Avsnitt
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I first spoke with Dana Johnson nearly 4 years ago, and that conversation completely changed how I saw vision and learning. I call it my "ocular motor awakening"—when I truly understood that vision has three components, and only one of them is corrected by glasses.
Dana is the co-creator of the Spellers Method and the founder of multiple centers dedicated to helping non-speaking individuals communicate and learn with purpose. As both an occupational therapist (OT) and a Spellers Method practitioner, she brings a unique approach to supporting individuals with autism, apraxia, dyspraxia, and sensory-motor differences.
In this episode, we talk about the power of purposeful motor skills, breaking down barriers for non-speakers, and what real communication means.
Key Takeaways:Vision isn’t just about eyesight—it’s about how the brain processes what we see.
Apraxia is a motor planning challenge, not a cognitive one.
Communication is possible when we focus on purposeful motor skills.
What does right support look like?
Get in Touch:👉 Learn more about Dana Johnson’s work at Spellers Method Tampa👉 Connect with Dr. Vaish Sarathy on Instagram: @drvaishsarathy
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Is there an expiry date to Autism / Down Syndrome Support Groups?
Join self-proclaimed Tiger Moms Searmi Park and Vaish Sarathy as they discuss:a) Why Searmi has never joined a support group, and
b) Why Vaish repeatedly leaves every group she joins.
Key Takeaways:
Support groups can be both helpful and limiting. Venting is necessary, but it shouldn't cement negativity. Creating a new kind of support group could be beneficial.Join Searmi and Vaish in their A-Ha moments in the Tiger Moms series!
Searmi Park is the founder of the Austism Mustang Alliance and the Concermaster at the Eugene Symphony.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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I learned about the fascinating link between brain function and glucose from Dr. David Stephens, founder of Humanity Restored. With expertise in neuropsychology, neuroscience, and mental health, Dr. Stephens sheds light on how trauma impacts cognition and how glucose therapy might aid recovery.
Key Takeaways:Trauma significantly affects learning and cognitive function.
Glucose is a crucial brain fuel and may support healing.
Dietary interventions can influence neurodevelopmental health.
Consulting a healthcare provider is essential before considering new interventions.
Get in Touch:👉 Learn more about Dr. David Stephens' work at https://restoredhumanity.com/s/about.php
👉 Connect with Dr. Vaish Sarathy on Instagram: @dr.vaishsarthy
Disclaimer - I do have a caveat for this episode - and that is this : Dr. Stephens does talk about some specific interventions - glucose therapy is this case. Please take care and make sure you consult with your child’s primary doctor if you decide to follow through on this. The views expressed in this episode are just for education and not for treatment.
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Searmi Park [Concertmaster at the Eugene Symphony] and I [Vaish Sarathy] are both mothers to non-speaking Autistic young men.
This is the the very first of many casual conversations on All Topics Disability [unfiltered].
Searmi and I talk about the TOP 3 Interventions that worked for our kids - and it turns out we have a similar list!
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I learned about the revolutionary concept of what I call now “unconditional teaching” from Glen Doman’s book “Teach your baby to Read”. And today I am with his grandson - Spencer Doman, the current director of Doman International.
We discuss neuroplasticity, the role of challenge and newness in learning and immense necessity of presuming competence in children with disabilities.
Key Takeaways:
Physical exercise, diet, challenge, newness, and love drive neuroplasticity. Teaching children in short, fast sessions enhances learning. Critiques of the Doman Method The importance of Family involvementGet in Touch:
👉 Learn more about Doman International and Spencer’s work at www.domaninternational.org👉 Connect with Dr. Vaish Sarathy on Instagram for more updates, tips, and podcast highlights: www.instagram.com/drvaishsarathy
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A change in perspective is crucial for effective learning. What if 2025 is finally the year where we shift our perspective toward our students, our kids, our learners? I introduce my brand-new 3-step framework for addressing learning challenges in neurodivergent students in this episode. Once you have a different way of looking at things you can apply it to Math, Picky Eating, Behaviors and EVERYTHING! Let's change the way our learners are educated, treated and valued.
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Guest: Dr. Mary Bove, Herbal Medicine Expert
Host: Vaish Sarathy, Math and Science Teacher, Learning StrategistThis December, as I immerse myself in the Art of Living Ashram in Boone, North Carolina, training to become a breathing and meditation teacher, I’m bringing you one of our most-loved episodes to revisit!
