Authenticity | Angles on Autism, Ep. 10

What if a behavior is really your child telling you something?Samara Tricarico talks with school psychologist Louise Sattler, NCSP, about communication and safety for autistic and neurodivergent kids: how functional sign language can give a child another way to be understood, and how families can get ready ahead of time with first responders, schools, and a sensory toolbox.• Functional sign vs. American Sign Language, and a few signs to start with• Preparing first responders, and a toolbox for evacuations• Behavior as communication, and what to watch for as kids get older"When you stop communicating, then you stop the relationship." Louise SattlerThis episode includes discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Free sign language videos and downloads from Louise: https://www.louisesattler.comLearn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

A no, a changed plan, a bit of feedback. For some kids, it lands far harder than anyone meant it to.Samara Tricarico talks with educator and behavioral specialist Korina Maestas about rejection sensitivity in neurodivergent kids and teens: what it looks like, how to hold a boundary without your child feeling rejected, and how connection makes the hard moments safer.Perceived rejection, masking, and the "no big deal" that isn'tAsking before giving feedback, and why timing mattersConnection before correction, and saying "and" instead of "but""The truth is, in the world, we're gonna experience rejection and we need to be able to handle that." Korina MaestasThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

Most parents find out late. Then the conversation turns into fear. This conversation is for you.Samara Tricarico talks with triple board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mayank Gupta and educator and behavioral specialist Korina Maestas about substance use in neurodivergent teens: what we know, what we don't, and how to talk about it without shame.- Why belonging and sensory overload matter- Why guessing "why" and lecturing can close the door- Starting with your teen's values instead of a lecture"Connection to me is the absolute foundation to absolutely everything." Korina MaestasThis episode includes discussion of suicide and substance use. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

What if the people inside the system mean well, and the system still gets it wrong?Samara Tricarico talks with triple board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mayank Gupta and advocate and parent Samia McCall about where schools, health care, and mental health care fail autistic teens, and what it would take to change them.- Safety as the foundation before connection and hope- Why masking can make someone look fine while they struggle- Why behavior is communication, not defiance"The better we are at masking, the more sick we become, but then the less sick we appear." Samia McCallThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

Phones get most of the blame. Is that the whole story?Samara Tricarico talks with Dr. Stuart Slavin, author of The Success Trap, educator and behavioral specialist Korina Maestas, and youth ambassador Quade Kelly about what teens say is weighing on them, and what works: flexible schools, more joy, and connection over correction.- The pressure to be perfect, from a teen's point of view- Why the "dream college" isn't the only path- Three basic needs: autonomy, connection, and competence"We have this misguided belief that more is always better." Dr. Stuart SlavinThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

What would it feel like to stop performing? This conversation is for you.Samara Tricarico talks with triple board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mayank Gupta and educator and behavioral specialist Korina Maestas about authenticity: what it means to be yourself, why it can feel risky, and how to start a conversation with a neurodivergent person without it feeling awkward.- Why many kids learn that fitting in means hiding who they are- How to start a conversation: be curious and follow their interests- Tools for finding your authentic self"The world needs your authentic self and you have so much to offer just the way you are." Korina MaestasLearn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

For a lot of kids, the hardest part isn't who they are. It's what it costs to show it.In this special standalone episode, Samara Tricarico talks with Cynthia [GUEST_LAST_NAME], a speech-language pathologist, parent, and neurodivergent advocate, about the overlap between neurodivergence and the queer community, and why being seen for who you are matters.- What a diagnosis can open up, and why the word "disorder" stings- Masking, and why it shows up in both communities- What safer spaces look like for young people"We're more the same than we are different." Cynthia [GUEST_LAST_NAME]This episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

Is it striving for excellence, or fear of being wrong? This conversation is for you.For many autistic and neurodivergent teens, striving can turn into hyper perfectionism. Samara Tricarico talks with triple board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mayank Gupta and educator and behavioral specialist Korina Mestis about where healthy motivation ends, what it costs, and what caregivers can model instead.- Rejection sensitivity, and why some kids chase "perfect" to avoid being wrong- How to model making a mistake: reflect, learn, try again- Who you are when you're not performing"It's important to really focus on growth and not perfection." Korina MestisThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

We talk a lot about what autistic teens are afraid of. What about the rest of us?Samara Tricarico and triple board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mayank Gupta explore what parents, educators, and clinicians are afraid of: naming what feels different, losing the future we pictured, and being truly seen.- Why avoiding the fear can delay support- Celebrating differences instead of starting the shame cycle- Why play and self-expression matter, and the fear of being judged for them"Difference is not a disorder." Dr. Mayank GuptaThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.

Your teen shuts down the second you start correcting. This conversation is for you.Samara Tricarico talks with educator and behavioral specialist Korina Maestas about connection before correction: what it looks like, what to do when a teen shuts down, and how to hold a limit without losing the relationship.- Why kids need the "why," instead of "because I said so"- Replacing "but" with "and" to hold a limit and stay connected- How to repair after you lose your patience"A dysregulated adult cannot regulate a child." Korina MaestasThis episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or your child need support right now, call or text 988.Learn more: https://www.endurantmovement.orgNo one should have to disappear to belong.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Text HOME to 741741Angles on Autism is a conversation series from the Endurant Movement, a San Diego nonprofit for autistic and neurodivergent youth and their families. For education and awareness, not medical advice.