Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to Learn, Play, & Thrive

00:53:21

Supporting Twice Exceptional Autistic Kids

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/09/16

Kids who are very intellectually bright and also Autistic have a unique set of struggles, one that is often missed, silenced, or poorly supported. They may struggle with shame, perfectionism, self-advocacy, boredom, dysregulation, being misidentified, and being misunderstood.Today's episode with school psychologist and parent coach Dr. Danika Maddocks covers the ways 2E kids are struggling that are so often missed, and how we can show up to support them.For show notes as well as in-person and

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00:47:22

Systems Let Autistic People Down, But They Don't Have...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/09/02

When Dr. Mel Houser started medical school, they never imagined that they would later find themselves reimagining healthcare for neurodivergent people. But their work has been remarkable - and offers all of us a template for challenging systems that create barriers to health, belonging, and participation.This episode explores four key ideas: healthcare is more than medical care; solutions should come from those closest to the problem; universal design creates multiple paths to participation; and

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00:43:50

Who Gets to Be Heard? The Case For Researching...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/08/05

Here's what we know: assisted methods to teaching typing have been highly controversial in the field of speech-language pathology and simultaneously have been passionately defended by many non-speaking Autistics. In a recent paper, researcher Vikram Jaswal, along with a team including Dr. Kristie Patten, Dr. Barry Prizant, and several others, argued that we need more research on assisted communication methods so that we can get clearer answers. On the podcast today, Dr. Jaswal and Italk about what

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00:56:20

How to Work in Collaboration With Your PDA Clients...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/07/15

Ever wondered how to apply Dr. Ross Green's model of Collaborative & Proactive Solutions to your work with PDA clients? Today's guest, AuDHD mental health therapist Stacey Curnow, is writing a book about it with Dr. Green's collaboration and oversight. In today's episode, we talk about what exactly collaboration looks like in practice with PDA clients. We also dive into supporting parents, teaching daily living skills, supporting PDAers with aggressive behaviors, PDA kids in burnout, and so much

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00:48:49

Safety, Trust, & Authenticity: How PDA Experiences...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/07/01

The folks at PDA North America recently surveyed over 2,000 families about PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance, or the Pervasive Drive for Autonomy). What they learned has major implications for your clinical practice. In today’s episode, you'll hear from Diane Gould, Ruth Hevelone, and Michele Kleinmann. We talk about what they learned from their PDA Experiences survey, as well as the practices that are supportive for PDAers. We talk about respect, partnership, flexibility, authenticity,

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01:25:19

Tools That Get Neurodivergent Folks Through Feeling...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/06/24

When it comes to helping neurodivergent folks find playful, engaging ways to do the things they need to do, ADHD content creator Dani Donoval is the most creative person I’ve ever met. By the end of this episode, you’ll be grabbing a 20-sided die and turning your neurodivergent client into their own Dungeons and Dragons character, springboarding them out of "stuck" and into action.On this podcast, we know that our clients’ worthiness has never and will never be tied to our ability to do more and

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00:42:35

When Your Client Needs Novelty & Routines All At...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/06/10

This episode is a deep and nuanced exploration into the seemingly competing needs of being Autistic and being ADHD. We call these folks AuDHD-ers, and they're often faced with both the need for routines that comes with being Autistic and the craving for novelty that comes with ADHD. In this episode, AuDHD psychotherapist, Dr. Bowen Marshall, helps us explore all of the complexities around AuDHD, including how ADHD and autism can be complementary and how that may change when one condition is

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00:37:27

When Your Autistic Client Also Has OCD, Depression,...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/05/27

{{Two Sides of the Spectrum is now Born to Be Free!}} This episode is a sweeping overview of the co-occurring conditions that Autistic people often experience, including OCD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, PDA, and more. Autistic Licensed Psychological Practitioner Matt Lowry helps us take a topic that can feel huge and overwhelming and reduce it to a few core themes that make affirming practice feel clear, grounded, and simple, even when we are supporting clients with more complex profiles.Matt Lowry

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00:01:32

Two Sides --> Born To Be Free (New Podcast Name!)

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/05/20

We have a new podcast name! Keep your eyes out for our first episode of Born to Be Free: Supporting Your Neurodivergent Clients to Learn, Play, and Thrive. The podcast is relaunching with an emphasis on all of the complexities our Autistic clients experience, and how we can support them in affirming ways. We're starting off with a focus on Autistic people who also have OCD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, multiple disabilities, motor difficulties, PDA, twice exceptionality, and more. Don't miss our first

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00:32:06

AuDHDers, Executive Function, & Social-Emotional...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/03/18

This episode dives into the specific needs of AuDHD-ers – that’s kids who are Autistic and have ADHD - tying in executive functioning, social-emotional well-being, and so much more. Vanessa’s take is detailed, creative, and deeply practical. You’re going to want to take notes! Vanessa Castañeda Gill is an AuDHDer and the cofounder and CEO of Social Cipher, where she and her team create social-emotional learning video games and curriculum for neurodivergent youth.Want MORE EPISODES of Two Sides of

