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Unlearning Sleep Rules: Choosing Connection Over Shoulds (Transforming Our Sleep Practice) - Part Two
We follow Kirsten’s path from noticing things about her child to an autism + ADHD diagnosis, showing how clarity changed home life, school decisions, and self-trust. We talk sensory needs, high masking in girls, 504 vs IEP, and choosing connection over forced resilience.
• trusting instincts alongside expert guidance
• sensory needs hidden as quirks and stims
• second child as context for nervous system differences and what's "typical"
• pandemic chaos
• teacher concerns - they finally see what we've been seeing
• 504 accommodations vs legally binding IEP
• choosing a clinic for diagnostic testing
• diagnosis as language, not stigma, for self-understanding
• school focus on tolerance versus environmental change
• boundaries with systems and protecting family energy
• resources for autistic girls and high-masking profiles
This conversation is a map for parents who feel unseen by charts and checklists. It offers language for advocating with schools, ideas for crafting a home that regulates instead of battles, and resources for recognizing high-masking autistic girls. Most of all, it’s permission to replace “tolerance training” with environments that fit. If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more grounded conversations, and leave a review so others can find us. Your story could be the lifeline another parent needs today.
Resources:
Yellow Lady Bugs - Podcast, book, source of a ton of info for neurodivergent girls and gender diverse youth
Tilt Parenting/Differently Wired book - This is another awesome resource to help make sense of how to navigate parenting neurodivergent kiddos
Telepathy Tapes - A podcast exploring how some non-speaking autistics communicate.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas!
Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us.
You can always email is at [email protected] to let us know what you think, leave a story of how the show impacted you, or just say "hey"!
Kirsten's Physical Therapy website
Mama You Belong Instagram
Kirsten's Instagram
Molly's Instagram
Molly’s music on bandcamp
Molly’s website
View all episodes
By Kirsten Desmarais, DPT and Molly Hilgenberg, LICSWWe follow Kirsten’s path from noticing things about her child to an autism + ADHD diagnosis, showing how clarity changed home life, school decisions, and self-trust. We talk sensory needs, high masking in girls, 504 vs IEP, and choosing connection over forced resilience.
• trusting instincts alongside expert guidance
• sensory needs hidden as quirks and stims
• second child as context for nervous system differences and what's "typical"
• pandemic chaos
• teacher concerns - they finally see what we've been seeing
• 504 accommodations vs legally binding IEP
• choosing a clinic for diagnostic testing
• diagnosis as language, not stigma, for self-understanding
• school focus on tolerance versus environmental change
• boundaries with systems and protecting family energy
• resources for autistic girls and high-masking profiles
This conversation is a map for parents who feel unseen by charts and checklists. It offers language for advocating with schools, ideas for crafting a home that regulates instead of battles, and resources for recognizing high-masking autistic girls. Most of all, it’s permission to replace “tolerance training” with environments that fit. If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more grounded conversations, and leave a review so others can find us. Your story could be the lifeline another parent needs today.
Resources:
Yellow Lady Bugs - Podcast, book, source of a ton of info for neurodivergent girls and gender diverse youth
Tilt Parenting/Differently Wired book - This is another awesome resource to help make sense of how to navigate parenting neurodivergent kiddos
Telepathy Tapes - A podcast exploring how some non-speaking autistics communicate.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with other mamas!
Subscribing to our podcast and leaving us a review is one of the best ways for other people to find us.
You can always email is at [email protected] to let us know what you think, leave a story of how the show impacted you, or just say "hey"!
Kirsten's Physical Therapy website
Mama You Belong Instagram
Kirsten's Instagram
Molly's Instagram
Molly’s music on bandcamp
Molly’s website