Today, Penny Williams shares her personal journey as a parent of a neurodivergent child, starting with her son's ADHD diagnosis at age six and his subsequent diagnosis of autism spectrum and learning disabilities. The challenges she faced led her to become a passionate advocate for neurodivergent families.
Dr. Emily and Penny discuss the importance of understanding the biology-behavior connection when parenting neurodivergent teens, emphasizing the need to prioritize mental and emotional health over academic achievements, providing support and flexibility in a way that best suits each individual's needs. They challenge traditional expectations surrounding high school, college, and social interactions for teens, encouraging parents to embrace the uniqueness of their neurodivergent children and focus on building strong, supportive relationships.
In the ever-changing world of parenting your neurodiverse child, this episode offers very real, practical advice from two people who are living that world on a daily basis.
About Our GuestA parenting coach for neurodiverse families, Penny Williams is the award-winning author of four books on ADHD, including
Boy Without Instructions, host of the
Beautifully Complex Podcast, host of the annual Neurodiversity Summits, and co-creator of
The Behavior Revolution Program, a parent training program designed to change the narrative on behavior and help parents celebrate and support their kids with ADHD or autism through neuroscience-backed insights, hard-won strategies, compassion, and guidance. Penny empowers parents to help their neurodivergent kids — and families — thrive.
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Learn with Dr. Emily is edited by
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What is Learn with Dr. Emily?
Welcome to Learn with Dr. Emily, the podcast. Where parents and teachers come together for neurodivergent youth. I’m your host, Dr. Emily King, child psychologist and former school psychologist specializing in raising and teaching children and teens diagnosed with autism, ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, and/or giftedness. Each week, I share my thoughts on a topic related to psychology, parenting, education, or parent-teacher collaboration, which you can read on my blog or listen here.
If you want to learn more about me and my online resources for parents and teachers, visit www.learnwithdremily.com. Let’s get started.
learnwithdremily.substack.com