Host Brooke interviews Cameron Allen, translational neuroscientist, CEO and co-founder of Neuroprogeny/Sensorium Neurowellness, about optimizing brain and nervous system function for autistic individuals and families. Cameron shares his teen diagnosis (then Asperger’s), school struggles, and how neurotherapy (assessments plus neurofeedback, biofeedback, brain timing, filtered music, and cognition work) cleared his “fog” and enabled academic and social gains, inspiring his work in neuroplasticity. He contrasts traditional approaches (ABA, CBT, OT/sensory integration) with a neuroscience focus on capacity-building, state shifting, and oxytocin-based connection, explaining looping/hyperfixation via dopamine-stress cycles and the role of alpha for shifting gears. He describes supporting parents through assessments, regulation tools, values-based action, and technologies including VR biofeedback, neurofeedback, hyperbaric oxygen, and red light therapy, sharing a story of an 11-year-old using VR to self-regulate and even offering it to his stressed dad.

00:00 Hormesis Curve Teaser

00:44 Show Intro and Welcome

01:26 Meet Cameron Allen

02:47 Cameron’s Teen Struggles

04:41 Neurotherapy Breakthrough

09:03 Limits of Traditional Therapy

15:01 Connection and Oxytocin

18:54 Brain Loops Explained

27:04 Caregiver Regulation Skills

29:57 Neuroplasticity Basics

33:43 VR Biofeedback in Action

37:51 Activation and Calm Balance

38:41 Neuroplasticity for Connection

41:21 Why Kids Sense Dysregulation

44:13 Assessing Family Nervous Systems

47:57 Values Based Regulation Tools

54:15 Presence and Undivided Attention

58:36 VR Program How It Works

01:00:53 Success Story Self Advocacy

01:05:02 Tech as Foundation Not Cure

01:07:03 Results and Closing Resources

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Cameron Allen

Translational Neuroscientist

Websites: neuroprogeny.com & sensoriumneuro.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neuro_cameron/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584563474539  

Email: [email protected]

Host Brooke welcomes Faye Bankler Casell, a certified academic language therapist, dyslexia specialist, and founder of Home Reading Coach, to discuss reading struggles and dyslexia. Faye shares her path from early childhood/special education into dyslexia intervention, influenced by her son’s early delays and later diagnosis of ADHD and dysgraphia, and by seeing the psychological toll on students who feel ashamed when reading is hard. They define dyslexia as a neurodivergence rooted in phonological processing, note common misconceptions (not simply letter reversals), and describe warning signs, assessment options (public school testing, private psychologists), and the importance of early intervention. Faye explains multisensory, explicit, systematic instruction, the need for extensive repetition, variability in school services, and her Reading Breakthrough remote program with parent training and resources.

00:00 Why Reading Feels Risky

00:46 Show Intro and Guest

02:41 Faye’s Path to Dyslexia Work

06:20 Emotional Safety in Learning

09:11 What Dyslexia Really Is

12:16 Common Dyslexia Myths

14:41 Early Warning Signs

18:12 Testing and Getting Help

19:57 Who Can Diagnose Dyslexia

25:17 Multisensory Reading Approach

31:17 Why Early Intervention Matters

33:28 Public Schools Must Test

33:57 Why Schools Miss Dyslexia

36:23 IEPs and Service Quality Gaps

38:38 Reading Breakthrough Overview

43:06 Time Commitment and Routine

46:34 Multisensory Lesson Examples

53:18 Empowering Parents at Home

54:41 Advocacy Must Dos

59:02 Where to Find Resources

01:00:14 Closing Thanks and Wrap

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Faye B. Casell

Certified Academic Language Therapist

Dyslexia Specialist

Website: https://homereadingcoach.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homereadingcoach/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homereadingcoach 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TeachMyChildToRead 

Get the FREE Dyslexia Roadmap for Families E-Book

https://fayebankler.mysamcart.com/free-dyslexia-roadmap-for-families/ 

Host Brooke welcomes listeners to Finding Hope on the Spectrum and interviews neurologically focused chiropractor Dr. Tony about the link between the nervous system, childhood development, behavior, and healing. Dr. Tony explains that chiropractic originally centered on the brain–spine communication system and shares how his daughter’s healthy birth led him into pediatric specialty work and studying autism, ADHD, sensory challenges, and the “Perfect Storm” of maternal stress, birth trauma, and toxic overload. He recounts his son Oliver’s severe premature, traumatic birth and NICU recovery, which he attributes in part to frequent gentle adjustments, and contrasts this with medical skepticism. The conversation covers how birth interventions can injure the neck/brainstem, early infant warning signs (latching, sleep, reflux, constipation, infections, motor delays), how PX Docs uses scans (thermal, EMG, HRV) and gentle, flexible sessions, support for adults on the spectrum, and how families can find PX Docs, intensives, and training, emphasizing that children are not broken and hope guides healing.

00:00 Hope Starts Here

01:13 Meet Brooke And Dr Tony

02:07 Why Neurological Chiropractic

03:45 Addison Changes Everything

07:31 Oliver Birth Trauma Miracle

12:27 Birth Interventions And Brainstem

19:10 Early Infant Warning Signs

22:07 Clearing Congestion And Immunity

25:25 Spectrum Healing Sequence Explained

31:11 Healing Comes in Order

31:47 Soft Signs to Track

32:25 When Connection Returns

33:57 Fix the Foundation First

36:49 What a PX Visit Looks Like

38:14 Gentle Adjustments and Dosing

40:57 Adults and Teens Improve Too

46:54 Spellers and Efficiency Gains

50:55 PX Docs Network and Intensives

56:00 Your Child Is Not Broken

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Dr. Tony Ebel, DC, CPPFC, CCWP

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractor

Website: https://www.thepediatricexperience.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tony-ebel-7372ab24a/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pxdocs 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtonyebel/ 

Website:  https://pxdocs.com/ (to search for a PX Doc near you + free articles)

To inquire about an intensive with Dr. Tony:   https://premierwellnesschiro.com/the-perfect-storm/ 

Brooke interviews Valeri Tompkins, a Spellers Method provider, and her daughter Lora about Lora’s path from being diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age two through years of speech therapy, OT, ABA, PECS, AAC, and sign language with limited success. Valeri describes discovering letterboard-based spelling after reading “Underestimated” in 2021 and how spelling leverages gross motor pointing to overcome fine-motor challenges and apraxia-related barriers, leading to open communication, increased confidence, and reduced frustration. Lora shares that spelling gave her a voice and meaningful participation in her own life, emphasizes that non-speakers are intelligent and deserve robust, age-appropriate education, and urges people not to write off non-speakers. They discuss presuming competence, vision issues, lesson-based spelling sessions, concerns about influence, and Valeri’s pivotal moment when Lora spelled “Mom and Dad, I love you.”

00:00 Emotional Cold Open

00:41 Podcast Welcome and Mission

01:20 Meet Valeri and Lora

02:24 Valeri’s Autism Journey

04:14 Discovering Spelling

06:05 Hope vs Expert Limits

07:32 Before Spelling Communication

09:05 What Is Spellers Method

10:53 Vision and Apraxia Pieces

12:54 Misconceptions About Nonspeakers

13:59 Lora Finds Her Voice

16:10 Education and Advocacy

19:34 Presuming Competence

22:11 Lora’s Message to World

26:03 Trust Your Parent Gut

28:58 Boards to Keyboard Progress

30:08 Inside a Spelling Lesson

32:26 No Magic Timeline

33:00 Lesson Question Hierarchy

34:06 Defining Open Communication

35:47 Confidence Through Age Level

37:10 Emotional Breakthroughs

40:22 Avoiding Influence

44:38 Nonlinear Progress

48:35 Hope Moment Hawaii

52:17 Presume Competence Daily

56:29 Parent Regulation Tools

59:18 Age Range And Prep

01:01:54 Never Give Up

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Valeri & Lora Tompkins

Spellers Method Provider

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tompkinsvaleri/  & https://www.instagram.com/lorasayswithlove/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeri-tompkins-34558115/ 

Brooke hosts Finding Hope on the Spectrum and interviews Dana Kay, an Australia-born, Seattle-based board-certified holistic health and nutrition practitioner and founder of the ADHD Thrive Institute, whose work was inspired by her son’s ADHD diagnosis and a medication cycle that escalated to multiple drugs by age five. Dana explains her view that ADHD symptoms are signals of underlying biological stressors, emphasizing the gut-brain axis, neurotransmitter production (about 90% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine made in the gut), inflammation, and nutrient absorption affecting focus, mood, and sleep. She describes functional lab testing (stool, urine, finger prick) including food sensitivities, leaky gut, organic acids, and cryptopyrrole (linked to zinc and B6 depletion). Practical strategies discussed include reducing common triggers (gluten, dairy, dyes, excess sugar), stabilizing blood sugar with the “no naked carb” rule, improving sleep and screening for sleep apnea, increasing movement and sunlight, limiting screens, and using picky-eating tools like a family food challenge and food chaining. Dana shares her programs, book, and podcast resources.

00:00 Gut Makes Serotonin

00:51 Show Welcome Intro

01:30 Meet Dana Kay

03:22 From Accountant to Advocate

05:08 Medication Spiral Wakeup

08:36 Symptoms Are Signals

10:06 Gut Brain Axis Explained

12:30 Inflammation Nutrients Behavior

15:26 Testing For Root Causes

18:26 Food Triggers To Watch

22:11 Going Gluten Dairy Free

24:03 Organic On A Budget

25:53 Sleep Clues And Apnea

29:44 Sleepwalking and Adenoids

31:41 No Naked Carbs

33:49 Why Kids Are Picky

36:02 Family Food Challenge

38:36 Food Chaining Strategy

41:47 Lifestyle Habits That Help

45:08 ADHD Misconceptions

47:55 Research and Food Policy

50:45 Thrive Institute Program

53:47 Book Podcast and Wrap

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Website: https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adhdthriveinstitute 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdthriveinstitute/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ADHDThriveInstitute 

Podcast: https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/the-soaring-child-podcast-thriving-with-adhd/

Brooke hosts Finding Hope on the Spectrum and interviews developmental optometrist and expert Dr. Susan Daniel, who shares her groundbreaking work linking vision therapy, motor challenges like apraxia, and communication for non-speaking individuals and spellers. Inspired by her own experience with double vision and her son Matthew's diagnosis of autism and severe apraxia, Dr. Daniel describes her shift from general optometry to specializing in neurodiverse care. She outlines a unique, parent-driven coaching model born out of the COVID-19 pandemic that utilizes tools like syntonic phototherapy (color therapy), prism lenses, and visual-motor exercises to help individuals safely regulate their nervous systems, flatten gait issues like toe walking, and gain the physical visual control needed to reliably access communication methods. 

• 00:00 Double Vision and Fighting the Court Lines 

• 01:01 Podcast Welcome and Introduction 

• 01:40 Meet Dr. Susan Daniel 

• 02:56 From General Optometry to Special Needs Detective 

• 05:38 Matthew’s Journey: Apraxia and Depth Perception 

• 08:07 Collaborating with Spelling Practitioners 

• 10:48 General Eye Exams vs. Developmental Optometry 

• 12:01 High Rates of Ocular Disease in the Autistic Population 

• 13:32 Connecting Body Apraxia to Eye Motor Planning 

• 16:15 The Struggle of Fighting Double Vision Every Day 

• 18:30 Breaking Exercises Down for Communication Desires 

• 20:19 Managing Anxiety and Motion Sensitivity in Public 

• 21:32 Pivoting to a Parent-Driven Coaching Model 

• 22:39 The Power of Repetition and Once-a-Month Visits 

• 24:19 Explaining the "Why" to Motor-Challenged Clients 

• 25:32 Scoring Big Goals: From Letterboards to Pickleball 

• 26:25 Sharing Protocols and Mentoring Global Doctors 

• 29:56 Why Words Aren't Needed for a Complete Eye Exam 

• 32:12 Finding Prescriptions with the Retinoscope Light 

• 33:34 Revealing the Eye Turn Stats: 80% to 90% in Non-Speakers 

• 36:37 Unlocking Purpose: Why Spellers Choose Stencils Over Keyboards 

• 37:59 Balancing the Seesaw of Motor vs. Cognitive Demands 

• 39:21 Syntonic Phototherapy: Balancing the Rest and Digest Spectrum 

• 43:54 Regulating the Nervous System Before Challenging Work 

• 46:30 Taking the Exam Out of the Chair (Floor, Swings, and Trampolines) 

• 48:15 Travel Optometry and Working Across State Borders 

• 51:32 Case Study: Correcting Posture and Mastering the Paragraph Track 

• 52:48 Straightening Up Gait: Fixing Visual Toe Walking with Lenses 

• 54:17 Finding Certified Practitioners Globally via COVD 

  
  

  Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

  • Website: www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com 

  • Email: [email protected] 

  • Facebook: Finding Hope on the Spectrum Facebook Page 

  • LinkedIn: Brooke Wagner on LinkedIn 

  • Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

    TikTok: @findinghopeonthespectrum

    
    

    Guest Contact:

    Dr. Susan Daniel

    Neuro-Developmental Optometrist

    Website: https://www.susandanieloptometry.com/ 

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-daniel-o-d-4930b726/ 

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/@susandaniel

    
    

Brooke hosts Finding Hope on the Spectrum and interviews Pittsburgh-based autism advocate, author, and speaker Harry Psaros, who shares his family’s early autism journey with his son Gus, including missed warning signs, a preschool birthday party turning point, and a fast Cleveland Clinic diagnosis. Psaros describes shifting from anger to a “warrior” mindset rooted in empathy, self-care, and building a supportive village, and he outlines his “2% rule” of focusing on one daily skill to reduce overwhelm amid competing therapy demands. He discusses multiple therapies, highlighting Dr. Robert Melillo’s Brain Balance approach and reported gains in Gus’s presence, self-advocacy, and nutrition. Gus, 22, is graduating from Kent State in exercise science, pursuing a physical therapy assistant degree, and has won a National Courage Award. Psaros also explains founding North Fayette PALS and serving on the Autism Caring Center board, and he details how his book aims to engage fathers worldwide.

00:00 Overwhelm to 2 Percent

01:01 Podcast Welcome Intro

01:40 Meet Harry Passaris

02:56 Before the Diagnosis

05:38 Birthday Party Wake Up

08:07 Mindset Warrior Shift

12:01 Self Care as Strategy

16:15 Therapies and 2 Percent Rule

20:19 Brain Balance Breakthrough

22:39 Gus Today Milestones

26:25 PALS and Community Support

29:56 Why He Wrote the Book

32:12 Where Are the Dads

33:34 Book Impact Stories

36:37 Drop the Ego

37:59 Tandem Kayak Teamwork

39:21 Bestseller and Translations

40:34 Vision Boards for Goals

43:54 Progress Over Levels

46:30 Legacy and Helping Others

48:15 Find Your Village

51:32 Advice to Younger Self

52:48 What Thriving Means

54:17 Where to Find Harry

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Website: www.harrypsaros.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrypsaros/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrypsaros

Host Brooke welcomes Lisa Richer—an advocate, co-author, leader, and mom of two neurodiverse sons—who shares how being neurodivergent herself connects her experiences as an elite gymnast, corporate leader, and family advocate. Lisa describes growing up undiagnosed, receiving an anxiety label without tools, and later hitting severe burnout after a COVID-era vaccine injury that disrupted her nervous system and led her to therapy, healing, and reclaiming her intuition. She explains why corporate environments often felt combative given her “inside-out” thinking and sensitivity, and why she chose not to return despite a high-level role offer. Lisa discusses her child-led advocacy journey, her collaborative “work with you, not for you” approach at IEP/504 tables using her “three Cs” (clarity, confidence, courage) and RIPE framework, and shares outcomes including improved placements, student self-advocacy, and academic success. She also discusses her chapter in “Confident You: The Raw Conversations,” and upcoming Journey2Bloom workshops and resources.

