Why Your Kid Isn't Doing Their Homework with Elyse Dworin
Complicated Kids
Behavior is never just behavior. In this conversation, holistic academic support coach Elyse Dworin joins me to look underneath school struggles, homework battles, and “I don’t feel well” complaints through a whole-child lens. We talk about behavior as a symptom, not a character flaw, and explore how challenges with executive function, overwhelm, social stress, or undiagnosed needs can show up as avoidance, lashing out, or shutdown long before a child has words for what’s wrong. Elyse walks us through simple, body-based tools to help kids (and parents) tune back in: grounding...
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Building Resilience with Dr. Kate Lund
Complicated Kids
Some families are living on an emotional rollercoaster. One minute everyone seems fine. The next, it feels like the wheels are coming off. In this episode of Complicated Kids, I sit down with Dr. Kate Lund, a licensed clinical psychologist, resilience expert, and twin mom, to talk about resilience as a way of living rather than a trait you either have or do not have. Instead of seeing resilience as “you hit a challenge and bounce back,” we explore what it looks like to build a steadier baseline so you can ride the waves of real life with a little more ease. Dr. Kate shares how she helps...
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It’s Not Just Autism with Dr. Jodie Dashore
Complicated Kids
Some kids are labeled “autistic” when their bodies are actually screaming for help. In this episode of Complicated Kids, I sit down with Dr. Jodie Dashore, an internationally recognized integrative practitioner and clinical herbalist, to talk about the kids who don’t fit neatly into “just autism.” These are the kids with paralysis, bone pain, rashes, fevers, breathing issues, crushing anxiety, or terror—and all of it gets folded under one word: autism. Dr. Dashore shares her personal and professional story, including her son’s terrifying descent into wheelchairs, tics, and...
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The Bad News About Untreated ADHD with Karin Varblow
Complicated Kids
ADHD is not just about attention. It is about self-control, self-esteem, and what happens when the brain goes offline. Living with untreated ADHD is not just about missing assignments. It is about moving through the world without a reliable connection between what you know and what you do. In this conversation, I talk with Dr. Karin Varblow, a behavioral pediatrician, former teacher and social worker, neurodivergent adult, and mom to neurodivergent kids. We look closely at what untreated ADHD really costs over a lifetime, from self-esteem and identity to health, safety, relationships, and even...
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Turning Autism Complexity Into Clarity with Dr. Theresa Lyons
Complicated Kids
Autism content is not the same thing as autism science. In this episode, Dr. Theresa Lyons joins me to talk about what it really means to follow the science of autism, and why parents cannot rely on headlines, algorithms, or outdated assumptions when the stakes are this high. Theresa is a Yale trained scientist and autism parent, and she breaks down how peer reviewed research actually moves, how easily it gets distorted, and why it can take 20 to 30 years for scientific conclusions to become common medical practice. We talk about how misinformation spreads online, including research showing...
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Play is a Nutrient Not an Indulgence with Annamarie von Firley
Complicated Kids
Play is where development lives, even when it looks simple, repetitive, or messy. In this conversation, Annamarie von Firley joins me to unpack why play is essential to early brain development and why children need hands-on experiences far more than screens, flashcards, or noisy battery powered toys. We talk about how babies learn to operate their bodies, how repetition builds neural connections, and why dumping, filling, banging, sorting, and mouthing objects are critical stages of growth. Annamarie explains how the brain develops most rapidly from birth to age three, why fine motor and...
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Clear Communication with Kati Morton
Complicated Kids
Trouble ensues when we avoid saying what we actually need and expect the people we love to just know. In this episode of Complicated Kids, I sit down with Kati Morton, a licensed marriage and family therapist and longtime mental health educator, to talk about why clear, direct communication is not just a nice-to-have, but a skill that can change relationships and, in some cases, save them. We dig into why so many of us avoid saying what we actually need, how resentment builds when we expect others to read our minds, and why discomfort is not something to run from, but something to move...
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What Not to Say to Your Anxious Teen with Sophia Galano
Complicated Kids
“Listening is fixing: what anxious teens wish their parents knew.” In this episode of Complicated Kids, I talk with therapist and author Sophia Galano about what teenage anxiety actually looks like, and why it is so easy for even the most caring parents to miss. Sophia explains that teens are not expert communicators. Their distress often shows up as irritability, withdrawal, “attitude,” or “teen angst,” and it can be brushed off as a phase when it is really a cry for help. We dig into the difference between everyday worry and clinically significant anxiety, and how to look at both...
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MTHFR Gene with Elyse Dworin
Complicated Kids
Could a common gene variant be quietly clogging the system for you or your child? In this episode of Complicated Kids, I sit down with holistic academic coach Elyse Dworin to talk about the MTHFR gene: what it is, what it does, and why it matters for neurodivergent kids and their parents. Elyse explains, in plain language, how this gene helps the body process folate, manage toxins, and regulate inflammation, and what can happen when a variant plus a modern “enriched” diet start to overload the system. We get into her personal story of brain fog, gut issues, anxiety, and years of “IBS”...
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Forever Parenting with Sarah Wayland
Complicated Kids
What happens when parenting doesn’t end when your child turns 18? In this special episode of Complicated Kids, I sit down with my friend Dr. Sarah Wayland to talk about “forever parenting,” those situations where parents remain deeply involved in their child’s life and care well into adulthood, sometimes for the rest of their lives. Sarah shares three common paths into forever parenting: children whose developmental differences are clear early on; kids who look “on track” until they hit a wall in college or young adulthood; and those whose lives change suddenly through accident,...
info_outlineIf you’re curious about the role of virtual reality in teaching critical life skills to autistic kiddos, you’ll want to listen to this episode of the Complicated Kids Podcast.
I sat down with Vijay Ravindran—engineer, autism dad, and founder of Floreo—to talk about how virtual reality can transform the way we teach social, safety, and communication skills to neurodivergent kids. From crossing the street to interacting with law enforcement, we explore how VR offers a controlled, immersive learning environment that supports real-world generalization. It’s a fascinating blend of parenting, technology, and therapeutic innovation you won’t want to miss.
To find out more about Floreo, visit www.floreovr.com.
About your host, Gabriele Nicolet
Join Gabriele Nicolet, podcast host, parenting life coach and speech therapist, weekly for practical strategies and tips on raising complicated kids. Learn how to go from surviving to thriving and create a family culture in which every family member can feel valued, seen and heard. With a practical, relationship-based, family-friendly approach, Gabriele provides tools and insights parents need to create a more balanced and fun family life.If you've been listening and wondering what next steps to take to help your child, I am here for you. Maybe you're wondering whether your kiddo needs a speech and language evaluation, or occupational therapy, or some behavioral intervention to deal with picky eating, anger, meltdowns, hitting and biting. With over 20 years of experience, my knowledge of child development and the available options goes deep. Maybe you just want some practical tips on how to get through the day and feel like a better parent. We can unpack that too. Sound good? Learn more at www.gabrielenicolet.com.
Complicated Kids Resources and Links:
📅Schedule a free intro call at https://calendly.com/gabrielenicolet/free-15-minute-1-1-session.
📺Subscribe to Gabriele's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@complicatedkids/featured
👾Grab Tell the Story - my powerful anti-anxiety tool for kids https://www.gabrielenicolet.com/tell-the-story
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➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielenicolet/
🌺Grab our free checklist to find out if you're raising an Orchid Kid https://www.raisingorchidkids.com/orchid-kid-check-list-sign-up/