How Teaching Neurodiversity Helps Kids Understand and Embrace Differences

The PedsDocTalk Podcast

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every child deserves to feel understood and included! Teaching kids about neurodiversity early fosters empathy, reduces stigma, and helps them embrace differences. By normalizing accommodations and shifting perspectives, we create a more accepting world where everyone can thrive. Today, I’m joined by Laura Petix, a Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist, to discuss how we can build a future of true inclusion starting with ourselves and our kids. We discuss: How neurodivergent individuals, including children, experience the world differently due to variations in brain wiring. That teaching kids about neurodiversity from a young age helps normalize differences, reduce stigma, and foster empathy. True inclusivity means creating environments where accommodations are normalized rather than seen as special exceptions. To connect with Laura Petix follow her on Instagram @theotbutterfly and check out all her resources on https://theotbutterfly.com/ and purchase her new book A Kids Book About Neurodiversity We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you! 00:00 – Intro: Why Every Parent Needs to Understand Neurodiversity 01:26 – Meet Laura Petix & Her Powerful New Book 03:13 – The Dinner Table Example & Why Neurodiversity Matters 05:32 – Shifting the Narrative: Teaching Neurotypical Kids Compassion 08:06 – Kids Are Ready: Why Early Conversations Matter 09:40 – Busting Myths: Common Misconceptions About Neurodivergent Kids 13:43 – The Cost of Misunderstanding: Impact on Mental Health & Self-Esteem 19:02 – Rethinking Classrooms & Playgrounds: Creating Comfortable Spaces 24:42 – Labels, Language & Empowerment: How Parents Can Do Better 36:22 – Laura’s Hope for the Future: Inclusion Without Conditions Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk. 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 the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We all have a picture of what a brain looks like and it all be pretty similar. But there's parts of the
0:04.2	brains that we can't see that are different. And those are called neurons. And that's how they
0:09.4	connect to different places in your brain and in your body. And I say it's kind of like wires and they
0:14.3	connect. And there's different ways and patterns that our brain connects to different parts of our brain and body that make us
0:23.7	different. So it makes us be able to learn our favorite song. It makes some of us good at
0:29.8	chess and it makes some of us good at tag and all of these things that make us different.
0:35.2	And the differences between us is really what's called neurodiversity.
0:39.8	Hey there. It's Dr. Mona. You're trusted pediatrician, confidant, and mom friend. And you're listening
0:43.9	to the Peas Doc Talk podcast. Today we're having a conversation that every single parent, yes,
0:50.0	every parent, and let's say every human, needs to hear because here's the deal. Whether your child
0:55.5	is neurodivergent or not, they are going to interact with kids who are and how they respond
1:00.6	in those moments with these children, whether they choose curiosity or judgment, inclusion,
1:06.8	shapes the kind of humans they grow up to be. That's why I'm so excited to welcome Laura Peddick's occupational therapist and author of a kid's book about neurodiversity.
1:15.3	Laura is passionate about helping families understand neurodiversity, not just for kids who are
1:19.7	neurodivergent, but for every child and family who will interact with, learn from,
1:24.9	and grow alongside them. If you want your child to be a kind, inclusive, aware human, which let's be real, we all
1:31.0	should, and that is the embodiment of the Piedstock Talk platform, this episode is a must
1:35.4	listen.
1:36.3	We're breaking down what neurodiversity actually means, how to explain it to a child and maybe to
1:41.3	yourself if you don't know what it means, why it's not just about a
1:44.9	diagnosis and how understanding it can make your child a better friend and a better person.
1:50.3	This is the kind of conversation that changes perspectives and builds bridges and connection.
	...

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