TPP 326a: Educator Sam Young on Reimagining Socializing for Twice-Exceptional Students
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
47 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 hour ago
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the overall goal of re‑imagining social lives for twice‑exceptional kids?
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Hey, it's Debbie. For the month of March, Playback Friday episodes are focused on the complex social lives of our kids. If your child is struggling to find their people, navigating tricky peer dynamics, or just feeling out of step socially, these episodes from the archives are for you. Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Rieber, and today I'm talking with neurodivergent educator Sam Young about a topic I have not covered on the podcast before, and that is our neurodivergent kids' social lives. The world has changed so much in the past few years, including in
In no small way, how our kids relate to other kids. So in this episode, Sam is going to talk with us about what a meaningful and healthy social life might look like for our differently wired kids and how we can support them in the process. We explored how online communities have impacted socializing for neurodivergent kids, how parents can support kids in developing the skills to help with social anxiety, key elements to look for in ideal society. social environments for our kids and much more. And here's a little bit about Sam before we get started. Sam Young is a growth-minded neurodivergent educator who has ADHD, a two-time Fulbright scholar, and director of Young Scholars Academy, a strength-based, talent-focused virtual enrichment center that supports twice exceptional, neurodivergent, and gifted students and their families.
Before founding Young Scholars Academy, Sam taught in a variety of capacities, including nearly a decade at Bridges Academy, at an array of programs in the US, Europe, and Asia. Okay, and now here is my conversation with Sam. Hey Sam, welcome to the podcast.
Hey Debbie, thank you so much for having me. I'm psyched to be here.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this conversation. Another topic that's new to the show, like I have not done an episode just about social lives of neurodivergent kids. I did a solo cast with Asher many, many years ago about Asher's social life. We were just in conversation, but this is an important topic for my listeners. For me, I'm really looking forward to getting into it. But before we get into our topic for today. Today. Can you just tell us about yourself? You have a really interesting background. Tell us a bit about your story and the work that you do in the world.
Sure. I grew up on the East Coast originally and went through mostly the public school system and at a very early age was identified in fourth grade with having ADHD. And then once again in high school and then once again in college. So there were sort of three times when I would sort of check in and say, Is this me? Yes, it is. And during my educational journey, I really discovered that you know learning different Differently was exciting, rewarding, but mostly challenging. And that's mostly what I focused on, unfortunately, because so much of the system is focused on deficits and struggles and things like that. And a lot of the times I would really kind of stew in that place. And it it wasn't until I got older and really committed myself to education and progressive education that I discovered all the strengths that I had as a result of some of these things.
I went on this kind of strength based journey. In short, I I worked at Bridges Academy for almost a a decade. I went to the Bridges Graduate School, had a really two really cool opportunities to do some Fulbright scholarships looking at education in China, Mongolia, and France. And then during the pandemic, I decided I was going to take my progressive strengths-based education and take it to the world.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the overall goal of re‑imagining social lives for twice‑exceptional kids?
0:00–6:29
2
How does Sam Young’s own neurodivergent background shape his approach to education?
6:29–13:12
3
What does “re‑imagining socializing” actually mean for neurodivergent children?
13:12–18:43
4
How have online communities changed the way 2E students make friends?
18:43–24:40
5
What are the strengths‑based elements of Young Scholars Academy’s social programs?
24:40–30:09
6
Are traditional social‑skills groups effective for differently wired kids?
30:09–35:35
7
What practical steps can parents take to support a child feeling isolated?
35:35–41:44
8
What is the single most important takeaway for parents navigating their child’s social life?
41:44–47:25
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids