Beacon College's "A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity" The Podcast

Today, there are 193 recognized countries in the world. And according to a recent review published in the journal Science, about 10 percent of people worldwide live with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and autism.

Meanwhile, Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires countries around the world ensure that students with disabilities receive free, inclusive, and appropriate education up to college.

How that plays out in real life, however, is spotty at best.

Diagnosis, services and supports differ. Legal guardrails ensuring inclusive education are hit or miss. There isn’t even global consensus what constitutes learning disabilities.

Worse, in countries riddled with misconceptions and cultural shame about learning disabilities it isn’t unusual for students to be physically punished or reprimanded over their learning struggles.

In short, there is a world of difference regarding how neurodivergence is viewed and embraced around the globe.

On this episode, we meet a father and daughter in the Netherlands who both have dyslexia and have discovered that succeeding at life isn’t tilting at windmills.

Next, our international panel of experts will explore the global response to learning disabilities.

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Nik Govier, a public relations powerbroker from across the pond who considers her dyslexia a gift that allows her to bring something different, and valuable, to the party.

One in five students has dyslexia, the most common language-based learning disability.

In general, dyslexia impacts one’s ability to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. Yet, it’s no indicator of general intelligence.

Still, kids who can’t read like their peers often suffer ridicule, battered self-esteem and withdrawal because they stop believing themselves smart and capable.

But with early intervention and the right support, struggling readers can make significant strides and discover reading to be less formidable and more fundamental to their lives.

On this episode, we take you to a Georgia private school for dyslexics where focused remediation means nearly half the student body leaves every year ready to compete, and then to a Florida public school classroom where daily reading sessions are an opportunity to bolster dyslexic learners.

Next, our panel of experts shares practical strategies to help parents better support their struggling readers at home.

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Makers,” the Winner Twins, an award-winning fantasy and sci-fi writing duo of identical twins, who’ve discovered learning differences don’t close the book on success.

In an unprecedented exodus, more than 47 million Americans in 2021 quit their jobs, according a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Many dub that great migration — driven by the COVID-19 pandemic — the Great Resignation. And there are few signs it’s slowing.

All those departures mean opportunities for jobseekers. But opportunities for whom?

Even as employers increasingly talk the talk about diversifying the workforce — including making it more neurodiverse — candidates with learning and attention issues often aren’t making the cut.

According to Harvard Business Review, neurodivergent unemployment soars as high as 80%.

Not only do neurodivergent jobseekers miss out, but employers lose out on the value these employees add to the company in terms of productivity, culture, and diversity of thought.

In fact, during National Disability Employment Awareness Month each October, the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. While learning differences often come coupled with greater abilities, the fact remains that there is still more education that can be done regarding the unique talents of the neurodivergent.

On this episode, we share the experiences of a young neurodivergent professional with attention issues establishing herself in the workaday world.

Next, our expert panel reveals ways that employers can and should leverage the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce.

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” David Flink, whose personal experience with dyslexia led him to start a national nonprofit aimed at unlocking greatness in the one in five individuals who learn differently.

Social media is almost inescapable in today’s world, for better or worse. Today around seven-in-ten Americans use social media to engage the world, according to the Pew Research Center. The numbers are growing as quickly as the new social media platforms to accommodate the connections.  

And while too much of it amounts to doom scrolling society’s slog towards perdition, British journalist Jon Ronson rightly noted, “The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people.” 

And too often voiceless has described the neurodivergent and the people who love them.  Take parents of children with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences desperately searching for ways to support them. Or neurodivergent individuals longing to turn the page on wrongheaded narratives that cast them as weird.

Enter social media — part support group and living, breathing Info Please almanac for moms and dads in search of life hacks for parenting their kids with learning disabilities, and also a far-reaching megaphone for young and proudly neurodivergent content creators to shout out their truth.

On this episode, you’ll meet a woman who helps parents on Facebook sort through the extra that often accompanies rearing children who learn differently.

Next, you meet a handful of creative neurodivergent influencers who use TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram as their canvas to paint new and vibrant portraits of what it means to be an individual who thinks and learns differently.

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Penn Holderness, a former TV journalist who has pivoted to YouTube where he uses humor to educate about the serious topic of embracing neurodiversity.

