Ep. 242: How One Woman Rewired Her Brain and Created a Path for Struggling Learners with Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
Release Date: 08/19/2025
Ep. 265: Back-to-School Anxiety in Neurodivergent Kids: Why the Transition Is So Hard and How to Help
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
Transitioning back to school after summer vacation can be challenging for many children, especially those who are neurodivergent. Continuing the Summer Solo Series, Dr. Karen Wilson shares seven practical, actionable strategies to help make the transition smoother. Dr. Wilson explains why even children who are genuinely excited to return to school may still experience significant anxiety. Changes in routine, increased cognitive and sensory demands, unfamiliar environments, and shifting social expectations can create overwhelming stress before classes even begin. Understanding these challenges...
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Ep. 264: What an Assessment Can and Cannot Tell You
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
Dr. Karen Wilson continues the Summer Solo Series to address assessments and how they can be informative yet also have their fair share of shortcomings. They can be life-changing but are often misunderstood, and Dr. Wilson unpacks what psychological and educational evaluations can actually tell us, where their limitations lie, and why they should be viewed as tools for understanding rather than crystal balls that predict a child’s future. Dr. Wilson explores why so many mental health and neurodevelopmental diagnoses rely on behavioral patterns instead of definitive medical tests and how...
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Ep. 263: Summer, Screens, and Sanity: Helping Kids Find Balance When School’s Out
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
Dr. Karen Wilson takes on an important topic solo this episode - screen use during the summertime when kids are out of school. With routines loosened and independence increased, many tweens and teens drift toward longer, more frequent device use, and what often begins as “just a little YouTube” can quietly stretch into hours of electronic usage, whether it be gaming, scrolling, and/or late-night screen time, often negatively impacting sleep, mood, and motivation along the way. This podcast, however, isn't here to frame screens as a simple matter of discipline or “too much time online.”...
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Ep. 262: Balancing Summer Rest and Learning Support for Diverse Learners with Ashley Harding
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
For this episode, we are replaying another episode of Diverse Thinking, Different Learning, this time episode 239, in which we sat down with to discuss why it’s so important to allow students time for rest, rejuvenation, and exploration of their interests outside of academics, especially during the summer months. As a reminder, Ashley is a fourth-generation educator and is deeply committed to educational equity. She holds degrees from USC and Tufts University in Child Development, and her career spans more than a decade, during which she has supported students and families in private and...
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Ep. 261: When Helping Becomes Overhelping: Helping Neurodivergent Kids Build Independence
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
This week on Diverse Thinking Different Learning, we are discussing the crucial challenge of supporting neurodivergent children without doing so in a way that hinders them from independence. Joining us to take on this topic is , founder of . Dr. William is also a tenured Chemistry professor at College of the Canyons in California, and has spent more than ten years supporting neurodivergent students as they transition from K-12 systems, helping them build confidence and independence in academic settings. Dr. Williams helps us understand why “helicopter parenting” is not a simple label...
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Ep. 260: How Dyslexia Impacts Mental Health (Episode 212 Re-Air)
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
This month, we are replaying episode 212 of Diverse Thinking, Different Learning, in which Dr. Karen Wilson discusses the ways in which dyslexia can affect a child’s mental wellbeing. Even though dyslexia is commonly associated with reading and language difficulties, the emotional implications are far too often overlooked, and Dr. Wilson unpacks some of the harmful myths that have shaped the public understanding of dyslexia for decades, including the assumption that reading struggles are tied to intelligence. She explains how those misconceptions can affect self-esteem, delay diagnosis, and...
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Ep. 259: Autism and ADHD Masking: The Signs & Hidden Costs with Dr. Deanna Dow
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
We warmly welcome Dr. Deanna Dow to the podcast. Dr. Dow is a licensed clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and families. She is the founder and CEO of Spectrum Psych LA, a multidisciplinary clinic that provides assessment, therapy, occupational therapy, medication management, and community-based support, and she has trained and worked in autism clinics and research centers at major institutions including the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Florida State University, and UCLA where her research has...
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Ep. 258: Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, and ADHD: Why Math Feels So Overwhelming for Some Kids with Adrianne Meldrum & Heather Brand
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
We are so thrilled to have not just one guest this episode but two - Adrianne Meldrum and Heather Brand! Adrianne Meldrum founded and owns Made for Math, a fully online math center that supports students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other math-related learning challenges. She is a certified Multisensory Math Instructor and holds a master’s degree from Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity. Adrianne lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons, where she enjoys the beautiful sunsets. Heather Brand, M.Ed., is a licensed educator with two decades of experience teaching...
