You Don’t Want a Hug, Right? The Hilarity and the Hard of Raising Humans with Neurodiversity
Gwen & Kristen
32 episodes
1 month ago
We didn’t mean to disappear for seven months… okay, maybe we did. But we’re back! Turns out, living through existential dread and trying to raise neurodivergent kids is a full-time gig (with no PTO). But we’ve surfaced—with stories, updates, and an entire dragon-themed Zoom backdrop Gwen can’t figure out how to remove. In this catch-up episode, Gwen and Kristen are dishing out all the highs, lows, awkward award nights, top hat choices, and job transitions their neurodivergent kids have been n...
All content for You Don’t Want a Hug, Right? The Hilarity and the Hard of Raising Humans with Neurodiversity is the property of Gwen & Kristen and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
We didn’t mean to disappear for seven months… okay, maybe we did. But we’re back! Turns out, living through existential dread and trying to raise neurodivergent kids is a full-time gig (with no PTO). But we’ve surfaced—with stories, updates, and an entire dragon-themed Zoom backdrop Gwen can’t figure out how to remove. In this catch-up episode, Gwen and Kristen are dishing out all the highs, lows, awkward award nights, top hat choices, and job transitions their neurodivergent kids have been n...
We didn’t mean to disappear for seven months… okay, maybe we did. But we’re back! Turns out, living through existential dread and trying to raise neurodivergent kids is a full-time gig (with no PTO). But we’ve surfaced—with stories, updates, and an entire dragon-themed Zoom backdrop Gwen can’t figure out how to remove. In this catch-up episode, Gwen and Kristen are dishing out all the highs, lows, awkward award nights, top hat choices, and job transitions their neurodivergent kids have been n...
Helping your child transition to adulthood isn’t for the faint of heart for any parent… but when you're helping a neurodivergent child navigate the process, it’s even harder. Sure, there’s help– if you know where to ask for it. And your locality probably has a system or service that can offer support– but it has a different title in every state. And don’t forget that the type of diploma or certificate your child receives from high school can affect the type of support they can qualify for. Fe...
We’re back! As you may have noticed, we took the summer off of podcasting as our families navigated some big changes and milestones this summer. We didn’t mean to disappear, but we *may* have forgotten to tell you that we were taking a break. Sorry about that. So today, we’re catching you up on all the changes in our lives during the last few months. Gwen is giving updates on all three of her kids –yes, you read that right: three. She’s covering Rylan’s adventures, Reagan adjusting to a new s...
When it comes to the brains of our neurodivergent kids and friends… There can be a lot going on. Constant input that they struggle to filter, regular therapy that they may not be able to implement yet, and expectations from a society that’s not built for them: it can be so overwhelming and dysregulating. And while manual therapy interventions can result in slow, steady progress, using the principles of neuroplasticity can help accelerate and regulate the brains of our kids much faster. And th...
Imagine with us for a moment: What would it feel like to be in a concert hall… but having a personalized audio experience created for your own individual needs? And not only that, but someone ten feet away from you could have their own audio experience tailored to their preferences that is incredibly different from your own. Sound fictional? Well, not anymore, and it could be a major game-changer for our neurodivergent loved ones. In today’s episode, Gwen and Kristen are joined by two guests,...
One year!! Can you believe we made it this far, friends? Because we sure can’t. You Don’t Want a Hug has officially been published for a year, and it has been a wild ride. In today’s episode, we’re sharing joy, frustration, hope, and gratitude as we look back on this last year of podcasting. We’ll be discussing the many lessons we’ve learned, reading notes sent to us by you lovely listeners, offering advice here and there, and we’re going to be pretty raw and honest about the future of the p...
And we’re not going to sugar coat it friends: navigating puberty with neurodivergent kids is rough. And it’s not just because we have to explain to our kids the importance of showering and explaining the function of certain parts of their anatomy in great and uncomfortable detail. Puberty also brings with it some intense emotional and personality changes. The little kids that we knew so well are maturing into adults that we often don’t understand quite as well anymore, and that transition can...
Burnout. It’s a word that comes up often in society and is often synonymous with being tired and needing a vacation. But when it comes to neurodivergent folks, autistic burnout can look radically different and have long-lasting effects. In today’s episode, Becca Lory Hector shares her experience of being diagnosed with autism as an adult after an extensive bout of autistic burnout. She explains why her burnout occurred, what support she wished she had received, and what might have kept her fr...
Isolation and loneliness are realities for parenting raising humans with neurodiversity. We’ve experienced both and know how difficult it can be through the many ages and stages of our kids’ lives. In today’s episode, we talk all about isolation and loneliness and their impact on neurodiverse families. We go into the data behind it, share stories related to feelings of isolation in many different areas of our lives, and offer strategies for how we’ve coped over the years. In this episode, you...
