Talking Children Podcast

This episode is all about sleep, why is it so hard for neurodivergents? What does the evidence say about the impact of a lack of sleep for children and parents? What interventions and supports are available to help everyone get some sleep!Key references:Lenker, K. P., Li, Y., Fernandez-Mendoza, J., Mayes, S. D., & Calhoun, S. L. (2025). Autism spectrum disorder phenotypes based on sleep dimensions and core autism symptoms. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55(12), 4412-4424.Killgore, W. D. (2010). Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. Progress in brain research, 185, 105-129. Krause, A. J., Simon, E. B., Mander, B. A., Greer, S. M., Saletin, J. M., Goldstein-Piekarski, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2017). The sleep-deprived human brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 18(7), 404-418. Hyndych, A., El-Abassi, R., & Mader Jr, E. C. (2025). The Role of Sleep and the Effects of Sleep Loss on Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Processes. Cureus, 17(5), e84232-e84232. Shah, A. S., Pant, M. R., Bommasamudram, T., Nayak, K. R., Roberts, S. S., Gallagher, C., ... & Pullinger, S. A. (2025). Effects of sleep deprivation on physical and mental health outcomes: an umbrella review. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15598276251346752. Mannion, A., & Leader, G. (2023). Relationship between child sleep problems in autism spectrum disorder and parent mental health and well-being. Sleep Medicine, 109, 4-10. 

In this episode we chat with fellow speech pathologists Carla and Jamima from The Happy Space Allied Health about evidence-based early intervention, language intervention, their intervention tool the Game of Language Abilities (GOLA), Intensive Interaction for minimally verbal children and much more.To access the GOLA: https://www.thehappyspacealliedhealth.com/the-game-of-language-abilitiesFor a free webinar on Intensive Interaction: https://www.thehappyspacealliedhealth.com/intensive-interactionCarla and Jamima's podcast Talking Without Words:https://www.thehappyspacealliedhealth.com/podcastTo find out more about The Happy Space:https://www.thehappyspacealliedhealth.com/#autism #dld #language

Lucia and Sarah explore the phenomena of "maxxing" and how it can be applied to improving quality of life for neurodivergent people. Key referencesLaPoint SC, Kiernan B, Heinly J, Hector BL, Benevides TW, Maddox B. Quality of Life Defined by Autistic People: A Thematic Analysis. Autism in Adulthood. 2026;8(4):664-676. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0180Mason, D., McConachie, H., Garland, D., Petrou, A., Rodgers, J. and Parr, J.R. (2018), Predictors of quality of life for autistic adults. Autism Research, 11: 1138-1147. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1965

In this episode we look at why people have different accents, understanding speech diversity and when a speech pathologist might get involved.Clark, E. L., Easton, C., & Verdon, S. (2021). The impact of linguistic bias upon speech-language pathologists' attitudes towards non-standard dialects of English. Clinical linguistics & phonetics, 35(6), 542–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2020.1803405 Easton, C., & Verdon, S. (2021). The Influence of Linguistic Bias Upon Speech-Language Pathologists' Attitudes Toward Clinical Scenarios Involving Nonstandard Dialects of English. American journal of speech-language pathology, 30(5), 1973–1989. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00382 Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Wong, S. (2015). Supporting culturally and linguistically diverse children with speech, language and communication needs: Overarching principles, individual approaches. Journal of communication disorders, 58, 74–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2015.10.002

In this episode we explore the pure joy and peace that comes from engaging in special interests. Neurodivergent people often have special interests which were formerly referred to as "obsessions". We talk about neuroaffirming approaches to supporting special interests and share some special interests of our own. #autism #adhd #audhdKey referencesAnthony, L. G., Kenworthy, L., Yerys, B. E., Jankowski, K. F., James, J. D., Harms, M. B., … Wallace, G. L. (2013). Interests in high-functioning autism are more intense, interfering, and idiosyncratic than those in neurotypical development. Development and Psychopathology, 25(3), 643–652. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000072Brown, C. E., Bernardin, C. J., Beauchamp, M. T., Kanne, S. M., & Nowell, K. P. (2024). More similar than different: Characterizing special interests in autistic boys and girls based on caregiver report. Autism Research, 17(11), 2333–2345. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3216Grove, R., Hoekstra, R. A., Wierda, M., & Begeer, S. (2018). Special interests and subjective wellbeing in autistic adults. Autism research : Official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 11(5), 766–775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1931

Early intervention is so important! But have you ever wondered how to spot the earliest signs of communication delay and neurodivergence?We've got you covered!In this episode we talk about early signs of developmental language disorder (DLD) and Autism, ADHD, and other communication needs. These helpful tips will let you know when its time to see a speech pathologists. #SLPWe also talk about easy, free techniques you can use to support early communication whether a child has additional needs or not.

In this episode we look at everything you need to know about supporting a young person who is experiencing periods. We also talk about how PMS and PMDD can present in neurodivergent individuals and what can help based on our own experiences and the latest literature.Periods are tough on everyone, but the experience is especially unique for people with ADHD, Autism, Anxiety and Depression. We hope this episode can help you navigate these challenges and identify some avenues to make them more manageable.

In this episode we chat to everyone's favourite speechie, Dr Carol Westby to learn all about her research and practice with children especially neurodivergent children, multilingual children and children who have experienced trauma.Carol talks about the power of narratives in assessment and intervention when learning about children's language abilities and supporting them to improve their communication skills.Personal narratives are a powerful tool for all children to share their world view, especially those who are autistic, ADHD, dyslexic or otherwise neurodivergent. #child #language #speech #slp #speechpathology #autism #neurodiversity

In this episode we talk with soon to be Dr Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe about the tool she has created to assess multilingual children in Ghana.We talk about why assessing multilingual children can be challenging and what we need to consider when making a differential diagnosis.Josephine also discusses the process of creating a culturally and linguistically tool and what other people can do to support multilingual children.

In this episode we welcome special guest Jenny Nechvatal to the show.Jenny is an early childhood educator, disability inclusion advocate and mother who draws upon her lived experiences to provide support and advice for both educators and parents.Jenny has a particular interest in Autism and collaboration between parents and educators to support early identification and early intervention. You can learn more about Jenny's work here: https://innovativedisabilitysolutions.com.au/You can buy Jenny's book here: https://innovativedisabilitysolutions.com.au/store/p/embracing-disability-in-early-childhoodYou can book a workshop with Jenny here: https://innovativedisabilitysolutions.com.au/workshopsParents of neurodivergent children can join her parenting hub here: https://innovativedisabilitysolutions.com.au/neuro-spicy-parent-hub