Maybe this sounds familiar: Friends are coming over for a visit and you issue clean-up orders to your child. Stash your toys in your toy box. Scoop up your clothes and put them in the hamper. And take out the garbage. Sometime later, the doorbell rings, and as you snake through the house you notice toys littering the floor, pajamas serving as area rugs, and the kitchen trash can erupting like Mount Vesuvius. And there’s your rugrat standing in the distance giggling at TikTok videos. Maybe you’ve got a disobedient child on your hands. Or maybe your child’s inability to stay on track signals something else: a sign of poor working memory. Research suggests some 15% of children struggle with poor working memory. It’s an issue that can impact their success in the classroom.  The good news is, that there are ways to beef up working memory skills right at home.  On this episode, you’ll meet a mom who details who understands working memory issues are more than absent-mindedness. Next, our panel of experts will offer actionable strategies that parents can use to strengthen their child’s working memory. Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Tova Sherman, whose ADHD has helped turn her into an Energizer Bunny for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the disabled community.

Seneca, the Roman philosopher, observed that “one of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.”  Wise words that put a finger on the conundrum often facing neurodivergent children: Many long for friendship, but struggle with understanding the nuts and bolts of being a pal. Meanwhile, potential friends often eye-roll neurodivergent interactions as weird and move on. 

For kids with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences who struggle with deciphering body language and facial expressions, forging friendships can be an uphill struggle. Research shows that, as a result, children with autism, for example, sing the lonesome blues more than their neurotypical peers.  Here’s the good news: Parents can step in and tutor their neurodivergent kiddos in developing lasting, fulfilling relationships.  

On this episode, a group of young neurodivergent individuals with a Colorado autism organization called Firefly Autism relates the ups and downs youngsters who learn differently experience forging relationships. 

Next, our experts share ways that parents can support their children from an early age through college on the friendship journey.

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” author Carmen Agra Deedy, whose love of stories overpowered her struggles reading the words that shaped the fabulous tales she loved.

It’s not unusual for parents to gaze at their kids and see little mirrors reflecting back. Children can inherit mom and dad’s eyes, hair color, freckles, and other physical traits.  And if mom and dad’s brains are wired differently, time may reveal that their little ones also learn differently.  Rearing children is tough enough, but when it’s all in the neurodiverse family, navigating the daily challenges of schoolwork and household tasks can prove extra challenging.  Yet, while parents and children who learn differently may experience more trials in understanding each other and the world, these moms and dads may also be uniquely equipped to support youngsters with learning disabilities for having lived their shared experience.

On this episode, you’ll meet a mom with learning differences who is walking the neurodiverse journey hand-in-hand with her neurodiverse son.

Next, our panel of experts will share wise counsel and helpful tips for multi-generational neurodiverse families.

Later, you’ll meet Avi, our latest “Difference Maker,” who turned the page on a writing-focused learning disability by cranking out scores of best-selling and award-winning children’s books.

While not a learning disability, executive functioning issues are typical with people with attention issues and learning differences.

On this episode, you’ll learn the basics of executive function in our “In the Know” segment.

Next, our national panel of experts will provide a deeper understanding and actionable strategies for enhancing executive function during our “Ask the Experts” conversation. 

Later, you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” once a struggling dyslexic who turned his Kryptonite into a secret weapon for inspiring children with dyslexia — especially children of color.

Recently, Comic Book Resources, a popular outlet for comics industry news, released its ranking of the 20 Best Superpowers of All Time.  The list included the usual suspects: Super-strength. X-ray vision. Flight.   One that didn’t crack the list was dyslexia.  Of course, dyslexia is far more common than heat vision considering between 5 to 10% of Americans live with signs such as slow reading, difficulty spelling, or mixing up words.  The severity differs for everyone, and dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. Children diagnosed with dyslexia can get into college and live abundant lives, especially when they learn to harness the creativity and novel thinking that entrepreneurial superheroes with dyslexia like “Shark Tank’s” Daymond John consider their superpower.  On this episode, you’ll hear about dyslexia from individuals and families from around the country who’ve learned to thrive with it during our “In the Know” segment.  Next, our national panel of experts will provide advice on how families can empower children who have dyslexia during our “Ask the Experts” conversation.  Later, you’ll met our latest “Difference Maker,” a Florida mother whose advocacy for her son with dyslexia morphed into a worldwide mission to equip parents and educators to decode dyslexia.

Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle observed that “Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.”  For kids with learning differences, one of the most power tools at their disposal is assistive technology.  What is it?  Assistive technology, or (AT), are products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities.  Tools that when properly implemented in the classroom or in the home can empower students who learn differently and by making learning more accessible provide them a vibrant voice in their education.  On this episode, you’ll discover the latest assistive tech gadgets and gizmos in an “In the Know” interview with  David Dikter, chief executive officer  of Assistive Technology Industry Association.  Next, we’ll take a deeper dive into AT in our “Ask the Experts” conversation with Google’s accessibility guru Laura Allen.  Later, you’ll met our latest “Difference Maker,” Jeanne Betancourt, who leveraged her dyslexia to write a happy ending as a popular children’s book author.