In this episode of Now I’ve Heard Everything, host Bill Thompson sits down with author, law professor, and creative writing instructor Katie Rose Pryal to discuss her book, Your Kid Belongs Here: An Insider’s Guide to Parenting Neurodiverse Children (Johns Hopkins University Press). Drawing from her personal journey of growing up with undiagnosed ADHD and autism, as well as her experiences raising two neurodivergent children, Pryal examines the systematic exclusion of neurodivergent youth from public life—and how we can rebuild environments where every child thrives.
Together, they explore the nuance between identity-first and person-first language, why neurodivergence shouldn’t be reduced to a “superpower” or a deficit, and practical guidelines for parenting publicly without compromising a child’s dignity or privacy.
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Chapters:
00:35 Who Is the Book For?
00:55 Personal Experience with Neurodivergence
03:11 Origins of the Book: Essays and Society
04:35 Systematic Exclusion of Neurodivergent Kids
06:12 The Evolution of Neurodiversity in Public Discourse
08:10 Language: Autist vs. Person with Autism
09:42 The Strengths and Struggles of Neurodivergence
11:43 Neurodivergence and Creativity
13:09 Diagnosis Challenges for Adults
15:03 Supporting Strengths and Acknowledging Struggles
16:43 Identity-First vs. Person-First Language
20:00 Parenting Rules and Social Media
22:45 Supporting Neurodivergent Children in Society
24:39 Reflections on Parenting and Society
Guest Information
Katie Rose Pryal
Website
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