In this encore, we explore how natural, plant-sourced herbal alternatives can support chronic challenges like attention issues, digestion, and immune health for both kids and adults.
Dr. Bove breaks down the practical applications of herbal medicine, what makes it effective, and common mistakes in its use. She also shares her favorite herbs for children under five, including:
Fennel Seed
Chamomile Flowers
Lemon Balm
Tune in to discover how to integrate these herbs into teas, extracts, baths, and more to support your child’s health naturally.
Key Takeaways:Herbal medicine can provide safe, natural alternatives for managing chronic issues.
Herbs like fennel seed and chamomile flowers are gentle yet effective for young children.
Herbal remedies can be used in various forms, including teas, glycerin extracts, or even baths.
Get in Touch: Email Dr. Mary Bove: [email protected] Get your Free Gut Health Kit: www.functionalnutritionforkids.com/guthealthEnjoy this episode as you settle into the season. Share your thoughts with me on Instagram @drvishasarathy, and let’s connect!
🌏 Whether you’re enjoying winter or summer, I’ll see you next week with more ways to support your child’s learning journey. Until then, take care!
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Kathy Shean-Jones, movement specialist, specializes in helping children with neurological and physical challenges unlock their potential through the brain’s incredible ability to form new neural pathways.
We dive deep into how movement can transform the way children learn and interact with the world around them.
Kathy shares her insights on how movement isn’t just physical—it's an essential component of learning, especially for neurodivergent learners. By creating brain-friendly environments and using movement-based strategies, she helps children overcome challenges and find their unique path to growth.
Key Takeaways:
The connection between movement and learning for neurodivergent children.
How to incorporate movement into everyday learning strategies to support physical and emotional regulation.
The power of radical acceptance in facilitating a child’s growth and learning.
Get in Touch:
👉 Find Kathy Sheen-Jones and her work at Move Abilities LLC: www.moveabilities.com 👉 👉Connect with Dr. Vaish Sarathy on Instagram for more updates, tips, and podcast highlights: @drvishsarathy
👉For more resources on neurodivergent learning and education strategies, visit the website. -
In this episode of Nonlinear Learning, I talk to Dr. Brent Hogarth, who shares his extraordinary journey from a tumultuous youth to discovering emotional regulation and self-awareness through his time living in a Buddhist monastery. Dr. Brent delves deep into the concept of the flow state—a state of consciousness where we are fully immersed, intrinsically motivated, and performing at our best.
We explore how flow is not just about peak performance but also about living in harmony, both for our children and ourselves as parents. Dr. Brent explains the neuroscience behind flow, the challenges of achieving it in today’s distraction-filled world, and the transformative role of autonomy, competence, and connection.
This conversation highlights how being in flow helps neurodivergent children thrive, empowers parents to step into radical acceptance, and fosters collaborative growth for the whole family.
Key Takeaways:
What the flow state is and how it enhances learning and living.
The neuroscience of flow: What happens in the brain and body.
The importance of autonomy, competence, and connection in achieving flow.
Common obstacles to flow, like distractions and self-consciousness, and how to overcome them.
The four-stage cycle of flow and why struggle is a necessary part of the process.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or learner, I am hoping this episode will inspire you to create conditions for flow in your own life and in the lives of those you support.
Get in Touch:
👉Find Dr. Brent Hogarth’s work here.👉 Explore resources on mindfulness and emotional regulation: https://functionalnutritionforkids.com
👉 Stay connected: Follow us on Instagram for more tips and stories -
Let's talk about the complexities of finding happiness as parents of children with disabilities. - Find roadmaps or embrace the present? - When are Roadmaps important? - What are the 6 important check points before delving into Radical Acceptance?
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In this episode, I talk to Dawnmarie Gaivin, a powerhouse in the world of spelled communication, about her journey raising two remarkable sons with autism and their path to becoming skilled communicators. Dawnmarie, or DM as many know her, opens up about her journey in parenting—and ultimately advocating for—her sons.