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Ep. 257: Helping Kids with Dyslexia and ADHD Build Confidence Through Stories with Lynn Greenberg
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
We are so excited to have Lynn Greenberg join us for this edition of the show. Lynn has devoted her life to being an advocate for children as a trained attorney specializing in family law and pro bono work. When her youngest son, Jonathan, was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, she stepped into the role of being his advocate, using her expertise to help carve a path toward his success. The experience inspired her to support neurodivergent children more broadly, and she discusses how co-writing the children’s book with Jonathan became a natural next step, allowing her to create characters in...
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Ep. 256: How to Help Neurodivergent Teens and Young Adults Navigate Dating with Dr. Elina Veytsman
Diverse Thinking Different Learning
We are so happy to have Dr. Elina Veytsman join us for this episode of the show! Dr. Elina Veytsman is a licensed psychologist and the Director of Training at the UCLA PEERS® Clinic, where she leads groups for neurodivergent youth and their caregivers while also training interns, postdocs, and professionals. She earned her Psychology degrees at UCLA and UC Riverside, researching developmental disabilities and transition experiences for youth and parents, and completed her doctoral internship providing therapy, parent training, and diagnostic assessment services. Since joining the UCLA PEERS®...
info_outlineJoining us for this episode of Diverse Thinking Different Learning is Barbara Arrowsmith-Young! Barbara is a pioneering author and innovator in neuroeducation, known for applying neuroplasticity to improve cognitive function. Since 1978, her work has helped individuals with learning difficulties, brain injuries, addiction, and age-related decline, and it is now used worldwide. She shares her groundbreaking journey in her bestselling book The Woman Who Changed Her Brain and her TEDx talk, and continues advancing research as Director of the Arrowsmith program.
In this episode of Diverse Thinking Different Learning, Barbara shares her deeply powerful journey of overcoming significant learning difficulties she faced from a young age. Growing up in the 1950s, Barbara was labeled as "slow" and was told by her teachers not to have high expectations for her academic future, but despite the challenges, her mother's determination and Barbara's resilience allowed her to learn how to read, write, and do basic math, although she continued to struggle with comprehension and processing language.
As an adult, Barbara had an epiphany after reading the work of neuropsychologist Alexander Luria. She discovered that the root of her learning difficulties was due to specific areas of her brain that were underperforming, so inspired by research on neuroplasticity, she set out to create cognitive exercises that could strengthen those weaker brain regions. She reflects in this episode on how, to her amazement, the exercises led to a huge change in her cognitive abilities, allowing her to fully engage in conversations, understand complex concepts, and more.
Barbara discusses how she was determined to share this life-changing approach, founded the Arrowsmith School, and developed the Arrowsmith Program, which has now helped thousands of students around the world. She passionately advocates for integrating neuroscience and cognitive training into education, empowering all learners to enhance their brain's capacity and unlock their full potential.
If you enjoy this episode, you will have the wonderful opportunity to learn more about Barbara's work during a live webinar on September 17th, 2025. Don't miss this chance to dive deeper into the power of neuroplasticity and how it can transform the lives of students who struggle with learning differences!
Show Notes:
[2:36] - Barbara Arrowsmith-Young reflects on having been labeled "slow" in grade one, internalizing shame before learning disabilities were even recognized.
[4:38] - Despite intense effort and her mother's support, Barbara masked her difficulties with memorization and compensation.
[7:32] - Barbara points out how brain imaging reveals students with learning difficulties overuse their strengths to compensate.
[10:48] - Many students experience intense despair from persistent, misunderstood learning challenges.
[11:17] - Barbara opens up about having struggled with suicidal ideation in eighth grade.
[14:25] - Even though there is longstanding research, many schools still neglect brain-based approaches to learning.
[15:13] - Hear how Barbara’s father instilled belief in problem-solving and how Alexander Luria’s work revealed the source of her struggles.
[18:06] - Newly inspired by neuroplasticity research, Barbara designed clock-based brain exercises to help stimulate specific neural regions.
[21:06] - Hear how mastering four-handed clocks transformed Barbara’s comprehension.
[22:53] - Barbara created Arrowsmith School to help integrate brain-based learning into mainstream education.
[25:31] - Real change requires targeted brain exercises and not just accommodations.
[26:50] - Barbara finds immense joy in witnessing cognitive transformation and improved mental health in her students.
[29:05] - Arrowsmith lowers cortisol and anxiety while supporting recovery from learning difficulties.
[32:07] - Hear how Barbara developed diverse cognitive programs to enhance brain function.
[35:43] - Barbara urges education to embrace neuroplasticity early, believing that cognitive growth leads to empathy and future problem-solvers.
Links and Related Resources:
Connect with Us:
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Email Dr. Wilson: drkiwilson@childnexus.com
Connect with Barbara Arrowsmith-Young: