Parenting the Child You Have (Not the One You Expected)
Release Date: 01/16/2026
The Friendship Playbook: Building Connection on Your Own Terms
Neurodiversity Podcast
Why does friendship feel like an intuitive gift for some, but a complex, manual process for others? This week, Emily Kircher-Morris sits down with social-emotional learning expert Caroline Maguire, author of the award-winning Why Will No One Play With Me? and the upcoming Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults. The conversation dismantles the harmful narrative that connection should happen organically, reframing social struggles not as character flaws, but as understandable skill gaps influenced by executive dysfunction and past trauma. They talk about the concept of "Middle School...
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Belonging Before Achievement: Redesigning Middle School for Neurodivergent Minds
Neurodiversity Podcast
In this episode, Emily sits down with education leader, school founder, and author Chris Balme to completely reframe how we view the middle school years. Rather than treating early adolescence as a miserable phase to simply muddle through, it's a period of profound neurological transformation and peak human potential. Redesigning educational environments for neurodivergent students, by prioritizing smaller, consistent advisory cohorts and scaffolding executive function, creates a safer, more engaging culture for everyone. Other topics include the activation of the "social brain," why a...
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Accepting and Embracing Your Autistic Self
Neurodiversity Podcast
This week, Emily sits down with advisory teacher Rebecca Duffus, and neurodiversity advocate Lyric Rivera, to discuss the critical shift from viewing autism as a purely medical diagnosis to embracing it as a core identity. Lyric shares their personal journey of late discovery and the complex emotions that accompany it, from grief to validation. Rebecca provides some insight into the importance of authentic, affirming language. They also discuss how to empower autistic youth to advocate for their needs, navigate a world that isn't always accommodating, and ultimately discover the power of being...
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Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Letting Go of Perfect
Neurodiversity Podcast
Parenting often feels like a high-stakes balancing act, especially when raising neurodivergent children. The pressure to get it right, advocate effectively, and manage dysregulation can leave parents frustrated and exhausted. But what if the key to being a calmer, more effective parent wasn't about doing more, but about treating yourself with more kindness? Today, Emily sits down with Dr. Jen Ferris, a former child development professor and author of Parenting with Self-Compassion. They move beyond the fluffy idea of "self-care" to discuss self-compassion as a concrete tool for nervous system...
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Child-Led Support: The Concept of Compromise Over Compliance
Neurodiversity Podcast
Child-led support is often misunderstood. Some imagine it as a chaotic free-for-all where the child runs the show. Some worry it means abandoning all structure. In reality, a child-led approach is about moving from being a director to being a partner. In this episode, Emily Kircher-Morris sits down with speech-language pathologist Nicole Casey to dismantle the compliance-based models of therapy that have dominated the field for decades. Nicole explains how shifting the focus from "fixing" speech to fostering authentic connection creates deeper buy-in and faster generalization of skills. They...
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Unmasking Autism: Why You Might Feel Like an Imposter
Neurodiversity Podcast
This week, Emily Kircher-Morris sits down with Sol Smith, the founder of the NeuroSpicy Community and author of The Autistic’s Guide to Self-Discovery. Sol brings two decades of education, and his lived experience as an Autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic individual, to the discussion. They talk about the complex feelings of imposter syndrome that many neurodivergent adults face - the feeling that life is a stage play where everyone else got the script but you - and the difficulty of masking and unmasking. They also get into the science of how we think, including breaking down the difference...
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The Empathetic Classroom: A Mental Health Mindset for Educators
Neurodiversity Podcast
Why do certain student behaviors trigger an intense emotional reaction in us? According to Maria Munro-Schuster, it often has less to do with the child and more to do with our own history. In this episode, Emily sits down with Maria, a licensed clinical professional counselor and author of the new book, The Empathetic Classroom: How a Mental Health Mindset Can Support Your Students and You, to discuss the gap between therapeutic insight and the reality of the classroom. They talk about the use of the term "Mental Health Mindset" to describe a way of being that prioritizes nervous system...