DM talks about presuming competence, we dive into her work with Spellers, and she reflects on the importance of recalibrating ourselves in the face of setbacks, trusting your instincts, and keeping the bigger vision in mind. She reminds us that no matter how challenging the journey may feel, staying grounded can make all the difference.Spelled Communication, she tells us, is much more than a method; it’s a path to connection for individuals who’ve faced incredible communication barriers. We talk about how co-regulation, staying attuned to our kids’ sensory needs, and creating an environment of trust can help unlock their potential.
Key Takeaways:
How to recalibrate your expectations as a parent
What mindfulness and being present brings us
The critical importance of patience in letterboarding techniques.
What it means to presume competence
Get In Touch:
👉Learn more about the Speller Center: https://spellers.com/
👉Watch the Spellers Documentary: www.spellersthemovie.com
👉Explore more ways for your child to thrive: https://functionalnutritionforkids.com/nonlinearlearning/
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Guest: Elizabeth Vosseller, Founder of Growing Kids Therapy Center and I-ASC
Host: Vaish Sarathy, Math and Science Teacher, Learning Strategist
This episode challenges the assumption that low cognitive skills in children with disabilities are due to a lack of intelligence. Instead, the conversation focuses on how motor skill limitations can significantly impact a child's ability to communicate and learn.
Elizabeth Vosseller is a speech therapist and founder of S2C (Spelling to Communicate). She talks to me this week about how Motor Issues Autism can seem like cognitive disorders.For more details visit here.
“What we observe often is the body. We can’t really observe intelligence directly.” Tune in to listen to how powerful using motor-skills appropriately can be.
Key Takeaways:
Traditional assessments of intelligence often rely on motor skills, which can be misleading for children with motor difficulties.
Speech itself is a fine motor skill, and difficulties with speech production can be a sign of underlying motor challenges.
Sensory processing issues can further complicate motor skills and communication.
Many children with disabilities, including Down syndrome and autism, experience difficulties with motor skills.
The "least dangerous assumption" is to believe a child may be capable of more than they can currently demonstrate.
Get In Touch:
👉Learn more about S2C at Growing Kids Therapy Center: https://growingkidstherapy.com/
👉Visit the I-ASC website: https://i-asc.org/advocacy-campaign/raise-expectations/
👉Explore a different way for your kid to learn:
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In this episode of Nonlinear Learning, I address a listener's concern about their child's reluctance to learn. We explores the concept of readiness to learn, learning that behaviors often misinterpreted as defiance may stem from a) communication differences, b) sensory overload, or c) a lack of emotional safety. Tune in to learn about what a low-demand teaching environment may look like! For a short time, I am offering a FREE Training on Building Focus regardless of so-called "readiness to learn". You can register for the Building Focus Training here Key Ideas: Learning readiness can be misunderstood by parents and educators. Tantrums may indicate a lack of emotional safety. Eye contact is not a necessary indicator of learning. Walking away can be a child's way of coping.
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At least 5% of autistic adults may have Aphantasia - image free thinking. This number may be higher for non-speaking kids, especially with ocular apraxia. Is this a learning disability? TJ, the creator of the popular social media account - nigh.functioning.autism, discusses their experience with visualization and image-free thinking. Here are some key takeaways: Visualization and image-free thinking can vary among individuals, with some processing thoughts in text rather than mental images.
Presuming competence and adapting teaching methods to individual students is crucial for effective learning. Multimodal learning, incorporating movement, touch, visuals, and music, can enhance learning and memory.Follow TJ / Tiffany on social media for updates and more resources: nigh.functioning.autism
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Let's explore the critical balance between life skills, independent living, and education for children with disabilities. The importance of academic learning in building logical and critical thinking, as well as emotional regulation is often ignored or trivialized in the lives of children with a disability. If your school team is focusing on life skills at the expense of education, If you find yourself asking what about independece, what about college,
this is the right discussion for you! -
In this episode, we address a crucial and often daunting question for parents of children with disabilities:
How will my child be supported when I am no longer around?
Many of us, as parents, carry the weight of this question, wondering about our children’s future in our absence. Today, my guest Sangeetha Chakrapani offers a powerful and hopeful answer.
Sangeetha is the founder trustee of Together Foundation in Mumbai and co-founder of the Together Community, a residential project for adults with disabilities located in Hosur, Greater Bengaluru. She is also a mother to two autistic adults and two neurotypical adults. With vast experience managing teaching programs, vocational training, and life skills development, Sangeetha brings a wealth of knowledge on how to create thriving, supportive environments for neurodivergent individuals. She is also the author of Autie Tales: Interactive Stories for People with Autism and has earned certifications in integrated education, counseling, and young adults' programs.
