Ep. 233: Body-Based Interventions for Neurodivergent Students with Megan Beardmore, PhD, NCSP

Joining us this week on Diverse Thinking Different Learning is Dr. Megan Beardmore. Dr. Beardmore is a licensed school psychologist with expertise in assessing and treating children, adolescents, and young adults with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, as well as co-occurring anxiety and depression. She received her training at the University of Arizona, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Help Group, and worked at UCLA’s Center for Autism Research. She uses evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and breathwork to support emotional regulation and foster the mind-body connection.

Dr. Beardmore returns from episode 119 to discuss what happens when traditional behavior strategies or even well-known talk therapies simply are not working and to explore what is really going on inside the bodies and brains of neurodivergent kids when emotions run high.

Dr. Beardmore helps us unpack the science behind emotional dysregulation. With real-world examples, she breaks down how the autonomic nervous system shapes behavior and why interventions that start with the body rather than the brain can often reach kids when logic and language are not working.

Hear how body-based techniques like exhaling, rocking, and self-hugging can offer immediate access to safety and regulation, with our bodies often recognizing safety or danger before our brains even catch up. Also, learn why telling an upset child to “calm down” rarely works.

Perhaps most strikingly, Dr. Megan Beardmore shares how small, everyday movements and sensory experiences can help both kids and adults move out of stress and into deeper connection. It’s not about elaborate plans or complicated therapies; it’s about practical and easily accessible tools that speak the body’s language.

Whether you're a caregiver, educator, or clinician, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on supporting emotional regulation through science, empathy, and some surprisingly simple strategies.

 

Show Notes:

[0:07] - The nervous system greatly influences emotional regulation, especially in neurodivergent students, and Dr. Megan Beardmore joins us to address this.
[3:15] - Dr. Beardmore explains that, like a seesaw, the autonomic nervous system seeks balance between stress response and calm.
[6:50] - Recognizing behaviors as nervous system responses helps caregivers reframe them as unintentional and not defiant.
[8:53] - Since 80% of signals travel body-to-brain, somatic techniques calm emotional overload effectively.
[11:38] - Somatic tools, Dr. Beardmore explains, bypass logic, offering kids faster emotional regulation when reasoning is not accessible.
[14:27] - Hear how deep breaths and movement-based strategies calm the nervous system by signaling safety.
[17:53] - Parents can use these tools to regulate themselves and their child’s nervous system during struggles.
[18:32] - Learn how adults modeling self-regulation help children through mirror neurons.
[19:39] - To emerge from a “freeze state,” movement, grounding, and heat gradually increase energy and activation.
[22:48] - Accessible strategies that don't require fancy equipment help provide immediate support for nervous system regulation.
[23:12] - Simple actions like humming or gargling stimulate the vagus nerve, improving nervous system regulation.
[26:41] - Being mindful integrates body awareness and breathing to help manage stress, allowing thoughts to pass naturally.
[29:49] - There are various tools which support nervous system health, tailored to body needs in different stress responses.
[31:05] - Dr. Beardmore touches upon how curiosity around body responses assists with self-regulation.
[34:26] - Asking “How do you feel?” can help kids connect strategies with emotional regulation.
[36:22] - Dr. Beardmore argues that empowerment ultimately comes from regulating stress without external tools.

 

Links and Related Resources:

• Episode 72: Prioritizing Co-Regulation and Self-Regulation in Communication with Danielle G. Kent, M.S., CCC-SLP

• Episode 119: Autistic Girls Overlooked and Underrecognized with Megan Beardmore, PhD, NCSP

• Episode 168: 5 Tips for Supporting Neurodivergent Youth

 

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Connect with Dr. Megan Beardmore:

• Spectrum Psych

• Dr. Beardmore’s Instagram Page

• Email: [email protected]

• Phone: [phone]