Exploring Neurodiversity with Adina Levy from Play. Learn. Chat
Episodes
Preparing for Difficult Days - Proactive Regulation!
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daily deals on Neurodiversity Affirming Practice professional education - https://playlearnchat.com/deals-week (Ends 28 Nov 2025) ----- As we head int...
Quick Heads Up: Neurodiversity Affirming Practice PD - This week's deals!
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Black Friday Deals Week! All the best Neurodiversity Affirming Practice https://playlearnchat.com/deals-week A new offer each day Monday 24th Novemb...
Creating and hosting inclusive and accessible events: Non-negotiables and uncovering your unique 'why' with Katie Koullas
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Creating truly inclusive, accessible events is possible, practical and powerful... and not optional! In this incredibly insightful and delightful chat...
When NDIS promoted Autism resources do more harm than good
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Government-promoted resources aren’t always safe or supportive. In this episode, I take you inside the Autistics Guide to Adulthood, a resource prom...
"Don't Give Up and Prove Everyone Wrong" Following Dreams, AAC, and Horses with Kayla Ireland
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Don’t give up and prove everyone wrong" - Kayla Ireland shares how horses, AAC, and a fierce sense of self-advocacy help her chase her dreams and r...
NDIS Pricing Freeze - What Allied Health Business Owners can do Right Now to Remain Sustainable
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re an Allied Health business owner facing the NDIS pricing chaos, this episode gives you the practical steps you can take right now (today!) ...
You can do the right hard things! (With the right support, at the right time)
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being neurodiversity affirming doesn’t mean avoiding challenge. It doesn’t mean staying where you are, only doing what’s easy or comfortable. We...
Regulation & Co-Regulation - What we're getting wrong & how to get it right with OT Cheri Strecker
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What looks like “bad behaviour” is usually a nervous system asking for help. In this episode, we explore what regulation really is, why it’s re...
Q&A - How to do an affirming communication assessment?
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If your gut says “this test isn’t showing the full story,” trust it – especially when working with Autistic children. I'm sharing a live Q&...
Q&A - What to do when another therapist isn't ND Affirming (in a client's care team)
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This Q&A chat is all about how to work alongside other professionals when your approaches to supporting an Autistic child don’t quite align. I'm ...
Q&A - PECS & Speech (Articulation) Therapy - Are they ND Affirming?
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's Q&As are on the topic of ALL COMMUNICATION IS VALID! Talking about PECS, and Artic therapy considerations I'm sharing a live Q&A on Instagr...
Q&A - ND Affirming Play! Goals, progress notes, how I played as an Autistic kid
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Curious how to support autistic kids in speech therapy without trying to change how they play? This 17 min episode is for you! “Play and genuine ...
"Autistic kids should learn to speak, otherwise people won't understand them" and other Myths about ND Affirming Practice
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to better support the Neurodivergent kids in your life, without falling for outdated myths? This episode is a must-listen. “When a child is ...
Mythbusting ND Affirming practice - "If we just let kids do whatever they want they won’t learn" (That's not it...)
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are mythbusting ND affirming practice. I hear too often phrases from people who don't quite get what neurodiversity affirming prac...
The Nuance Behind Behavioural Strategies for Supporting Autistic Children
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re unpacking some of the nuances behind behavioural strategies when supporting autistic children. I discuss how neurodiversity-a...
Practical Strategies for Gestalt Language Processors (AAC users too!) with Alex Zachos from Meaningful Speech
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I chat with the fabulous Alex Zachos from Meaningful Speech, a senior speech language pathologist with 20 years of experience. Ale...
BONUS: What’s been going on + A Special Invitation for Allied Health Business Owners!
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I want to thank you for listening to the podcast over the last year or however long you've been here. It has been such a joy, deliver...
Redefining Evidence: On NDIS Changes, Valuing Lived Experience, and Calling out Privilege
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re redefining what 'evidence' means in the context of disability support and questioning who gets to decide what counts as va...
Say more "Yes" in times of Big Change
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With the end of the year coming in fast, many of us are experiencing a lot of change at the moment. For my family, this is a house move, and my daught...
Gestalt Language Processing, Natural Language Acquisition & the State of Research with Marge Blanc
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I had the absolute joy of chatting with Marge Blanc about Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) and Natural Language Acquisition (NLA)...
How Autistic Folks Experience Eye Contact - Diverse Perspectives
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I share the results of a recent survey I ran where almost 40 Autistic people shared their perspectives and experiences with eye conta...
