The workshop series introduces neuroscience concepts as grounding techniques, ways of thinking about brain function that allow us to step back, stay curious, and understand our children’s experiences.

We discuss the neurodiversity paradigm, a framework that recognizes neurological differences, like autism and ADHD, as natural variations of human brain function. Neurodivergence is not a quality specific to individual brains—it arises from the interaction between people and the expectations in our environments. Yet, unless we understand how the brain works, we tend to expect others’ brains to function just as our own does. By applying the neurodiversity paradigm, we’re free to see behaviors as communicating or meeting needs, rather than as symptoms.

In week one, we discuss the medical, social, and ecological models of neurodivergence. We unpack Damian Milton’s concept of double empathy and discuss excerpts from Robert Chapman’s Empire of Normality and Elana K. Arnold’s A Boy Called Bat.

Sensory processing is an essential part of what makes each brain work the way it does. The “worlds” we create are not the same as the worlds inhabited by others. What does neuroscience tell us about the processing of visual, auditory, and olfactory information and how does this help us understand the thoughts and behaviors of our children and ourselves?

In week two, we talk about the cultural assumptions inherent in the concepts of neurodivergent “masking” and “passing”, learn about synesthesia in young children, and read excerpts from M. Remi Yergeau’s Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neurological Queerness and Wendy Mass’ A Mango Shaped Space.

Fear, anger, and disgust are powerful motivators—and they’re linked. All mammals have a structure called the amygdala which produces these negative reactions and keeps us safe from threats. The amygdala is highly responsive to experience and helps us learn how to deal with the world around us.

In week three, we talk about phobias and read excerpts from Jonathan Metzl’s The Protest Psychosis, Isobel Moore’s “The intersection of autism and gender in the negotiation of identity,” and Elle McNicoll’s A Kind of Spark.

Serotonin is the “I’m OK” molecule—it’s critical for stable moods and a sense of security and wellbeing. When serotonin gets dysregulated, the world becomes a threatening place, even when nothing has changed. We’ll explore how serotonin regulation relates to neurodivergence.

In week four, we discuss how the concept of predictive processing can help reframe emotion regulation in Jo Bervoets’ “Autism and intolerance of uncertainty: an ill-fitting pair,” and we read excerpts from Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

“I can’t” and “I don’t want to” exist on a continuum in the brain—motivation isn’t an on/off switch. Motivation and motor control are part of a single unified process driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine. Examining how dopamine works provides an opportunity to question our assumptions about reward, anticipation, and self-control.

In week five, we talk about basal ganglia and dopamine. We discuss task initiation and multi-step directions, reframing procrastination and persistent demand avoidance (or passionate drive for autonomy). We read Prerna Tolani and Sathyaraj Venkatesan’s “The Time We See: ADHD, Neuroqueer Temporality, and Graphic Medicine” and watch Bluey, season 2, episode 16 “Army”.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is sometimes called the brain's "decision center." Although it's true that the PFC plays an important role in simulating, predicting, and planning, it is deeply linked with emotional processing. We'll unpack the notions of "decision-making" and "executive function" and learn about how emotional processes shape our choices and behaviors.

In week six, we wrap up the series with a discussion of neuroplasticity and the interconnectedness of brain functions—how perception, cognition, and emotion work together. We read excerpts from Victoria Pitts-Taylor’s The Brain’s Body: Neuroscience and Corporeal Politics and Luiz’s Pessoa’s The Entangled Brain.