00:00 Born Too Early

00:49 Meet Brooke And Lisa

02:08 Finding The Thread

03:10 Late Diagnosis And Burnout

06:38 Survival Mode To Service

08:08 Corporate Culture Clash

12:40 Choosing Not Corporate

14:37 Advocacy Begins With Son

16:37 Early Signs And Diagnosis

19:33 IEP Bridge Building

22:16 Three Cs Framework

25:14 Intuition And Trauma Responses

29:53 Authentic Partnership Model

31:30 Middle Ground Advocacy

33:41 Neurodiversity Prism Approach

37:42 Parent Success Stories

43:42 Student Voice and Trust

45:35 Co Authoring Confident You

48:45 Moving Through Fear

50:04 Vision for Journey2Bloom

53:16 Where to Find Lisa

54:36 Closing Thanks and Next Steps

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Website: https://journey2bloom.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journey2bloom/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaricher/ 

In this episode of Finding Hope on the Spectrum, host Brooke talks with teen and parent wellbeing coach Laura Ollinger about why parenting teens is harder in today’s tech-driven, high-pressure world and how parents can better understand teen behavior. Laura shares how her daughter’s early anxiety and her nephew’s suicide shaped her calling to support ages 12–20, and explains teen brain development as a “renovation project,” where the amygdala and emotional sensitivity outpace the still-developing prefrontal cortex, fueling risk-taking and big reactions. They discuss fear of social rejection, healthy individuation and pulling away, red flags for withdrawal, and the need for balanced boundaries plus warmth (authoritative parenting). Laura addresses common misunderstandings like “defiance,” highlights teens’ needs for belonging and significance, notes similar core needs for neurodiverse teens, shares a coaching success story, and describes her Cracking the Parent Code course and HeartMath-based self-regulation tools.

00:00 Why Teens Feel Pressure

01:02 Meet Laura Ollinger

02:04 Her Calling to Coach

03:57 Parenting Four Teens

04:29 Teen Brain Renovation

06:34 Fear and Rejection

08:19 Pulling Away Is Normal

09:55 Red Flags and Check Ins

11:28 Boundaries With Warmth

13:04 Misread Teen Behaviors

17:32 Neurodiverse Teen Overlaps

18:49 Put Relationship First

21:30 A Coaching Success Story

23:53 Programs and HeartMath

27:37 Hope Through Perspective

28:39 Where to Find Laura

28:55 Final Thanks and Wrap

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Website: https://www.positivelyhealthycoaching.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positivelyhealthycoaching/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-ollinger/ 

Host Brooke interviews counselor, speaker, and consultant Mark Talaga of the Center for Identity Potential, who specializes in supporting gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) individuals and hosts the Hopelessly Gifted Podcast. Mark shares his own path from being an unrecognized gifted student to struggling in a video game job due to executive functioning and processing issues, then shifting into counseling and mentoring under Andy Mahoney. He explains giftedness as developmental extremes, 2e as giftedness plus diagnoses like ADHD, and asynchronous development as the gaps driving challenges such as anxiety, perfectionism, and shame. Mark describes identity work using the FIT Model across life systems, outlines evaluation including possible neuropsychological testing, emphasizes scaffolding and school collaboration for executive-function supports, and frames “Hopelessly Gifted” as accepting who you are and finding hope through difficulty.

00:00 Hopelessly Gifted Meaning

01:06 Meet Mark Talaga

02:18 From Gifted Kid to Counselor

04:22 Failure to Purpose

05:57 Vulnerabilities Not Weaknesses

08:13 What Twice Exceptional Means

11:21 Why Anxiety Shows Up

13:25 Identity as Expression

17:20 The FIT Model Framework

18:59 Building Positive Identities

21:21 Perfection and Self Kindness

21:56 Assessment Process Next

23:10 Intake And Systems View

24:27 When Testing Helps

25:46 Scaffolding In Action

30:25 Ego And Letting Help In

31:08 Breakthrough Case Story

33:23 Finding The Right School

36:32 Classroom Support Playbook

38:59 Why The Podcast Exists

41:32 Hope For Families

43:24 How To Reach Them

44:51 Wrap Up And Thanks

Connect with Finding Hope on the Spectrum:

www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574918739411 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wagner-4819233a/ 

Instagram: @findinghopeonthespectrum 

TikTok: Findinghopeonthespectrum

Guest Contact:

Website: https://www.centerforidentitypotential.com/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marktalaga