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00:05:00

Therapy as a Collaboration and Becoming

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/02/17

"Because therapy should feel like a collaboration and becoming, not a rehearsal and being less yourself in order to survive." - Chenai Mupotsa-RussellIn this short episode, you get a sneak peek into the audio from one of our most poetic and transformative summit talks. Our continuing education summit is now $100 off and available on-demand at learnplaythrive.com/summitSelected Transcript:"Normal is not a neutral baseline. It is a construct, a fiction, a colonizing force. Normativities function to

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00:46:26

Five Core Skills to Help Your Autistic Clients to...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/02/04

Dr. Devon Price’s work sits at the intersection of trauma-informed care and Autistic unmasking. In this interview, he walks us through five core practices for unmasking, and shares how to approach them thoughtfully with Autistic clients who have experienced trauma - which is most of the Autistic community.We explore practices such as learning your preferences and disentangling them from social norms, building resilience, cultivating distress tolerance, and shaping your life - both in big, structural

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00:32:20

Showing Up in the Therapy Room With Our Whole...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/01/21

Learning from Chenai Mupotsa-Russell will absolutely transform you. Chenai doesn't just teach us how we can use art of every kind to support well-being for our clients, she also embodies everything she teaches — art, liberation, anti-colonial practice, and so much more. In today's conversation, we explore the role that art can play in our work as providers with concrete examples, and ideas, and stories from Chenai that you can use right away. Chenai Mupotsa-Russell is an art therapist, community

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00:34:23

How to Organize a Disability Pride Event in Your Town...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2026/01/07

Ableism is ingrained into our society, and many of us wonder what we can do about it. Occupational therapist Sara Zielinski decided that a huge celebration - centering disability pride - in her small town would be a great place to start. What happened next was transformative. In this episode Sara teaches us how to throw a disability pride event, why events like this matter, and how we can all be change agents in our workplaces and our communities.Want MORE EPISODES of Two Sides of the Spectrum,

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00:46:40

Supporting Regulation: A Leveled-Up Approach with Dr....

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/12/17

When your Autistic clients have trouble identifying the emotions inside of their bodies, emotion-based regulation systems aren't always helpful. This episode is all about how regulation can be guided by energy levels. Specifically, how we help our Autistic clients match their energy level to what’s needed for the things they need or want to do. Our guests are the two incredible folks behind Autism Level Up. Jacquelyn Fede, who is an Autistic advocate and developmental psychologist and Amy Laurent,

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00:50:10

Reclaiming Disabled Kids' Futures: A Planning &...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/12/03

We all know that the plans and goals that we write deeply impact what our students and clients get access to learning. Joyner Emerick – a parent and openly Autistic school board director - has completely transformed the planning process in the best possible way. Joyner has a 10 year old who is minimally speaking with high adaptive and communication support needs. In this episode, you'll hear them talk about the future visioning process they created for their child. They’ll show you how it works, how

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00:04:08

How to Support Autonomy in Regulation and Reduce...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/11/24

This conversation with Autistic OT Sorcha Rice covers regulation for Autistic PDAers from absolutely every angle. The theme Sorcha kept bringing us back to is how we can provide more autonomy for our clients in how they identify their regulation needs and how they access their regulation tools. Sorcha walks us through a case study detailing how she supported a client who was deeply in burnout to help them access regulation, communication, connection, and safety. And at the end of the conversation,

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00:56:24

Practices that Deeply Respect Children with Mick Olds

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/11/19

Have you ever thought about what it would look like to put respect for the Autistic children who are your clients – respect for them as full human beings – front and center in your work? This episode goes deep into what that looks like in practice. Mick Olds (The OccuPLAYtional Therapist) helps us learn how to translate therapy goals into kids’ native language: play. They also share with us what exactly it looks like to put child-affirming values into practice, how they support PDAers, and what they

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00:41:16

Your New Favorite Authentically Autistic Characters...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/11/13

This isn't one of our normal podcast release days, and it isn't one of our typical topics, but this conversation is just too good not to share. This bonus episode is all about Autistic representation in media. In this episode, you’ll learn what comic books, TV shows, and more you should be recommending to your Autistic clients of all ages. Our guest Britton Payne is an entertainment attorney, recently of Warner Brothers Animation and Nickelodeon. On the side, Britton runs The Autism Scene, a

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00:10:16

How to Reduce Aggressive Behaviors by Centering a...

Born to Be Free: Supporting Neurodivergent Clients to... ·

2025/11/12

So many of us feel unsure how to best support Autistic kids who have aggressive behaviors. But often, what we are missing in the most foundational need for all humans: to feel worthy and to feel loved. In this powerful interview, Autistic educational consultant Rabecca Hand shows us how to examine the environment and adult interactions - before looking at the child themselves - when a child is struggling. Then she teaches us how we can use this knowledge and the research behind it to create real

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