- 28 minutes 15 secondsSLP 354: Social Meltdowns Explained: Why "What Happened?" Is the Wrong Question (AS, ADHD, ODD, PDA, etc)
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✅ Social Meltdowns: Social overwhelm triggers meltdowns, not just sensory. ✅ Skill Not Will: Children want friends but lack the skills. ✅ Perspective Taking: Explain why a friend didn't pass the ball. ✅ Warning Signs: Yelling, dobbing, crying, shutting down signal overload. ✅ In The Moment: Remove bystanders, distract, don't interrogate about incidents. ✅ Classroom Accommodations: Give thinking time before collaborating or choosing partners. ✅ Connection First: Teach social knowledge proactively in five-minute activities.
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✅ Masking: Girls mimic peers, appearing fine while exhausted inside. ✅ After-School Meltdowns: Held-in stress erupts at home, not school. ✅ Perfectionism: Small mistakes trigger distress; girls avoid asking help. ✅ Playground Fatigue: Breaks drain autistic girls rather than energise them. ✅ Diagnosis Timing: Earlier understanding eases the transition into high school. ✅ Teacher Signs: Watch anxiety, possessive friendships, and end-of-day unravelling. ✅ Special Interests: Share her passion to build calm and confidence.
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✅ Behavior: Reflects unmet needs, not choice. ✅ Mistakes: Fear of errors triggers refusals, meltdowns. ✅ Support: Change structure, not the child. ✅ Being First: Often signals safety, not defiance. ✅ Rewards: Praise completion, not finishing first. ✅ Peer Play: Neurotypical kids can include neurodivergent peers. ✅ Reframe: Ask what support is missing.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/behaviour-strategies-for-neurodiverse-students
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✅ Individual Needs: Every child needs different calming tools. ✅ Teach Usage: Model and practice breaks when calm. ✅ Energy Breaks: Some kids need high-energy activities instead. ✅ Sensory Tools: Weighted blankets, fidgets, and body socks help. ✅ Space Setup: Avoid overload; keep areas simple, tailored. ✅ Non-Verbal Requests: Use tokens or cards to avoid talking. ✅ Returning Routine: Teach timed check-ins to exit calmly.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/sensory-tools-emotional-regulation
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✅ PDA Definition: Drive for autonomy, not pathological demand avoidance. ✅ Demand Types: Internal and external demands create cumulative pressure. ✅ Boiling Kettle: Anxiety builds quietly, small triggers cause big crises. ✅ Crisis Recovery: Children need time and space after overwhelm. ✅ School Environment: Flexible schools with strong relationships make huge difference. ✅ Safe Relationships: Authentic connections reduce anxiety and increase coping. ✅ Perfectionism: Self-sabotage maintains autonomy when fear of failure exists.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/pathological-demand-avoidance-in-the-classroom
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✅ Handwriting: Complex skill involving pencil grip and eye tracking simultaneously. ✅ Dysgraphia: Child knows what to write but cannot execute. ✅ Fine Motor: Spinning tops and squeeze balls strengthen children's grip. ✅ Accommodations: Pencil grips, shorter pencils, and color choice support students. ✅ Short Breaks: Alternate five minutes writing with gross motor activity. ✅ Visual Supports: Use topic sentences and mind mapping for structure. ✅ Whole Body: Posture, core strength, and eye tracking matter profoundly.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/handwriting-strategies-neurodiverse-learners
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✅ OCD vs Autism: autism celebrates identity, OCD only causes distress. ✅ Real Event OCD: invents false narratives around dim memories. ✅ The OCD Cycle: obsession, anxiety, compulsion, relief, then repeat. ✅ Breaking Compulsions: not doing them weakens the entire cycle. ✅ Compulsions vs Rituals: compulsions fear-based, rituals come from joy. ✅ Repetition Source: joy means encourage, fear means co-regulate. ✅ Living Around OCD: continue normal life despite intrusive thoughts.
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✅ Core Understanding: Perfectionism in neurodivergent kids stems from anxiety, not standards. ✅ ADHD Perfectionism: Won't start, gives up quickly, fears failure intensely. ✅ ODD Perfectionism: Refusal and arguing mask deep vulnerability and control needs. ✅ PDA Perfectionism: Loss of control drives anxiety-driven demand avoidance. ✅ Autism Perfectionism: Rigidity and repetition needed for predictability and rightness. ✅ OCD Perfectionism: Checking behaviors prevent feared catastrophes from happening. ✅ Key Strategy: Tailor support by understanding each diagnosis's underlying drivers.
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✅ Emotional Regulation: Teach children to recognize and manage their emotions daily. ✅ Device Dependency: Screens prevent kids from learning to regulate emotions naturally. ✅ Developmental Gap: Kids with autism/ADHD are three years behind developmentally. ✅ Replace Behavior: Behavior serves a purpose; you can only replace it. ✅ Meltdown Stages: Understand buildup, survival, and meltdown/shutdown phases to intervene. ✅ Executive Function: Emotional control is a muscle requiring consistent practice. ✅ Whole-Class Approach: Teach emotional regulation to all children, not just struggling ones.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/teaching-emotional-regulation-children
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In this episode, we will discuss:
✅ Medication Discovery: Different medications affect each child uniquely and require trial. ✅ Documentation Practice: Keep diary or voice memos tracking behavior and dosage changes. ✅ Team Approach: Collaborate with parents, teachers, and doctors for best outcomes. ✅ School Impact: Right medication enables children to concentrate and access therapies. ✅ Parental Alignment: Partners may need education to understand medication benefits clearly. ✅ Child's Voice: Listen to child's experiences and observations about medication effects. ✅ Transition Monitoring: Growth, hormones, and school changes require ongoing medication adjustment.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/neurodiverse-and-medication-strategies
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Join my Neurodiversity Network Follow my Instagram account for regular tips To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below.25 May 2026, 3:04 am - 26 minutes 45 secondsSLP 344: Supporting Neurodiverse Children in the Early Years - Mini-training and Ebook
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In this episode, we will discuss:
✅ Staff Training: Workshops help preschools engage neurodiverse children effectively. ✅ Teaching Methods: Direct, engineered, and incidental strategies adapt learning. ✅ Backward Chaining: Children succeed by completing only the final step. ✅ Visuals & Communication: Picture exchange supports nonverbal and limited-speech children. ✅ Now-Next-Later: Visual schedules clarify activities and reduce child anxiety. ✅ Self-Regulation: Preventative breaks, sensory tools, and calm moments help. ✅ Toilet Training: Use routine timing, not waiting for readiness.
Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link belowsuelarkey.com.au/early-childhood-classroom-strategies
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Join my Neurodiversity Network Follow my Instagram account for regular tips To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below.18 May 2026, 1:54 am - More Episodes? Get the App