Intersectionality, identity and community as a Black AuDHDer - with Christina Schmidt
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What a fabulously important (and fun!) chat with Christina Schmidt as she shared perspectives as a Black AuDHDer, Speech Therapist and deep thinker. J...
ADHD strengths (and some challenges) as a business owner
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm sharing some of the ways that being an ADHDer is a strength for me as a business owner, and a few ways it makes things challenging. If yo...
Autistic strengths (and some challenges) as a business owner
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm sharing some of the ways that being Autistic is a strength for me as a business owner, and a few ways it makes things challenging. I first s...
What ‘Evidence-Based Practice’ really means & is Gestalt Language Processing even a thing? Chat with Dr Katherine Sanchez
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I had the joy of chatting with Dr. Katherine Sanchez, a speech pathologist, science communicator, and lecturer. We talk about the nua...
Is a Neurodiversity Affirming approach to behaviour support a permissive approach?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I examine the question: Is a Neurodiversity Affirming approach to behaviour support a permissive approach? We talk about whether 'perm...
My hopes for the future for Autistic Children
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I'm keeping it short and sweet. I'm going to share eight of my biggest hopes for the kids, today and tomorrow. I'll also share a f...
5 Simple Shifts to be more Truly Neurodiversity Affirming
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I'm going to run you through five simple shifts that you can make to take your practices from what we might call old ways towards ...
The contrasts at the intersection of being an Autistic ADHDer - Chat with Stephanie Robertson
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down for a wonderful chat with Stephanie Robertson, who is a great friend colleague and really...
How to Include Children in their Own Collaborative Teams
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I wanted to share with you a brief section from my recent webinar, Collaborative Connections, where I talked all about how you can ac...
My Journey through AuDHD (Autistic + ADHD) Identification / Diagnosis
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'll share my journey to identification as an Autistic ADHDer. I recently got an email from another speech therapist who is in the ne...
How to Navigate Conflicting Perspectives when you Collaborate to Support Neurodivergent Children
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'm going to be sharing some practical ideas about how you can tackle a challenge that a lot of us experience. Whether you're a thera...
Responsive Relationship Strategies for Building Connection with Autistic Children
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'm super excited to be talking about a topic that is just deeply embedded in my clinical practice, in my worldview and in how I supp...
Ingredients of Self-Advocacy
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Self-advocacy is not as simple as just learning one skill or one isolated thing. In the neurodiversity affirming world and in the therapy world, we lo...
"But you seem so sociable" - Experiences of High-Masking Autistic Folks
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I explore the reasons and impacts of masking for high-masking autistic people (who are often, but not always girls, AFAB, or non-bina...
On Masking & Finding Community - Chat with Chelsea Luker, AuDHD Psychologist
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
📺 Watch the video of our chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/22ZWxDEFtSw?si=V0OqWgrIsYkNenh3 Get in touch with Chelsea Luker: www.connectus...
What's next for the Exploring Neurodiversity Podcast?
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Complete the 3 minute podcast survey to help me plan 2024! playlearnchat.com/survey Neurodivergent business owners, please join me for the Aligned Bu...
5 Reasons Why Multimodal Communication is Essential for Autistic Children
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's non-negotiable to be supporting, modelling, using, teaching multimodal communication to autistic kids. And I share why in this episode. Here a...
Old way/New way - Upgrading to Neurodiversity Affirming Strategies for Autistic Children
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm sharing 3 strategies that we need to leave in the past, and 3 strategies that are more aligned with a Neurodiversity Affirming approach - let's ca...
Ingredients for a Neurodiversity Affirming Speech Therapy Assessment
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I'm sharing with you the ingredients that go into a Neurodiversity Affirming speech therapy assessment. We’ll talk about my frame...
Experiencing the Health & Allied Health Systems as a Pregnant Autistic ADHDer
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a very personal one where I'm going to share my experiences and insights as an autistic ADHDer who was pregnant at the time of recordi...
How I Experience My Auditory World as an Auditory-Sensitive Autistic Person
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: In this episode, I delve into the world of auditory sensitivities as experienced by an autistic person... that's me! I give you a glimpse...
Why Neurodivergent Kids aren't 'Lazy' or 'Naughty'
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SHOW NOTES: 'Naughty' and 'lazy' are two words that I can't stand, especially when it comes to describing young kids, neurodivergent kids. I don't ...
