Maybe We Need to Think Again I was visiting with a friend the other day and was struck by a comment she made. She said her grandson had some "behavior problems." I know she meant no harm in using those words. As a woman who's a bit older, this would have been the typical way to describe a young boy having challenges in school. But those words stuck with me all day. Behavior problems... So I started thinking back about my own son's "behavior problems," and what those words m

While watching Parenthood – again – I heard something that really struck me this time. If you know this show, you know. If you don’t, it’s about an extended family, and one of the grandsons on the show is diagnosed with Asperger’s from the very beginning. (Now known as ASD1). The young boy, Max, around 8, will only wear his pirate costume to school – every day. This is obviously not the only marker the parents are seeing, but this one, as you can imagine, causes Max trou

If you’re a parent of a neurodivergent young adult, you may have lived through this moment: Your teen becomes a young adult. They start college, or a job, or both. And suddenly… everything falls apart. Classes get dropped. Work hours get cut. Fatigue skyrockets. Anxiety increases. GI issues flare. Pain shows up. Dizziness becomes constant. Sleep becomes chaotic. Executive function collapses. And everyone wonders: “Why can’t they handle a full load like other young adults?” He

I have been singing since I was 3. Being very driven, I knew at 10 that I would study voice when I attended college. After graduating from The American University in Washington, DC with a BA in Music, Voice Performance, I began my first career, a 15 year journey around the country as a Musical Theatre Singer/Dancer/Actor. While it was exactly what I had always dreamed of, at some point, something was missing. As I was trying to figure out how to use my gift of singing in a di

A late ADHD diagnosis, two neurodivergent kids, and the community I wish I’d had sooner I am the gifted, hyperlexic, left-handed kid nicknamed “Fidgety-Didgety” who learned to read at 3 years old, couldn't sit still, impulsively touched everything I shouldn't, got in trouble all the time for talking, and always had my hand up because I knew the answers. In elementary school, I had no problem telling my mother, teachers, and scout leaders what they were doing wrong and how to