What is neurodiversity — and why should teachers care? In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Warner — a certified meditation teacher, 16-year classroom veteran, and AuDHD educator — breaks down the neurodiversity movement in plain language for teachers.

You'll learn what neurodiversity actually means (and what it doesn't), where the movement came from, its core principles, and what it asks of educators. Amanda also tackles common misconceptions, like the idea that neurodiversity denies disability or excuses behavior, and shares how understanding her own autism and ADHD diagnosis transformed the way she sees teaching, students, and herself.

This episode covers: what neurodiversity means vs. neurodivergent vs. neurotypical, the history of the neurodiversity movement and Judy Singer, the medical model vs. the social model of disability, presuming competence in neurodivergent students, "nothing about us without us" in education, why support doesn't equal cure, shifting from compliance to accommodation in the classroom, and how ableist expectations in schools can disable students.

Whether you're a general education teacher, a special education teacher, or a parent navigating IEPs, this episode will help you understand the neurodiversity movement and apply it in your classroom.

Resources for teaching neurodiversity to your students are linked below.

00:00 Welcome and Overview
02:17 Host Perspective
02:57 Defining Neurodiversity
03:27 Neurodivergent vs Neurotypical
05:08 Not a Diagnosis
05:24 Origins and Paradigm Shift
07:43 Core Principles
08:36 Disability and Environment
11:49 Presume Competence
13:18 Nothing About Us
14:31 Support Not Cure
15:07 Teacher Mindset Shift
16:26 Common Misconceptions
17:58 Personal Neurochemistry Story
21:29 Wrap Up and Resources

Editable Slides to Teach about Autism + Bonus Slideshows!

8 Outstanding Videos to Spark Discussion About Neurodiversity in Your Classroom

Amanda's Favorite Neurodiversity Affirming Podcasts: 

The Neurodiversity Podcast 

Full-Tilt Parenting

Divergent Conversations 

Uniquely Human 

Meet My Autistic Brain

Hyperfocus 

My Friend Autism

Adhd Experts

On the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner shares that she pursued an autism diagnosis at 43 after years of researching autism following her child’s 2021 diagnosis. During this time she was also diagnosed with ADHD, identifying as AuDHD. She describes feeling overwhelmed trying to organize her ideas into traditional formats and turns to poetry as a way to express the “messy” chaos of her mind. Amanda discusses stigma and misconceptions about ADHD and autism, including a “bandwagon effect” narrative, and argues that more diagnoses reflect increased information while autism may still be overlooked, especially when ADHD is diagnosed. She emphasizes the importance of teachers understanding neurodivergence and encourages exploring this co-occurance further. She then reads a poem listing AuDHD paradoxes and concludes that learning about neurodiversity has improved her self-acceptance.

00:00 Late Autism Diagnosis
01:04 Overwhelm and Chaos
02:37 Why Poetry Helps
03:50 Teachers and Undiagnosed Kids
04:59 Stigma and Bandwagon Talk
06:06 ADHD Parent Dismissal Story
08:24 Why She Wrote This
10:09 Poem Paradoxical AuDHD Poem
13:22 Closing Reflections

Host Amanda Werner discusses how schools often misinterpret student “defiance” as willful disobedience when it may reflect nervous system distress, trauma responses, autism, or ADHD. She shares her experience as a former teacher and as an autistic parent of an autistic/ADHD child, describing how her child’s early “defiance” led to an autism diagnosis and how she previously blamed students and parents. Amanda reviews behaviors commonly labeled defiant (not following directions, talking back, unfinished work, leaving class, sneaking items) and explains how multi-step instructions can overwhelm working memory and sensory processing. She recounts supporting a student with severe outbursts by providing an isolated space and flexibility. She urges a mindset shift from “they won’t” to “they can’t right now,” using curiosity, questions, reduced demands, alternatives, and breaks to prevent escalation.

00:00 Welcome and Topic
01:04 Autism and Defiance
02:26 Teacher Misreads
03:38 Not Defiant Drowning
05:05 What Defiance Looks
06:10 Shoes and Support
09:08 Compliance and Meltdowns
09:52 Overload and Steps
11:38 Talking Back Reframed
14:07 Mindset Shift Cant
15:27 Curiosity Over Consequences
17:39 Wrap Up and Thanks

Host Amanda Werner shares why she is discussing her family’s diagnostic journey, describing years of feeling overwhelmed and not understanding why daily life felt so hard for her and her child. She explains pursuing evaluations through medical providers and insurance, how her child was diagnosed with ADHD and later autism, and how that helped their family understand needs, strengths, and challenges at school and home. Amanda then describes recognizing similar traits in herself, getting an ADHD diagnosis and finding stimulant medication helpful, and later completing an adult autism assessment that also identified OCD and alexithymia. She reflects on masking, skepticism and imposter syndrome, overlap among diagnoses, and her goal of helping teachers, parents, and students by sharing what she has learned.

00:00 Why Share This Story
03:54 Life Before Diagnosis
06:27 Journal Entry Meltdown
10:18 Starting Child Assessments
11:38 Kaiser Screening And Switch
16:21 Full Autism Evaluation Results
20:29 Lockdown Distance Learning Clues
24:17 Amanda Suspects ADHD
26:52 Medication Struggles And Stimulants
30:50 Adult Autism Assessment
36:59 Imposter Syndrome And Overlap
42:14 Closing Thoughts And Purpose

Amanda Werner hosts an off-the-cuff episode of the Empower Students Now podcast about what led her to suspect she was autistic and eventually seek a formal adult autism diagnosis. She explains that her suspicion began after her child was diagnosed with autism in 2021 (and ADHD), which led her to research autism’s genetic links and to reflect on stigma, labels, and the value of openly discussing autistic experiences to combat myths. A second reason was that her ADHD diagnosis didn’t fully explain her traits, especially her extreme need for order and discomfort with clutter and imperfection. She also discusses learning about the DSM-5’s shift away from Asperger’s as a separate label, how autism can be missed in people without intellectual disability, and how family learning differences (including her sister’s school-identified learning disability and self-identified dyslexia) contributed to her understanding. Amanda connects autism to her childhood experiences of rebellion, conflict at home, running away, social struggles, intense one-at-a-time friendships, frequent moving due to a Navy family, and severe bullying that caused her to leave a school in eighth grade. She describes insights from books including Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant, Unmasking Autism by Devin Price, and Girls and Women on the Autism Spectrum by Sarah Hendrickx, focusing on how autism in girls and women can present differently, including socially accepted special interests (people/animals), masking to fit in, sensory sensitivities (light, clothing, skin discomfort), modesty and discomfort with feminine clothing, tomboy/androgynous feelings, and gender uncertainty. She closes with classroom relevance: teachers may notice similar traits in students but should not diagnose; instead, they can use supportive practices that benefit all students, such as patience and empathy, active anti-bullying vigilance, connecting students to school resources (counselors, clubs), allowing headphones, offering choices and alternative options, shortening or excusing some assignments, and providing flexible seating and movement options.

00:00 Welcome + Why This Episode Is “Messy” (Adult Autism/ADHD Journey)
00:57 What Made Me Suspect Autism: Starting Point + Why Teachers Should Care
02:38 Reason #1: My Child’s Autism Diagnosis & Learning It’s Genetic
05:51 Reason #2: ADHD Didn’t Fully Explain Me 
10:02 Reason #3: DSM-5, Asperger’s History, and Late-Diagnosed Adults
14:26 Reason #4: Childhood Red Flags—Rebellion, Social Struggles, and Puberty
17:40 Reason #5: Girls/Women on the Spectrum—Masking, “Special Interests,” and Fitting In
20:49 Sensory Sensitivities + Gender/Androgyny & Bullying Experiences
26:20 Back to the Classroom: You Can’t Diagnose, But You Can Support
28:53 Practical Accommodations Teachers Can Use (Even Without a Diagnosis)
30:58 Wrap-Up, Resources, and Goodbye

Access Editable Essential Skills Slideshows Here

Amanda continues her Empower Students Now series with short classroom slideshow lessons available via email sign-up here by focusing on emotional regulation. She defines it as noticing emotions and body sensations, understanding triggers, using strategies to reduce intensity, and choosing responses rather than reacting—emphasizing it is not suppressing feelings or forced positivity. She explains why it matters for today’s overwhelmed students and developing brains, notes alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions) and how ADHD/autism can make regulation harder, and urges teachers to view meltdowns as nervous-system overwhelm, not tantrums or kids choosing to be difficult. She shares practical tools (STOP, feeling wheel, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, energy check-ins, thought records) and guidance for teaching proactively through emotionally safe classrooms, modeling, individualized supports, and de-escalation. She also covers co-regulation, introduces emotional labor, and cautions that “regulation” shouldn’t mean students—especially girls and students of color—must stay pleasant or manage others’ comfort.

00:00 Welcome + Grab the Free Classroom Slides for This Skills Series
02:28 What Emotional Regulation Really Means (and What It’s Not)
07:21 Why Kids Struggle: Overwhelm, Brain Development, and Today’s World
08:49 Step 1–4: Awareness, Triggers, Coping Strategies, and Self-Compassion
14:50 Neurodivergent Learners: ADHD/Autism, Meltdowns, and Misread Behavior
19:34 Practical Tools to Teach: STOP, Feeling Wheel, Grounding, Thought Records
22:46 Make It Work in Class: Emotion-Safe Culture, Modeling, and De-escalation
28:33 Co-Regulation: How Calm Adults Help Dysregulated Students
31:31 Emotional Labor: The Hidden Cost of “Always Being Pleasant”
34:38 Reflection Questions + Final Takeaways and How to Support the Show

Access Essential Skills Slides Here

In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda dives into the critical skill of conflict resolution. Amanda shares personal experiences and highlights the lack of formal education on resolving conflicts. Offering a range of practical steps and strategies, she categorizes conflicts into task, values, and relationship types and provides a seven-step guide for healthy conflict resolution. Additionally, she discusses power dynamics and the importance of setting boundaries when conflicts can't be resolved. Accompanied by a free student-facing slideshow, this episode is a valuable resource for teachers looking to equip students with essential life skills.

00:00 Introduction to Conflict Resolution
05:33 Types of Conflicts
10:00 Common Reactions to Conflict
12:02 Steps for Healthy Conflict Resolution
24:32 Power Dynamics in Conflict
29:08 Setting Boundaries and Conclusion

Content Warning: This episode discusses emotionally charged topics that may be difficult for some listeners. Please take care of yourself and listen when and if you feel ready.

In this raw and honest episode, I'm sharing something I wrote back in September 2025—a four-page document I never published, explaining why I left teaching. Again.

I've left the profession three times. Gone back, left, gone back, left. And this time, I'm not going back.

This episode is different from my usual content. There's no structured lesson plan, no tips or strategies. Instead, I'm speaking directly to teachers who are struggling right now—especially neurodivergent teachers, BIPOC teachers, and LGBTQI+ teachers navigating an increasingly hostile political climate.

I read the letter I wrote to myself and to you, talking about:

• What the last few years of teaching have felt like
• Why masking my frustrations became impossible
• The disconnect between what teachers need and what the system demands
• How the current political environment is making teaching unsustainable
• Why prioritizing your own wellbeing might be the only reasonable answer right now

I was a good teacher. I loved my students. And I still had to leave.

If you're teaching right now and feeling trapped, exhausted, or questioning everything—this episode is for you. You're not alone.

Take care of yourself.

Subscribe to Empower Students Now for conversations about equity, neurodiversity, mindfulness, and student engagement.

In this urgent and heartfelt episode, recorded on Sunday, January 25th, Amanda Werner offers raw and real advice for teachers dealing with a recent tragedy involving the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents. Acknowledging the emotional burden and chaos, Amanda provides practical guidance and reassurance to teachers on how to care for themselves and their students in the aftermath. She discusses the importance of self-care, setting boundaries, and maintaining a safe and stable classroom environment. This episode aims to support teachers in making the best decisions for their students and themselves during such challenging times.

00:00 Introduction and Urgency
00:35 Processing the Tragedy
03:11 Self-Care on Difficult Days
05:07 Navigating the Classroom Post-Tragedy
09:10 Balancing Personal and Professional Responses
12:32 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Access Essential Skills Slides Here

In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner dives into the essential skill of collaborative problem solving. This episode is part of a broader series focusing on the critical skills needed for students' futures. Amanda provides practical strategies for teaching collaborative problem solving in the classroom and emphasizes the importance of teaching these skills explicitly. She discusses the differences between group work and true collaboration, shares classroom scenarios and personal experiences, and offers a step-by-step process to help students effectively work together. Listeners are encouraged to access student-facing slideshows via the Essential Skills Slideshows link in the show notes for ready-to-use classroom materials.

00:00 Introduction to Collaborative Problem Solving
02:08 Understanding Collaborative Problem Solving
03:19 Common Classroom Scenarios
04:08 Teaching Collaborative Skills Explicitly
07:29 Key Points for Effective Collaboration
11:19 Classroom Project Example
16:04 Steps for Collaborative Problem Solving
19:02 Addressing Group Work Challenges
28:27 Final Thoughts and Reflection

In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner discusses the importance and challenges of teaching active listening to students. She provides an overview of essential skills like self-advocacy, ethical reasoning, and critical thinking, emphasizing that active listening might be the hardest but most critical of all. Amanda dives into the components of active listening, offering strategies for educators to model and teach these skills in the classroom. She also addresses common challenges, such as students' reluctance to listen or speak, and provides practical activities and solutions. This episode aims to equip teachers with tools to foster a culture of genuine listening, which is foundational for empathy, learning, relationships, and democracy.

00:00 Introduction and Series Overview
01:15 The Importance of Active Listening
05:05 Teaching Active Listening to Students
07:16 Components of Active Listening
27:08 Challenges and Solutions in Active Listening
36:03 Conclusion and Next Steps

Essential Skills Slideshows