Is it Neuroaffirming to Work on Pretend Play Skills with Autistic Children?
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In this episode I share my answer to this question I hear often: Is it Neuroaffirming to Work on Pretend Play Skills with Autistic Childre...
Being a Part-time AAC user, Internalised Ableism & Mental Health - Chat with Harriet Richardson (Hat Talks)
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Show notes: In this episode, I chat with the amazing Hat, also known as Harriet Richardson, a significant voice in the neurodivergent community. Hat...
Crafting a Genuinely Supportive World for Neurodivergent Children - A Remedy to the Double Empathy Problem!
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In this episode I share a few practical ideas of what it actually looks like to be changing the world around a child, to be most supportiv...
Radical Acceptance & Building Trusting Relationships with Kids with Chrissie Davies
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In this episode I chat with the fabulous Chrissie Davies, from Chaos to Calm Consultancy and author of books including the wonderful 'Love...
Power of Silence, Valuing Relationship-Building Time & Growing into Advocacy - Strategies for Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy for Autistic Children
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sharing 3 key strategies for therapists supporting Autistic children: 🤫 The Power of Silence 🤗 Valuing Relationship-Building Time 🗣 Growing i...
3 Ways to Teach Neurodivergent Kids Self-Advocacy
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm sharing a shortie, practical episode - all about how you can teach neurodivergent children about self-advocacy in these 3 ways: - Explici...
The Role of 'Play' in Speech Therapy for Autistic Children
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I share my perspectives about the role that 'play' should take in speech therapy sessions for autistic children. I also share my id...
8 Ways to Do Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm sharing 8 key ways you can do Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy - You can find all of the points I discuss on the free PDF download here: Neurodive...
NeuroAccessibilty & being a Neurodivergent Parent with Annie Crowe
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I chat with the wonderful Annie Crowe. Friend, Neurodivergent Empowerment Coach and NeuroAccess Consultant who brings her lived experi...
3 Practical Ways to Kickstart your Neurodiversity Affirming Practice Journey
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm sharing three actionable, practical changes that you can make (or start to make) today around language, relationship strategies, and a commi...
Neurodivergent Acceptance & Finding Personal Joy - Chat with Stephanie Roberston - Neurodivergent OT
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this fabulous chat with Stephanie Robertson, Neurodivergent OT, we chat about all kinds of topics including: her journey of self-discovery and sel...
Collaboration & Advocacy: When others aren't aligned with your Neurodiversity Affirming approach to supporting Neurodivergent Kids
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode for parents and professionals who support autistic and neurodivergent children, I share my response to a very common question - What s...
Don't Teach Kids through Trauma - Teach through Connection
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Picture this. You take your child to swimming class and it's a pretty unfamiliar environment. They haven't met the teacher before. It's noisy. It's al...
All Communication is Valid: Why it Might be Hard for an Autistic Child to Speak
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're tucking in to this idea that All Communication is Valid. Busting the ableist bias that speech is the best way of communicating. In this episode ...
How to be an Excellent Ally this Autism Acceptance Month
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Autism Acceptance Month is here! This April, how can YOU be a fantastic, genuine and helpful ally to the autistic community? Here's how you can be ...
An Alternative, Affirming Approach to Behaviour Support - Understand the Deep Why
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss the issue with looking at children's behaviour through a lens of 'what triggered that behaviour?'. We talk abou...
What do Neurodiversity Affirming Goals look like for Autistic children?
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss a range of key considerations to ensure that goals for autistic children's support are Neurodiversity Affirming, useful and...
Neurodiversity Affirming 'Social Skills' Support for Autistic Children - Part 2: What Is and What Isn't Affirming
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the specifics of what a Neurodiversity Affirming approach looks like when supporting social interactions for autistic ch...
Neurodiversity Affirming 'Social Skills' Support for Autistic Children - Part 1: The Big Ideas
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
'Social skills' is a massively important area of support that we all need to pause and examine what we've been teaching neurodivergent kids. We need t...
Words Matter: Exploring Neurodiversity Affirming Language
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So… you’re ready to be part of the Neurodiversity Affirming movement to support an autistic and neurodivergent child in your world. Awesome, welco...
Exploring Neurodiversity with Play. Learn. Chat - Coming Soon!
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Play. Learn. Chat - Exploring Neurodiversity podcast. Here, we're going to share conversations to help you connect and grow with your a...