diagnosis is incredible for helping to explain why your child may have felt a bit like a fish out of water in a neurotypically organised world, it can be just the beginning of your journey. It can seem incredibly daunting if you make the decision to tell family and friends about your child’s diagnosis. Where do you start? What do you say? And how do you ensure they see your child as the individual that they are, not just the diagnosis? We chat to Holly Karten, a disability activist and artist with lived experience, about navigating complex and emotional conversations with positivity and advocacy for your child.

The terms Regulation and Co-regulation are used often when discussing how parents and carers can help the emotional state of their neurodivergent children. But what exactly do these terms mean? And what is the difference between them? If we are to co-regulate our children, how do we look after ourselves to ensure we’re in an emotional state that is healthy for us both? How do we make sure we can access the best parts of our brain and respond in the most appropriate way? And does regulated equate to calm? Should our children always be calm? We chat to Diana Silva, founder of the Keywell app that helps parents better understand their neurodivergent child.