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Connection Before Correction: Autism Understanding & Support
Neurodiversity Podcast
David Smith spent years working as a therapist specializing in neurodiversity-affirming care, but it wasn’t until age 56, prompted by his wife and his own clients, that he sought his own autism diagnosis. That confirmation fundamentally shifted his clinical approach from that of a white-coated expert to a fellow traveler, deepening the way he accompanies families through unmapped territory. Today, Emily and David discuss the delicate balance between professional curiosity and humility, and why traditional therapeutic models often fail to support the fragile nervous systems of neurodivergent...
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Parenting the Child You Have (Not the One You Expected)
Neurodiversity Podcast
"Parent the child you have," is a common piece of advice in the neurodiversity community, but what does it actually look like in practice when stress is high and patience is low? Why do traditional consequences often fail to build the skills a child actually needs? And how can parents distinguish between enabling a child and truly supporting them? Today, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Cindy Goldrich, founder of PTS Coaching, and author of Eight Keys to Parenting Kids and Teens with ADHD, about the developmental reality of executive dysfunction and why "calm is power" when it comes to...
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The Myth of Willful Defiance with Ross Greene
Neurodiversity Podcast
Episode 300! For decades, the standard response to challenging behavior has been simple: reward the good, punish the bad. But what if non-compliance isn't a sign of disrespect, but a signal of distress? Why do traditional behavioral frameworks like PBIS often miss the mark for neurodivergent students? And how can adults shift from being enforcers to problem-solving partners? Today, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and the upcoming book The Kids Who Aren't Okay, and the originator of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model, about the...
info_outline"Parent the child you have," is a common piece of advice in the neurodiversity community, but what does it actually look like in practice when stress is high and patience is low? Why do traditional consequences often fail to build the skills a child actually needs? And how can parents distinguish between enabling a child and truly supporting them? Today, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Cindy Goldrich, founder of PTS Coaching, and author of Eight Keys to Parenting Kids and Teens with ADHD, about the developmental reality of executive dysfunction and why "calm is power" when it comes to parenting complex kids.
TAKEAWAYS
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"Parenting the child you have" requires letting go of the expectations of who you thought they would be and getting curious about who they actually are.
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Executive function is a developmental process, and the human brain often isn't fully mature until age 25 to 30.
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Intelligence and executive function are separate traits; a high IQ does not guarantee a child will have the ability to organize or self-regulate.
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Enabling is defined as doing something for a child without a plan to help them eventually do it for themselves.
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Stress physically restricts access to the prefrontal cortex, making executive function skills harder to access in high-pressure moments.
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ADHD is fundamentally a delay in the development of executive function skills, sometimes by as much as 30%.
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Oppositional behavior (often labeled ODD) is frequently a result of emotional dysregulation rather than a calculated choice to be difficult.
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A parent’s ability to remain calm is their greatest power in helping a dysregulated child.
Here's the link to register for the continuing education training on January 23, “Adapting Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Autistic and ADHD Pediatric Clients.”
Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ADHD-CCSP is a leading expert in ADHD and executive function support, and the founder of PTS Coaching. She is the author of 8 Keys to Parenting Kids & Teens with ADHD, and co-author of ADHD, Executive Function & Behavioral Challenges in the Classroom, two widely used resources for parents and educators seeking practical, compassionate tools to better support neurodivergent kids.
Cindy has trained thousands of families and professionals through her Calm & Connected® workshops and certification programs for ADHD Parent Coaches and Teacher Trainers. Known for her clear, empathetic teaching style, she also serves on the Board of Directors for CHADD and the Editorial Advisory Board of Attention Magazine, continuing to advocate for greater awareness and more effective support across home and school settings.
BACKGROUND READING
Cindy’s website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, discount book order (while offer lasts), Free gift about how to support your child or teen.
The Neurodiversity Podcast is on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, and you’re invited to join our Facebook Group. For more information go to www.NeurodiversityPodcast.com.
If you'd like members of your organization, school district, or company to know more about the subjects discussed on our podcast, Emily Kircher-Morris provides keynote addresses, workshops, and training sessions worldwide, in-person or virtually. You can choose from a list of established presentations, or work with Emily to develop a custom talk to fit your unique situation. To learn more, visit our website.