Dismantling the Myth of "Neurotypical": A Conversation with Youth Advocate Aeris Wren

In this inspiring episode of Living With FASD, host Patti Kasper sits down with Aeris Wren, an AuDHD high school student, youth advocate, and the host of the Telos podcast. Together, they challenge the traditional "clinical" view of neurodiversity and discuss the importance of reframing our society's expectations of the human brain.This conversation highlights the necessity of moving away from a behavior-based paradigm and toward a supportive, grace-filled model that honors individual needs and "inconsistent mastery".Key Topics Covered:The Myth of the "Neurotypical" Bell Curve: Challenging the idea that neurotypicality is the norm, and why we should instead view neurodiversity as the natural variation of the human experience.FASD: The Elephant in the Room: A candid discussion on why Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are often excluded from neurodiversity advocacy, the impact of stigma, and the need for better research driven by lived experience.Self-Advocacy & Understanding Needs: Aeris shares personal insights on navigating the education system, the importance of "interest-based" activation for the ADHD brain, and how to communicate needs without feeling like an "attack" on existing structures.Moving Past Behaviorism: Why shaming, punishing, or rewarding "behavior" fails neurodivergent youth, and how co-regulation and curiosity can help uncover the real needs beneath the surface.The Future of Inclusion: Aeris’s vision for a world where young people have the language and resources to understand their own brains long before they reach adulthood.About My Guest: Aeris WrenAeris Wren is a youth advocate for neurodiversity and the host of Telos: A Neurodiversity Conversation. Aeris is dedicated to making information about neurodivergence accessible and centered on lived experience. You can follow Aeris's work and listen to Telos here:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6HOp09Yy1puqkHVCXKhxfo?si=5b5bfe52ca134231As always, please remember to like, subscribe & share this podcast episode, because it is by doing these things that more people can find the podcast and learn about FASD.To reach Patti Kasper, perhaps to suggest topics or guests, or to ask questions, or even just to say hello, email her at [email protected] .To reach Patti to explore FASD Life Coaching for yourself as an adult or as a parent of a little, or to arrange for professional development or community agency training on FASD, you can arrange for a consult at https://calendly.com/kaspertrainingandcoaching/consultationTo order a copy of Patti’s book, Sip by Sip: Candid Conversations with Adults Living with FASD, visit books.by/yourfasdcoach or Amazon. (Both are print on demand at a printer near you, but books.by offers its authors a few dollars more in royalties.)