Episode
372: The Neurodivergent Learner, Emily King, Ph.D.
- Podcast
- Beautifully Complex
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1839
- Processing state
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Summary
Academic learning is the cherry on top. Everything else has to be in place first before a child can even access the parts of their brain that do the reading, writing, and math — rested, safe, connected, not hungry, not overwhelmed. That's the reframe returning guest Dr. Emily King brought to our conversation this week, and it's one I wish every parent and teacher heard before the school year started. Dr. Emily King is a licensed psychologist and former school psychologist who now spends most of her time working with the parents and teachers around neurodivergent kids. Her new book, “The Neurodivergent Learner,” walks parents and teachers through everything that has to align before academics can even happen. We talk about why the traditional special education model, built on the same diagnose it, treat it, fix it logic as the medical system, doesn't actually fit complex neurodevelopment. Growth happens in waves, not straight lines, and regression doesn't mean something is broken. We dig into pacing, how some kids need things slowed down while gifted, ADHD, or twice exceptional kids need things sped up or they'll disengage. We talk about the emotional side of ADHD, why kids would rather quit than try and fail in front of their peers, and why the fine at school, falling apart at home pattern isn't a parenting problem, it's a capacity problem. We also talk about what it looks like when parents and teachers stop defending their own settings and start getting curious together about why a skill shows up in one place and not another. If you've ever wondered why your kid can do something at school but not at home, or the other way around, this conversation will change how you think about it. Listen now. You can find additional resources at parentingadhdandautism.com and take th…