Nicola Rose joined me for a live chat about her latest film, "Magnetosphere," a family comedy about a 13-year-old girl with synesthesia. It's a fun and tender look at the intersection of synesthesia and puberty.

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 2 of Atypical Kids, Mindful Parents Podcast!

There’s an element of bullying in the film, and the difficulty of making new friends as someone who is neurodivergent. These themes are sensitively handled and child-friendly.

“Magnetosphere’s connections to neurodivergence (synesthesia and otherwise) ultimately went even further. It turned out a number of the cast were neurodivergent. Shayelin Martin and Patrick McKenna both have ADHD, which I am certain influenced their performances.”

-Nicola Rose

Why did Nicola chose to treat this topic as a comedy?

“I think there's an inherent absurdity in a lot of life, and life is a lot of highs and lows and tragedy and comedy, and it seemed silly to depict adolescence without depicting the silliness and ridiculousness that goes with that time.”

-Nicola Rose

Learn more here:https://katelynch.substack.com/p/nicola-rose-magnetosphere-synesthesia

A kinder future for our kids begins with kindness toward ourselves.

00:00 Adolescence, Identity, and Synesthesia

03:55 Embracing Synesthesia's Unique Gift

08:18 Dance Moms Window Watching

11:58 Portraying Synesthesia and Self-Discovery

16:22 Film's Core Audience: Neurodivergent Families

19:36 Maggie's Subplot Character Connections

21:14 Finding "Magnetosphere"