PCP Guides: supporting neurodivergent kids - Q&A

Episode 131 is out now! Rewards and punishments reflection goes deeply into how developmental theory and the evidence can be used in the real world to guide our kids. We hear amazing listener reflections, questions and advice including a mum whose seven year old caught her mid-bad-parenting and handled it better than she did, a dad fighting the daily battle between connection and control, and a teacher who runs a no-detention, no-suspension school and has never needed either. We cover the difference between rewards and bribes, consequences for neurodivergent kids, what to do when your co-parent leans hard on punishment, and why using shame to guide behaviour almost always backfires. As one listener beautifully put it, every day in parenting is a battle between the light side and the dark side and unlike in the movies, the dark side never actually wins.

To finish up our first PCP Guides series we ran a live Q&A with our amazing Patreon community. People seemed to think it was helpful so we thought we would share it more broadly. We answer as many questions as possible and cover some great areas about how we can better support neurodivergent kids. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and for attending the session. Your relentless efforts to help the kids you care for motivates us to keep going. How lucky those children are to have you in their lives.

Rewards and punishments are a part of daily life for anyone supporting children, sometimes consciously but often without us even realising. In this episode we discuss the developmental psychology behind them, how it can help us to guide our kids to healthier choices and behaviours and where we might be caught out ("it's a trap!"). We want them to choose the light side of the force by understanding the how, when and why of rewards and avoid pushing them towards the dark side through punishments, fear and control. We hope you like this episode and we can't wait to read your reflections, questions and advice about rewards and punishments in your own journey through the galaxy.

In this final reflection episode of supporting neurodivergent kids we explore how we can true nurture the kids we love and care for. We explore safety, masking, communication and evidence-based care along with some incorrect and unhealthy beliefs about neurodivergence. To finish this PCP Guides series we will be running a live Q&A via out Patreon in the coming weeks. Please join that community to send in questions and we can't wait to diver deeper into how we can all support neurodivergent kids.

Well this was a big one diving deeply into chaos and control. We go deep into the balance between chaos and control in family life, especially when anxiety, neurodivergence, and survival mode are in the mix. Through honest listener stories, questions and practical insights, we explore why control can feel safe, how to loosen it without everything falling apart, and how real balance comes from safety, flexibility, and gently learning how we go let go of some of the feelings, beliefs and behaviours that are holding us back from a healthier and happier time with our kids.

A heavy but important re-listen this week about survival. So many of us feel like we are constantly in the arena battling to survive and in this ep we discuss how real and tough that can be with two messages sent in from the beautiful PCP community. Thank you all for helping us to keep moving forward and we hope this helps in some small way too. We can't wait to host a Patreon live Q&A at the end of this PCP Guides bundle on supporting neurodivergent kids too!

What a movie, what a topic! So much of life is the balance between chaos and control and mental illness Mental illness can present when we become either overwhelmed by unchecked emotion and unpredictability or constrained by rigid, overprotective attempts to stay safe. Just like riding waves children can learn how to successfully ride the waves of chaos and control in their lives with the right support leading to healthy emotional regulation, positive relationships and improved wellbeing. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did and we can't wait to read your questions, reflections and advice.

In this reflection episode we hear from so many parents & professionals about their worries regarding children they care for. We discuss early development, neurodiversity, teenagers, schools and the best practice approach to assessment and building support around kids. Thank you to every single person who sent in a message. We can only read a fraction but every message helps choose what we cover and where we go next.

One big challenge of supporting children is figuring out when to worry. What difficulties are a typical part development and what are signs of something more worrying? Research highlights that many parents and professionals feel lost as to signs of developmental or mental health concerns so in this episode we try to offer guidance so that people can be comfortable to keep sailing or help realise it's time to find a safe harbour for support. Please send in your questions, reflections and advice about when to worry about the kids we love and care for.

Few episodes are more important and full of practical tips than this one! In this re-listen we reflect on what we can do to support our kids in healthy sleep. Poor sleep impacts 30-40% of children with up to 80% of neurodivergent children experiencing childhood insomnia. We hope you like this PCP Guide and please listen to the reflection episode 20 as it's full of gold form the beautiful PCP community. We hope this helps your child sleep better and succeed more in their waking hours.