{"podcast":{"title":"Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson","slug":"hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869","podcast_index_feed_id":7037869,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/rovQkSeI","website_url":"https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/hyperfocus","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/833a165d-5e3f-4f74-a9ab-ae449f2d94a4/782cc626-8eb8-4f1a-b33e-4d275a7fde55/3000x3000/hyperfocusapplelogo.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Understood.org","episode_count":55,"summary":"Hyperfocus is a show that zeroes in on what fascinates us about ADHD, mental health, and learning. Big questions like, “Does ADHD make you more likely to have postpartum depression?” Little nitpicks (TikTok was wrong about something?!), and personal conversations with everyone from old bosses and hilarious comedians, to leading researchers. Because on this show, hyperfocus isn’t the distraction — it’s the assignment.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-10T12:23:44.916692+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869"},"episode":{"title":"The uncertain future of special education in the United States","slug":"the-uncertain-future-of-special-education-in-the-united-states","published_at":"2025-11-06T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869/the-uncertain-future-of-special-education-in-the-united-states","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/hyperfocus/federal-special-education-layoffs","audio_url":"https://mgln.ai/e/1245/afp-935247-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/413aead8-30e8-4194-b1de-a79e272c9a2b/episodes/1bc9ddbb-617f-4a3c-a4c3-c8d473ddd844/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=413aead8-30e8-4194-b1de-a79e272c9a2b&awEpisodeId=1bc9ddbb-617f-4a3c-a4c3-c8d473ddd844&feed=rovQkSeI","summary":"Last month, the Trump administration laid off over 460 people in the U.S. Department of Education. It included nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which enforces federal special education laws. A federal judge has temporarily halted the layoffs, but it’s unclear what will happen next. For people who work in or rely on special education services — including 7.5 million kids — the chaos and worry have already begun. So on this week’s Hyperfocus, we wanted to talk to smart people who could give us some perspective on what’s happening. What could it mean for families and for schools? And what does it say about how the administration views neurodivergent people in general? Our guests are Meghan Whittaker, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Education, and Julian Saavedra, an assistant principal.","meta_description":"Last month, the Trump administration laid off over 460 people in the U.S. Department of Education. It included nearly everyone in the Office of Special Ed…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2235,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869/episodes/the-uncertain-future-of-special-education-in-the-united-states/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hyperfocus-with-rae-jacobson-7037869/the-uncertain-future-of-special-education-in-the-united-states.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}