The Power of Personal Narratives with Dr Carol Westby

Why you so obsessed with me? Neurodivergent Special Interests!

In this episode we explore the pure joy and peace that comes from engaging in special interests. Neurodivergent people often have special interests which were formerly referred to as "obsessions". We talk about neuroaffirming approaches to supporting special interests and share some special interests of our own. #autism #adhd #audhd Key references Anthony, L. G., Kenworthy, L., Yerys, B. E., Jankowski, K. F., James, J. D., Harms, M. B., … Wallace, G. L. (2013). Interests in high-functioning autism are more intense, interfering, and idiosyncratic than those in neurotypical development. Development and Psychopathology, 25(3), 643–652. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000072 Brown, C. E., Bernardin, C. J., Beauchamp, M. T., Kanne, S. M., & Nowell, K. P. (2024). More similar than different: Characterizing special interests in autistic boys and girls based on caregiver report. Autism Research, 17(11), 2333–2345. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3216 [https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3216] Grove, R., Hoekstra, R. A., Wierda, M., & Begeer, S. (2018). Special interests and subjective wellbeing in autistic adults. Autism research : Official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 11(5), 766–775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1931 [https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1931]

Hidden tips for early identification and early intervention for communication needs

Early intervention is so important! But have you ever wondered how to spot the earliest signs of communication delay and neurodivergence? We've got you covered! In this episode we talk about early signs of developmental language disorder (DLD) and Autism, ADHD, and other communication needs. These helpful tips will let you know when its time to see a speech pathologists. #SLP We also talk about easy, free techniques you can use to support early communication whether a child has additional needs or not.

Kids + Periods, PMS and PMDD

In this episode we look at everything you need to know about supporting a young person who is experiencing periods. We also talk about how PMS and PMDD can present in neurodivergent individuals and what can help based on our own experiences and the latest literature. Periods are tough on everyone, but the experience is especially unique for people with ADHD, Autism, Anxiety and Depression. We hope this episode can help you navigate these challenges and identify some avenues to make them more manageable.

The Power of Personal Narratives with Dr Carol Westby

In this episode we chat to everyone's favourite speechie, Dr Carol Westby to learn all about her research and practice with children especially neurodivergent children, multilingual children and children who have experienced trauma. Carol talks about the power of narratives in assessment and intervention when learning about children's language abilities and supporting them to improve their communication skills. Personal narratives are a powerful tool for all children to share their world view, especially those who are autistic, ADHD, dyslexic or otherwise neurodivergent. #child #language #speech #slp #speechpathology #autism #neurodiversity

Assessing children who speak more than one language with Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe

In this episode we talk with soon to be Dr Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe about the tool she has created to assess multilingual children in Ghana. We talk about why assessing multilingual children can be challenging and what we need to consider when making a differential diagnosis. Josephine also discusses the process of creating a culturally and linguistically tool and what other people can do to support multilingual children.