What People Are Saying
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I’ve taken a lot of classes for parents and this class has been my favorite.
— Liliana, reading specialist and parent
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The hard science is useful for pulling up patience reserves.
— Regina, learning specialist and parent
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It’s a relief to talk with parents who get it—you don’t have to explain yourself in this class.
— Sarah, parent
Course Outline
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Week 1: The Biocultural Framework
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.
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Week 2: Sensory Processing
This session delves into the neuroscience of sensory processing through the lens of the Biocultural Model. We examine how cultural assumptions shape our perception of our children's sensory experiences.
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Week 3: The Amygdala
This session connects the neuroscience of the amygdala to autistic sociologist Damian Milton’s Double Empathy Problem. We explore how these concepts explain mutual misunderstandings and the high cost of masking and passing.
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Week 4: Serotonin
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.
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Week 5: Dopamine
Talking about dopamine, we’ll question our assumptions about reward, anticipation, and self-control. We reframe challenges with task initiation and multi-step directions, procrastination and the Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (PDA).
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Week 6: The Prefrontal Cortex
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.
What People Are Saying
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Months after completing the course, I still find myself reflecting on the lessons.
— Jenny, parent
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Offered a fresh perspective of my child’s experience, in a safe and supportive space.
— Fall 2025 cohort parent
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I left the course with greater empathy and a deeper understanding of my child.
— Winter 2026 cohort parent
Of the 40 parents who have taken this workshop in person, most have come to us through referrals from previous courses.
Families consistently describe the course as shifting how they see their children. Parents and teachers alike say the course helps them reframe their children’s behaviors.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No problem! Life happens and the course is designed with busy parents in mind. All sessions are recorded and we offer follow up 1-1 conversations to answer questions you may have about the material. In fact, some of our favorite questions have come from these 1-1 catch up sessions!
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The Fall 2026 series is offered both in person in the East Bay and live online for families outside the Bay Area.
Can't make a session? No problem. If you miss one, we'll schedule a one-on-one catch-up session to help you stay on track, and you'll also have access to the session recording.
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Any age! We’ve had parents with children from ages 3 to 19 and parents of young adults. Typically, we find most parents have children in the 5-12 age range.
Parents of older kids often share wisdom with parents of younger children. That said, some parents of younger children also have wisdom to share with parents of older children, particularly parents of newly diagnosed older students. -
This is not a traditional parenting course. You won’t get any advice or plans you have to follow. Our course is about learning to think and talk in new ways about our kids. People tell us that they understand their children more fully after taking our course.
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Our courses contain six weeks of material.
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No! We’ve had families with formal diagnoses, families with no diagnosis, and families who don’t want to pursue a diagnosis at all.
The Built Curious approach cultivates an understanding of neurodiversity that doesn’t rely on the medical model of diagnosis. The workshop is meant to be a safe, welcoming space for all families. -
No way! Dr. Steinhardt makes the material very accessible for all parents and we find that even parents with advanced science degrees get something new from the material. The interaction between the medical and social components of neurodiversity are what make this class so interesting; people of all backgrounds benefit from the course.
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Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t offer scholarships or a sliding scale. We’re exploring options for making this content available more broadly, and if you’d like to be notified when we do, please fill out the contact form so we can keep you in the loop.