Season 2 NEURODIVERSITY Episode 2: Mind the Gaps - Dr. Vanessa Spiller on Neurodiversity (Clinical Psychologist)

Send us Fan MailWhat if challenging behaviours aren't problems to fix, but signals showing us how a child's brain works? Dr Vanessa Spiller, clinical psychologist and FASD expert, revolutionises our understanding of neurodivergent children through her groundbreaking "Mind the Gaps" model.Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience as a foster carer, Dr Spiller explains that neurodiversity simply means brain-based differences - everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The real challenge often lies in the gap between what children are asked to do and the abilities they actually possess. Her approach visualises these abilities as a wheel - for neurodivergent children, this wheel resembles something from the Flintstones: jagged, bumpy, and making progress difficult without proper support.Dr Spiller shares powerful insights about executive functioning - the mental flexibility, impulse control, and ability to link cause and effect that many neurodivergent children struggle with. Rather than forcing children into environments that don't fit their brains, she advocates for finding windows into learning through special interests. "If a child loves trains," she explains, "using Thomas the Tank Engine scenarios to teach cause and effect will be far more effective than abstract examples."Her most heartfelt message speaks directly to parents: "You are the greatest resource your child has." Not the speech therapist, not the psychologist, but you. This shifts the focus from parents feeling they need to be the perfect solution to recognising themselves as an ongoing, evolving resource - experimenting, learning, and modelling the very flexibility we hope to teach our children.Whether you're a parent, educator, or therapist, this conversation will transform how you understand and support neurodivergent children. Subscribe now to hear more episodes that help build a world where every child truly belongs.https://www.fasdtrainingaustralia.com/Mind-the-Gaps-bookhttps://www.amazon.com.au/Explained-Brain-Workbook-Educators-everything/dp/0995353212https://www.fasdtrainingaustralia.com/https://everymomentmatters.org.au/vanessas-story/ danabaltutis.com,  mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services