Context Blindness and What Really Works for Children with Autism: Interview with Peter Vermeulen

Tovah P. Klein, PhD is an adjunct associate professor of psychology at Barnard College and director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. She has written two books and published numerous journal articles. Her first book, How Toddlers Thrive is absolutely one of my favorite books. She helps us decode toddler behavior which can often be quite baffling and confusing.  Her most recent book Raising Resilience could not be more timely. It is about how to do help parent children so that they can deal with uncertainty and adversity. Her knowledge of young children brings fresh insights into what  children of all ages, need from us in order to thrive in a very uncertain world.  https://howtoddlersthrive.com/

Melanie McNally, PsyD has just published Helping Your Unmotivated Teen: A Parent's Guide to Unlock your Child's Potential. She was seeing a lot of parents complain about how their teens appeared lazy and what she found was it was really a problem in motivation. Dr McNally talked with me about how to think about motivation and what goes into it,  She talks about how motivation involves three skillsets: drive, grit and goals and then how to address difficulties with skillset Dr McNally is a licensed clinical psychologist  who is also the author of The Emotionally Intelligent Teen. You can learn about Dr McNally at her website https://www.destinationyou.net/

PDA or Pathological Demand Avoidance, alternatively also called Persistent Demand for Autonomy is a topic that is getting increasing attention in the United States. Ruth Fidler and Diane Gould have just published Navigating PDA in America In this interview, I talk with Diane Gould, LISCW, who founded the PDA North America in 2020, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about this condition. PDA is viewed as a type of autism in which ordinary demands of everyday life are experienced as a threat and consequently fought against. In this interview, Ms Gould explains this complex condition and how parents can respond to it. For more information about PDA https://pdanorthamerica.org/

Anna Housley Juster has just published a delightful book How to Train Your Amydgala, illustrated by Cynthia Cliff. In this interview we talk about her book and how to use it effectively with children. This children's book talks about how befriend the amydgala, our first responder to any threat or danger, and how to talk it down from any false alarm. A book which is both accessible to any child and accurate with regard to the latest neuroscience is going to be an important addition to the books I share with families. A helpful resource for all children but especially for those who struggle with anxiety Anne Housley Juster, PhD, LICSW is a licensed mental health clinician and education consultant. Among the many things Dr Juster has done, she was for many years as the director of content for Sesame Street.

In this interview, I talk with Peter Vermeulen about his hypothesis that context blindness is the primary feature of autism. This is a perspective that I think beautifully explains some of the unusual fears and phobias that autistic individuals and thus significantly enlarges our understanding of autism and anxiety. His most recent book with Kobe Vanroy is What Really Works for Children with Autism written especially for parents and teachers. Dr Vermeulen has written over 15 books on autism and is an internationally recognized expert on this topic.  More information about Dr Vermeulen can be found at https://petervermeulen.be/

If you have had more than one child, it is very hard not to realize how important temperament is when it comes to children. It certainly plays a role in the development of anxiety disorders. In today's episode I talk with Drs Lengua and Gartstein about how we need to take temperament into account in raising our children. It is such an important topic that can such a difference in raising our children and helping  us really see them as the individuals they are.   Liliana J. Lengua, PhD and Maria A. Gartstein, PhD have just published Parenting with Temperament in Mind: Navigating The Challenges and Celebrating Your Child's Strengths Dr Lengua is Martiz Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington, Director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being. She is the author of over 150 published articles on the effects of stress and adversity on children. For more information about Dr Lengua https://ccfwb.uw.edu/team/liliana-lengua/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/contributors/liliana-j-lengua-phd Dr Garstein is Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Washington State University. For more information about Dr Garstein https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/maria-gartstein-phd

Paul DePompo, PsyD, ABPP and Cassandra Moore, LMFT have written Tic'd: a child's guide to defeating tics. Dr DePompo is the founder of the Cogntive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Southern California. Cassandra Moore, LMFT is in private practice specializing in Tourette Disorder, ADHD, mood disorder and and anxiety disorders.  They have written a very practical and helpful book for children dealing with a tic disorder. The authors provide an easy to follow sequence of steps to implement, CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics) the most effective non-medication treatment for Tourette's Syndrome. It is a resource that clinicians, parents and children will find very helpful. Listen to this podcast and you see why I am so positive about this book For more information  https://getticd.com/

Danielle Dick, PhD is the distinguished Commonwealth Professor of Psychology and Human and Molecular Genetics at Virgina Commonwealth University. She is an internationally recognized expert on genetic and environmental  influences on human behavior.  In this interview, we talk about her book The Child Code. In this book, she provides a interesting review on how genes influence behavior, spoiler alert-there isn't a gene for anxiety-it is more complicated. But more importantly from a parenting perspective, she provided a convenient way of thinking about temperament, what she called the 3 E's and quizes to help you figure out where you and your child are on this dimension. Importantly, she notes that we have to adjust our parenting style to match the temperament of your child. The Child Code is an extremely useful book for parents that is grounded in very solid science.   For more informaton about Dr Dick and access to her online resources for you to explore your child's genetic code. https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrhdUqZUoxmfFgfv7dXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1721681818/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.danielledick.com%2fabout/RK=2/RS=x9LSJGmG3cgi7kWLccRRgKZd2M0-

Dr Sherryse Corrow is a professor of psychology at Bethel University in St Paul University, Minnesota. She is talking  with me today about her research into face-blindness or Prosopagnosia. Developmental Prosopagnosia is a condition that has been estimated to effect 1 in 50 with very profound implications for those with this condition. Quite simply, the world is going to be a much more anxious place if you can't identify faces. Dr Corrow explains how this condition shows up in children, how adults can begin to identify it and some of the research into Prosopagnosia. Dr Corrow can be reached at [email protected] https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrEsGa8E3tmCAQA0wtXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1720551613/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bethel.edu%2facademics%2ffaculty%2fsherryse-corrow/RK=2/RS=_KLD0xt2y42lz5iqMfMNY5NlAHI- A link to where she summarizes her research in more scientific terms https://youtu.be/4n8_upaJMxI?si=NHHewNFR6vXDO91S and for a reference mentioned in the podcast https://www.faceblind.org/  

Kiley Hanish, OTD, PMH-C is a neurodivergent occupational therapist specializing in mental health during the perinatal period which includes pregnancy, postpartum and perinatal loss. She has coauthored "Descriptive Study of the Sensory Experiences of Autistic Mothers as Occupational Beings". Recognizing that the majority of autistic individuals experience sensory processing challenges, this study looks at the challenges autistic mothers face in the transition to parenting. Becoming a parent is an intense experience from a sensory standpoint at each point in the journey. In this interview Dr Hanish describes some of the challenges autistic mothers face and the implications for health care. It is a fascinating topic which has not received the attention it deserves.  For more information about Dr Hanish: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrEqxvcx2hmIjoBfepXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1719352541/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.drkileyhanish.com%2f/RK=2/RS=8BPfR.zToOrMxj_B.c1WCsPKSFI- And for her nonprofit about perinatal loss, Return to Zero: HOPE https://rtzhope.org/ https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwriiK1CyGhmHQQAEy9XNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzQEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1719352643/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2frtzhope.org%2f/RK=2/RS=wZ7b.lvdCYyWokpOIkBMOgYl5Ys-