Non Linear Learning - Rethinking Education for Neurodivergent Learners

Did you know many visual disturbances in autistic children (or perhaps even with other disabilities) cannot be described just by visual acuity? Or even by visual processing?  Dana Johnson talks about Ocular Motor difficulties in many autistic children (and adults). It was eye-opening (yes, pun intended) to learn about the effect of ocular motor on peripheral vision, eye contact and more. 

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

Dr. Angela Knapp is a naturopathic physician who works extensively with children. 

She talks about increasing rates of autoimmunity in children, and causative factors - factors we can and cannot control.  Listen for ideas on:

-infections and autoimmunity

-molecular mimicry

-increasing rates of autoimmunity

-risk for children with Autism / Down Syndrome

-how do gluten and dairy impact autoimmunity

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

Have you been at the receiving end of the advice (mostly related to food): "Everything is OK in moderation." Join me and my colleague Shelley Hurguy as we discuss where this works and where this doesn't!

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

In new and exciting research, scientists have found that autistic individuals exhibited a significant reduction in myelination and myelin producing glial cells. Let us review what we know about myelination and how we can RE-myelinate. 

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

What would the world be like if we knew exactly how every child learns? If we didn't feel compelled to put children in well-defined boxes that were easy for US to understand. If we instead centered their education around them. Dr. Joqueta Handy tells us why a child's learning strength is everything that we need to know.

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

Mindy is an expert in eating disorders and a Functional Nutrition practitioner. She has herself suffered from eating disorders and navigated the difficult terrain of recovery.  "I was being told what to weigh, think and eat. Nobody was addressing what I was hungry for"

In this episode, Mindy talks about the intersection between eating disorders, behavior, physiology, respect and nutrition.

How can we connect dots with picky eating?

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

When picky eating is not a pathological condition, or severe sensory issues, or extreme gut inflammation, what can you do to help your child eat more diverse, complex, and flavorful foods. That's what Julia Markova talks about in this podcast. 

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

Myelination is an important neurological process that impacts almost everything I care about in my child: motor coordination, learning, focus, moods. 

And there are some easy ways to impact Myelination: Practice, Nutrition, and one more key mindset. Yes, it is actually a mindset.

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.

Elizabeth Vosseller is a speech therapist and founder of S2C (Spelling to Communicate). She talks to me this week about how motor issues can seem like cognitive disorders. 

"What we observe often is the body. We can't really observe intelligence directly." Tune in to listen to how powerful using motor appropriately can be.

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations. 

In part-2 of this stimulating conversation, Geralyn leads us through common misconceptions and wrong labels that get attached when a child lags behind neurodevelopmentally. We also chat about the role of diet in brain development. 

Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.