In this episode of the Exceptional Girls podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by Dr. Melinda Edwards. As the mother of an autistic daughter and a practicing physician, Dr. Edwards’ views on autism may surprise you.

Listen in as Dr. Edwards shares:

• How her initial feelings of grief and loss about her daughter's diagnosis shifted in a dramatic way
• The profound insights she's learned about being autistic from her daughter Saachi
• How she rectifies the typical medical definition of autism with her own spiritual understanding of it
• Her comforting advice for those who are still coming to terms with an autism diagnosis

About Dr. Melinda Edwards, MD:
Dr. Edwards is a practicing physician in Charleston, South Carolina. She's also mom to Saachi, her autistic daughter, and the founder and president of Living Darshan, a non-profit organization that’s fostering a deeper understanding of autism in the world.

Dr. Edwards attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in psychiatry at Stanford Medical Center. Also a writer, Dr. Edwards is a columnist for Autism Parenting Magazine, as well as the author of the Amazon bestselling book PSYCHE & SPIRIT: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Quest for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism.

To learn more about Dr. Edwards, visit www.melindaedwardsmd.com.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is. To learn more, visit www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Alexis Bitting, a licensed mental health counselor who holds a Ph.D. in clinical sexology. Dr. Alexis has extensive experience working with neurodivergent young people, as well as those who are questioning their gender identity and sexuality.

Listen in as Dr. Alexis shares her expertise and insights:

• Is this just a phase? How to know if your child's gender questioning is a special interest, if they're being influenced by their friends, or if it's "real."
• Cis and trans and nonbinary — oh my! Understanding gender vocabulary and why it's important.
• Breaking down gender identity: What gender is AND what it isn't.

Dr. Alexis also shared two resources to help understand the differences between gender identity, gender expression, sexual gender, and sexual orientation:

• https://www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2018/10/the-genderbread-person-v4/
• https://www.autisticparentsuk.org/post/understanding-gender-identity-for-autistic-parents

About Dr. Alexis Bitting, Ph.D.:
A licensed mental health counselor and clinical sexologist, Dr. Alexis Bitting works with children, teens, and adults with social and developmental delays, including autism spectrum disorders, Asperger’s, ADHD, non-verbal learning, and other challenges. With extensive experience working with LGBTQ+ clients, as well as supporting young people who are questioning their gender identity and sexuality, she regularly presents on topics including gender diversity and neurodiversity, sexuality across the spectrum, and social skills development. To learn more about Dr. Alexis, visit https://www.southfloridatherapists.com/team/dr-alexis-bitting/.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is. To learn more, visit www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

**A Special Note about this Episode from the Host**

This episode was especially personal for me. I’ve shared a little about my own child’s gender exploration. I even took some time away from the podcast to contemplate how to proceed since my own "daughter," who inspired this podcast and is now a senior in high school, no longer identifies as female.

Where I landed is that whether my child identifies as a girl or not doesn’t change how I feel about the importance of raising awareness about the female experience of being neurodivergent. I’m also hopeful that by being transparent and sharing our experiences navigating gender identity, it will be helpful to others who are going through a similar experience.

***Some audio errors were found in the original release of this episode. Those errors were fixed, and the episode was updated on April 15, 2024.***

In this episode of the Exceptional Girls podcast, you're invited to listen in as I talk with Dr. Nicole Tetreault.

A neuroscientist, meditation teacher, international speaker, and author of Insight into a Bright Mind, Dr. Nicole shares:

• Personal and poignant stories of growing up as a sensitive and precocious girl who later learned she had dyslexia
• The pivotal experience that led her to become a neuroscientist
• How to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism
• A simple but not always easy way to identify people pleasing and tap into what we really want
• Her one-word advice to parents about how to support their exceptional girls

About Dr. Nicole Tetreault, Ph.D.
Dr. Nicole is the founder of Awesome Neuroscience and Beyond the Cell. Using positive neural plasticity with compassion and wisdom, Dr. Nicole believes in our ability to wire our minds for love and liberate ourselves to live the lives we dream. She translates the most promising neuroscience and positive psychology into corporate trainings and meditation retreats, supporting people around the world to increase creativity, deepen peace, and awaken compassion.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is.

