DEEP DIVE: Dr. Lynn Koegel on the Hidden Brilliance of Autism

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Kids & Family, Comedy, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities. What if we're looking at autism in the wrong way? Dr. Lynn Koegel, co-author of ⁠Hidden Brilliance: Unlocking the Intelligence of Autism⁠, explains how to engage with the strengths in kids with autism rather than focusing on what they're lacking. ⁠Dr. Lynn Koegel⁠ is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She and her husband developed Pivotal Response Treatment which focuses on motivation. She has been supporting autistic individuals for more than 40 years. Dr. Koegel and Margaret discuss: Why we're focusing on the wrong things when we assess kids with autism The power of peer support Connecting authentically with kids with autism Dr. Koegel explains that professionals are often trained to look at what's "wrong" with children with autism rather than what's right. It helps to look at the differences in children with autism, as Margaret likes to say, as morally neutral. Here's where you can find Lynn: ⁠autismPRThelp.com⁠ ⁠@lynn.koegel on Facebook⁠ ⁠hidden-brilliance.org⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Expedia and Visit Scotland.
0:04.6	Start your story in Scotland.
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0:13.6	Discover castles steeped in legend.
0:16.6	And feel the genuine warmth from locals you meet in a place that will stay with you long after you leave.
0:23.2	Start planning your own Scottish holiday.
0:25.7	Today at Expedia.co.uk slash visit Scotland.
0:31.8	Hello and welcome to Fresh Teg from What Fresh Hell Laughing in the Face of Motherhood.
0:37.3	This is Margaret, and today I am
0:38.9	talking to Dr. Lynn Cagle. She is the co-author of Hidden Brilliance, unlocking the intelligence of
0:46.4	autism. Lynn is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She and her husband
0:51.8	developed pivotal response treatment, which focuses on motivation.
0:56.9	She has been supporting autistic individuals for more than 40 years. Welcome, Dr. Lynn Kegel.
1:03.3	Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. And so although we are talking generally about children with
1:10.0	autism today, I urge you to listen to this.
1:14.2	First of all, almost certainly you have a child with autism somewhere in your life, but also,
1:19.7	and Lynn, correct me if I'm wrong, I think that as a mom with a kid on the spectrum,
1:25.6	I find that so much of what I learn about helping kids with
1:29.9	autism applies in so many situations. There are so many kids who don't have autism
1:36.2	who still struggle with transitions, who still may have particular sensitivities.
1:41.3	And so I think for our audience, even if you don't have a child with autism living
1:45.3	in your home, there will be good takeaways for you from this episode.
	...

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