Therapy plays an important role in our neurodiverse children’s lives… But let’s be real: the act of constantly driving all over to drag our kids into dingy, uncomfortable waiting rooms multiple times a week is not fun. In this episode, Gwen and Kristen dive into this phenomenon: why parents of neurodiverse kids end up in this situation, how to make the process and experience a little more tolerable, and when it might be time to pull the plug on certain therapies (and escape the excrucia...
Sports can be critically important to a child’s development and even their family’s place in the community. That’s why our kids, regardless of ability, deserve more than a church basement to hone those social connections and their skills as athletes! In today’s episode, we’re interviewing Jen VanSkiver, Chief Officer of Strategic Growth for Special Olympics of Michigan and her daughter’s biggest advocate. You’ll learn how Jen has helped to facilitate the creation of a first-of-its-kind Unifie...
The classroom is the essential component across every school from K-12 to higher education. So why is it that physical space is often overlooked as being a central player in the learning experience? If you’re a parent to a child with a disability, then you know that their environment can make all the difference! In today’s episode, we’re interviewing Dr. Elif Tural and Dr. David Kniola, experts in the field of universal design and its various applications in educational settings and beyond. T...
Being a parent of neurodivergent children is challenging enough for most of us. But what does that look like when you introduce racial bias into the mix? How does that affect the way parents and children with disabilities are perceived by their schools and their providers? In today’s episode, we’re interviewing Jackie Bess, a wife and mom of three boys with autism whose story is an excellent demonstration of the intersection of race and disability. Jackie describes many of the struggles she f...
Few things are more important to us as humans, especially to neurodivergent children, than access to quality healthcare. But did you know that Black and Hispanic children are less likely to be identified with autism than white children? This simple fact invites a closer look into the social currency that many of us take for granted and why the healthcare system looks vastly different to those of marginalized populations. In today’s episode, we’re interviewing Robin Ennis, a social worker and ...
As parents of neurodiverse kids, navigating the holidays can be…. a lot. Trying to get our kids to tolerate all the events, all the activities, and all the routine changes on top of everything else is exhausting, frustrating, and quite frankly, maybe not worth it for us and our kids. And who says we actually have to do all of this stuff anyway? In today’s episode, we’re sharing our best holiday tips for surviving the holiday season, including managing schedules, adjusting the gift-giving proc...
We have so much to be grateful for, and what better time to acknowledge that than with Thanksgiving just on the horizon? Since expressing gratitude is essential to our health and happiness, especially as parents of neurodiverse children, we’re on a mission to be more intentional with how we recognize all the things we have to be thankful for each and every day — whether they’re obvious, a little quirky, or even a bit of a stretch! In today’s episode, we’re covering everything from letting go ...
Halloween can sometimes be a struggle for neurodiverse children. There’s costumes and candy and strangers to consider. Halloween can be adapted to fit the needs of your family. Don’t feel like it has to be the same, traditional Halloween you see in the movies. That’s not always real life, friends. And if your kid tries to poop in someone else’s house, it’s okay. We’ve been there. In today’s episode, we’ve got a short and sweet conversation to share our pro tips for how to tackle Halloween lik...
Standardized testing and educational plans are a reality of life for us as parents of neurodiverse students. But it can be a bit daunting to think about, especially if you’re new to the process. There are forms and meetings and legalities that can overwhelm you if you’re not prepared. And honestly, it’s hard to be prepared for something you don’t know much about. That’s why we’re here to help you. In today’s episode, we’re sharing how we’ve navigated the individualized education program...
TW: This episode discusses suicide. Please listen with care. It's suicide prevention month and we know that our population of neurodiverse youth and adults are impacted greatly by suicide, by suicidal ideation, and mental health issues because of bullying and other social challenges. It’s a vital topic, and one that’s hard to discuss, but we really have to do it because it’s so important. In today’s episode, we have our very first guest. We’re so excited to talk to Anne Moss Rogers, a suicide...
Most of us with neurodiverse children have IEP or 504 plans, and that means your child will have a team working with them at school. The team, your child, and you form an important dynamic when it comes to your child’s education and, from our experience, starting the year off on the right foot makes all the difference. In today’s episode, we’re continuing with our back to school series and we’re sharing why the school team partnership is so important, and the 5 key questions you should ask yo...
You Don’t Want a Hug, Right? The Hilarity and the Hard of Raising Humans with Neurodiversity
We didn’t mean to disappear for seven months… okay, maybe we did. But we’re back! Turns out, living through existential dread and trying to raise neurodivergent kids is a full-time gig (with no PTO). But we’ve surfaced—with stories, updates, and an entire dragon-themed Zoom backdrop Gwen can’t figure out how to remove. In this catch-up episode, Gwen and Kristen are dishing out all the highs, lows, awkward award nights, top hat choices, and job transitions their neurodivergent kids have been n...