To learn more, visit www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

In this episode of the Exceptional Girls podcast, you're invited to listen in as I talk with Dr. Gail Post, a clinical psychologist, professor, and author of The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children.

Based on her many years of experience working with gifted and twice exceptional women and girls, Gail shares:

• Some of the not-so-obvious signs that your daughter may be struggling
• Why the middle school years are often challenging for exceptional girls
• Eye-opening statistics that explain why being a neurodivergent girl can be especially challenging
• Advice for supporting your daughter through the transition to middle school and beyond

If you're the parent of a tween or middle-school aged exceptional girl, this episode is a must-listen.

About Dr. Gail Post
Gail is a Clinical Psychologist, a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a workshop leader, and writer.

Gail raised two gifted kids of her own, and she's been in practice for over 35 years, providing psychotherapy and parent coaching with a focus on the needs of the intellectually and musically gifted, and the twice-exceptional.

In addition to contributing articles and chapters to several books, Gail is the author of the Gifted Challenges blog and a book on parenting gifted kids called The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is.

To learn more, visit www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

In this episode of the Exceptional Girls podcast, you're invited to listen in as I talk with Brianne Hudak, a veteran educator, about the prevalence of underachievement in gifted and neurodivergent girls.

A veteran teacher certified in gifted and talented education, as well as a school leader, Brianne shares:

• Why underachievement poses unique problems for girls
• How to spot the signs of underachievement, which can look different in girls than boys
• How to evaluate learning environments and talk with teachers to set your daughter up for success
• What you can do to support an underachieving girl — and why it's a problem worth prioritizing

About Brianne Hudak
Brianne has served in public, private, and charter schools for over 16 years, including teaching gifted and talented students, teaching STEM and theatre classes, and holding several administrative leadership positions.

She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in communications and theater, a certification in gifted and talented education, a master’s in educational administration and supervision, and she’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership.

She is an active member of several state, federal, and international organizations serving gifted and exceptional children, including the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, the National Association for Gifted Children, and the North Carolina Association for the Gifted and She’s also the North Caroline state liaison for SENG.

A vocal advocate for gifted learners, Brianne is especially passionate about overcoming underachievement in gifted and twice exceptional (2e) girls.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is.

To learn more, visit www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

In this episode of the Exceptional Girls podcast, you're invited to listen in as I talk with Dr. Linda Silverman, a well-known and respected expert in giftedness in both girls and adult women.

Dr. Silverman shares invaluable information for parents and caregivers of girls who are gifted, or who they suspect may be. You'll come away with a deeper understanding of:

• What giftedness really is and how it presents in girls differently than boys
• What you really need to know about IQ tests
• Why gifted and neurodivergent girls can easily slip through the cracks
• The critical clues that your daughter may be gifted or twice exceptional
• Why early identification of neurodivergence in girls is so important

Dr. Silverman also shares helpful insights about gifted adult women at the end that you won't want to miss.

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, self-advocate, accept, and love herself — just as she is.

To learn more, visit our website at: www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

In this episode of the Exceptional Girls Podcast, you can listen in as I continue my conversation with Maddie, my neurodivergent and twice exceptional daughter. In episode 3, we talked about the challenges we faced as we tried to understand why why things seemed harder for her than other kids.

Listen in on the second half of our no-holds-barred conversation, where Maddie and I talk about:

• My regrettable reaction to the results of her neuropsychological evaluation
• The light bulb moment for me — and how I found the missing link we needed
• How the female experience of neurodiversity is different than the male experience
  
  

About the Exceptional Girls podcast
If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, advocate for, and accept and love herself — just as she is.

To learn more, visit our website at: www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.

If you know and care deeply about a girl who learns, thinks, and experiences the world differently, I invite you to journey with me as we learn how we as parents, adults, and role models can help her understand, advocate for, and accept and love herself — just as she is.

This episode of the Exceptional Girls Podcast, you'll hear part 1 of a two-part conversation I had with my twice exceptional daughter, Maddie. We talk about our experiences over the past several years as we grew to understand her unique wiring.

Listen in to this candid and intimate conversation as Maddie and I discuss:

• What led us to explore why things seemed harder for her than other kids
• The challenges she's experienced as both a student and a daughter
• The mistakes and missteps I made as a mom, despite my best intentions
  
  

Want to learn more about the podcast? Visit our website at: www.exceptionalgirlspodcast.com.