In episode 240, Emily Kircher-Morris chats with Brandon Gernux, an elementary school counselor from Santa Ana, California, and the 2024 Orange County Elementary School Counselor of the Year. Emily and Brandon dive into the importance of neurodiversity-affirming support in schools, sharing insights on how schools are slowly evolving to meet the needs of neurodivergent learners. They discuss the critical role school counselors play, particularly in addressing the challenges of camouflaging and masking, which can significantly impact students' social development and personal satisfaction. They talk about the value of self-advocacy, the necessity of including neurodiversity education in the curriculum, and how leveraging the strengths of neurodivergent learners can lead to more authentic and supportive school environments.

Takeaways

• Schools need to adopt a neurodiversity-affirming framework to support neurodivergent learners.

• Camouflaging and masking can have negative impacts on students' social development and mental health.

• Self-advocacy skills are crucial for neurodivergent students to express their needs and receive appropriate support.

• School counselors play a vital role in advocating for neurodivergent students and addressing systemic barriers.

• Leveraging the strengths and interests of neurodivergent learners can enhance their learning experience.

• A neurodiversity-affirming approach in schools is a social justice issue.

You are an educator who’s passionate about creating neurodiversity-affirming learning environments for students. So join us for our free annual fall event we’ve created specifically for you. The event will be held on Monday, September 23, and you can sign up to join Emily and a live panel of experts, who will be discussing ways to best support students of all neurotypes.

Be sure to get your Neurodiversity Podcast swag! It helps the podcast grow, and supports all neurotypes by telling the world that “a little weird is good!”

Brandon I. Gernux (he/they) is an Elementary School Counselor in Santa Ana, CA. Their passion lies in fostering inclusive classroom and school counseling practices to support autistic and ADHD students. Brandon has presented on embracing neurodiversity inclusion to educators and graduate students locally and nationally. Gernux is a leader of the ASCA Elementary School Counselor Affinity Group and serves on the CASC Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee, and was recognized as 2024 Orange County Elementary School Counselor of the Year.

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