Tune in to hear more about:
- Building sustainable, supportive living communities for adults with disabilities.
- The vision behind the Together Community and how it addresses the needs of both individuals with disabilities and their families.
If you are exploring future care options for your child with disabilities or considering community-based living models, this episode will provide you with insights, hope, and a path forward.
Key Takeaways
- Focusing on building a community that ensures care and growth for your child after you are no longer there.
- How vocational training and life skills programs create independence and fulfillment for neurodivergent adults.
- The importance of parental vision and community collaboration in shaping the future for individuals with disabilities.
You can reach out to Sangeetha at [email protected]You can find the Together Foundation at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/
And the Together Community at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/group-home/
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If you have struggled with making a neurotypical math curriculum work for your child with disabilities, whether Down Syndrome or Autism or other disabilities that impact their sensory-motor profile,
If you have a child who communicates via AAC, or is an unreliable speaker, or a Speller - perhaps they use RPM or S2C,
you may find that either "regular" Math is not available to your child, or not accessible.
In this episode, Lisa Mihalich Quinn and I have a hard but necessary conversation on the gaps in special ed, and what needs to happen to make academics accessible for ALL STUDENTS!
Lisa has been doing this for years, and is one of the leaders in accessible academics for students with disabilities. She is also a huge advocate for non-speakers who spell / type to communicate.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Presuming competence in non-speaking and minimally speaking autistic students
- The role of assistive technology in promoting communication and learning
- Creating inclusive classrooms through collaboration between parents, educators, and students
- Communication for Education training and its impact on global educators
Connect with Lisa:
You can learn more about Lisa Mihalich Quinn’s work and the Communication for Education program at https://reacheveryvoice.comYou can find Lisa's Accessible Academics program HERE.
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In the 50th episode of Functional Nutrition and Learning for Kids, one of my favorite thought leaders, Soma Mukhopadhyay, talks to us about:
-how learning channels determine teaching
-the 4 goals of RPM - not just information download - but cognition, sensory, tolerance and communication goals.
-the importance of a sensory map when working with a child (as opposed to a label)
If you are interested in helping your child jump start their learning and sensory goals, I highly recommend checking out RPM.Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.
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PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) (now being reframed as Pervasive Demand for Autonomy) is a profile on the Autism Spectrum characterized by a heightened sensitivity of the nervous system that becomes activated when a person experiences a loss of autonomy or equality.
Did you know that 70% of learners with PDA are not able to participate in traditional school settings?
In this episode, we dive into with early childhood mental health consultant and therapist Jessica Hanzo. Jessica sheds light on how PDA differs from typical demand avoidance due to its pervasive impact on the nervous system, making it challenging for individuals to access even their basic needs.
Our conversation explores:
- Why a child’s demand avoidance is NOT a parental failure.
- The external manifestations of PDA and how they can be misinterpreted.
- How to support parents, educators, and caregivers when supporting children with PDA.
- Low Demand Parenting, and how it can help your child
Jessica emphasizes the importance of reframing PDA behaviors as a response to feeling unsafe and highlights the value of understanding the nervous system, cultivating curiosity, and embracing creativity when working with these children.
You can connect with Jessica Hanzo on Instagram @pda.project or find her at https://pdaproject.com/ and explore more of her insights on supporting neurodivergent children through a neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed approach.
Links mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/https://pdaproject.com/
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In this episode of "Non-Linear Learning," Dr. Vaish Sarathy answers a mother’s question about supporting her 10-year-old autistic son with ADHD, who struggles with anger and behaviors at school.
Dr. Vaish dives deep into the roots of dysregulation, discussing how stress—sensory, biochemical, and communication-related—can drive behaviors often mistaken for misbehavior.
Learn about the vital role of understanding and addressing your child’s stressors before turning to nutritional and supplemental interventions.
This episode offers a compassionate, science-backed approach to helping your child thrive.
Takeaways:
Behavior is the body's response to stress, not intentional misbehavior. Understanding the root cause of a child's behavior is crucial for effective support. Addressing sensory overload, gut health, and communication needs can help reduce stress and improve behavior. The role of nutritional supplements in addressing behavior - Visa fler
