Finding Hope on the Spectrum

Host Brooke Wagner interviews Cameron Allen, CEO/co-founder of Neuroprogeny, about nervous system regulation in neurodiverse families and how a parent’s internal state shapes a child’s regulation and behavior. Cameron explains sensory processing, sympathetic/parasympathetic “gas and brakes,” and how many caregivers and neurodivergent individuals feel both activated and exhausted; he and Brooke discuss recognizing dysregulation through language patterns, building interoceptive awareness, and using authenticity to reduce performative “masking” that kids detect. Brooke describes presuming competence, slowing pace, clarifying roles, simplifying environments, and providing specific feedback to encode success, using examples like practicing street-crossing and a successful Costco trip. Cameron outlines co-regulation as children borrowing a caregiver’s nervous system state, notes heart-rate synchronization and heart-rate variability as resilience, and describes Neuroprogeny’s VR biofeedback/coaching. Brooke introduces her Autism Empowerment Academy courses, resources, and community support.

00:00 Why Kids Pick Up Everything

00:46 Meet Brooke and Cameron

03:32 Nervous System Basics

07:15 Spotting Dysregulation Early

10:08 True Self Words Exercise

13:04 Co Regulation Through Authenticity

16:38 Teaching Safety and Agency

21:28 Slowing Down for Connection

25:13 Presuming Competence Mindset

28:55 Resources and Programs

31:24 Four Keys to Regulation

32:57 Nervous System Spillover

34:03 Praise That Builds Identity

35:15 Breaking Rumination Loops

37:12 Presuming Competence

39:09 Parents Drop Shame

44:29 Co Regulation Frameworks

46:06 Heart Rate Sync Explained

51:54 Authenticity Over Performance

54:03 Practical Parent Coaching

58:20 Programs Resources Wrap 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 

Website: www.findinghopeonthespectrum.com

Guest: 

Cameron Allen

Translational Neuroscientist

Websites: neuroprogeny.com

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

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

Email: [email protected] 

Host Brooke Wagner welcomes Monica Packer, identity coach, About Progress podcast host, and author of Sticky Habits: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last to discuss burnout, perfectionism, and self-care for mothers—especially those raising autistic children. Monica shares how years of self-sacrificial motherhood and special needs in her children led her to lose her identity, and how therapy revealed perfectionism as an all-or-nothing, identity-based trap. She explains why women struggle to care for themselves due to invisible labor and cultural expectations, and reframes self-care as “putting yourself on the list,” not necessarily first. Monica emphasizes nervous system regulation, flexible habits with baseline options (e.g., 10 minutes counts), and viewing habits as helpers rather than measures of worth. She highlights failure as necessary for progress, including in parenting regulation skills, and describes her book as a practical, research-based guide designed for women.

00:00 Self Care Tradeoffs

00:50 Show Intro and Guest

02:35 Burnout and Lost Identity

05:07 Perfectionism Patterns

08:45 Why Moms Neglect Themselves

12:48 Do Something List

15:34 Values Creativity and Failure

17:59 Nervous System Regulation

21:54 Put Yourself on List

23:42 Simple Habits Starting Point

26:03 Practical Self Care Time

27:42 Self Help Needs Women

28:52 Modeling Care For Kids

30:30 Habits During Intense Seasons

32:32 Flexibility Beats Perfection

34:14 Habits As Support Nets

36:45 Trust Yourself Again

37:48 Failure Fuels Progress

42:38 Parenting Through Setbacks

45:28 Sticky Habits Book

49:15 Where To Find Monica

49:56 You Can Change

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: 

Monica Packer

Habit & Identity Coach

Websites: https://www.aboutprogress.com/ 

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

Podcast: https://www.aboutprogress.com/blog 

Brooke hosts Finding Hope on the Spectrum and interviews Tanya Jarkoni, a longtime family caregiver, writer, mindfulness teacher, and founder of Integrative Caregiving, about nearly two decades raising her non-speaking autistic daughter, Leia. Tanya describes early developmental concerns, inconclusive genetic testing, and years of trying therapies and approaches (including ABA, DIR, Son-Rise, homeschooling, biomedical supports, and later spelling/text-based communication), alongside cycles of effort and burnout and the realization that much of the responsibility falls on the caregiver. She explains how long-term caregiving without a “finish line” can keep the nervous system in survival mode, fueling hypervigilance and narrowing perspective so self-care feels unrealistic or unsafe, and shares how Vipassana and mindfulness helped her notice thoughts, shift attention, and widen her lens. Tanya also discusses the family’s ongoing travel and worldschooling, their move to Costa Rica, and upcoming webinars, a November retreat with Autistically Inclined, potential residencies, and her forthcoming book on how caregiving reshapes identity and possibility.

00:00 Caregiving as Transformation

01:06 Podcast Welcome and Guest Intro

03:10 Early Signs and Diagnosis Search

07:58 Therapy Quest and Burnout Cycles

10:42 Identity Shift and Rethinking Caregiving

13:45 Traveling and Worldschooling with Leah

18:44 Survival Mode and Hypervigilance

23:20 Vipassana and Mindfulness Breakthrough

29:13 Widening the Lens and New Possibilities

33:48 Manifestation and Creating New Reality

39:23 Offerings Camps Webinars and Book

42:29 Where to Find Tanya Closing

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: 

Tanya Yarkoni

Founder, Integrative Caregiving

Websites: https://www.integrativecaregiving.co/ 

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

Host Brooke Wagner interviews Dr. Stephanie Culler, scientist and CEO/co-founder of Persephone Biosciences, about how the infant gut microbiome develops and why key Bifidobacterium species are missing in many U.S. babies. Culler explains that the gut microbiome supports digestion, immunity (with 70–80% of immune cells in the gut), and brain connections, and describes the seven-year MyBabyBiome study of 400+ infants, which found about 90% of babies missing one or more key Bifidobacterium; less than 8% had B. infantis. Missing these “keystone” microbes was associated with higher undesirable bacteria and higher risk for eczema, food allergies, and asthma by age two. Contributors discussed include antibiotics, C-sections, formula, and diet. They also cover early, non-causal signals relating dysbiosis and certain metabolites to autism, and Koehler details Persephone’s synbiotic product and Artemis trial showing safety and gut colonization.

00:00 Keystone Microbes Hook

00:49 Show Intro and Welcome

02:28 Stephanie’s Science Origin

03:03 Why the Microbiome Matters

04:25 From Cancer to Babies

06:12 Microbiome Basics Explained

07:24 MyBabyBiome Study Findings

08:51 Why Babies Lose Bifido

10:16 C-Section Microbiome Shift

11:20 Study Design and Timeline

13:20 Three Key Bifido Species

16:41 Autism Signals in Data

20:03 Building the Synbiotic

22:23 Poop Samples and Lab Work

23:45 Autism GI and FMT Research

26:39 Probiotic vs Prebiotic

27:14 Artemis Trial Results

28:48 Colonization and Dosing

31:29 Antibiotics and Microbiome

33:47 Practical Family Steps

35:22 What’s Next and Where

36:35 Final Hope Message

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: 

Stephanie Culler, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and CEO, Persephone Biosciences, Inc.

Get 30% off your first subscription order on our website: Finding30

Website: Persephone.bio 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persephone.bio 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/persephone-biosciences/

The My Baby Biome Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08274-7 

The ARTEMIS Clinical Trial: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-026-05318-4 

Restoring a gut Bifidobacterium community in early infancy: https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/abstract/S1931-3128(25)00451-2?rss=yes 

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