#15 - Unpacking Resilience for Neurodivergent Kids with Monique Mitchelson
Audio Brief
Show transcript
This episode offers a neurodiversity-affirming perspective on resilience, challenging traditional approaches to school refusal for neurodivergent individuals.
There are three key takeaways from this discussion.
First, true resilience for neurodivergent individuals means the ability to adapt and regulate one's nervous system within a safe and supportive environment. It is not about enduring distress or "toughing it out" in overwhelming situations.
Traditional views of resilience are often counterproductive, especially for autistic individuals. School environments can cause significant sensory and information overload, leading to burnout and shutdown rather than building adaptive skills.
Second, school refusal in neurodivergent children is often a direct result of legitimate sensory and cognitive overload, acting as a profound trauma response. It should not be misinterpreted as defiance.
Autistic brains process significantly more information at rest, making typical school settings inherently overstimulating and overwhelming. Prioritizing well-being and reducing environmental stressors is crucial, rather than forcing attendance when a child is in distress.
Third, academic learning fundamentally relies on foundational needs being met, a critical concept illustrated by the "Pyramid of Learning." This model places sensory regulation at its base, followed by emotional regulation and executive functioning, with academic learning at the very top.
Advocating for systemic changes that prioritize a child's foundational well-being over mere attendance is essential for their development. The challenge often lies with educational systems not designed for neurodivergent ways of processing, necessitating fundamental redesigns.
Understanding these neurodiversity-affirming principles shifts the focus from perceived individual deficits to vital systemic improvements, promoting genuine well-being and adaptive capacity for neurodivergent students.
Episode Overview
- Clinical psychologist Monique Mitchelson discusses the concept of resilience from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective, challenging traditional approaches to school refusal.
- The episode explains that for autistic individuals, school environments often cause sensory and information overload, leading to burnout and shutdown rather than building resilience.
- It reframes resilience not as endurance but as the ability to adapt and regulate one's nervous system, which requires a safe and supportive environment.
- The conversation provides parents with frameworks, such as the "Pyramid of Learning," to advocate for systemic changes that prioritize a child's well-being over attendance.
Key Concepts
- Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach: A shift in psychology away from compliance-based therapies that force "masking" and toward understanding and supporting the unique neurological needs of neurodivergent individuals.
- Redefining Resilience: Resilience is not about "toughing it out" in a distressing environment. True resilience is the ability to adapt and regulate one's nervous system, which is only possible when stressors are reduced and a sense of safety is established.
- Information Processing Overload: Autistic brains process significantly more information than neurotypical brains, leading to a cognitive "traffic jam" in overstimulating environments like schools. This overload causes shutdowns, meltdowns, and autistic burnout.
- The Pyramid of Learning: A model explaining that academic learning can only occur after foundational needs are met. Sensory regulation forms the base, followed by emotional regulation and executive functioning, with learning at the top.
- Systemic Failure vs. Individual Deficit: The problem is often not the child but the educational system, which is not designed for neurodivergent ways of processing the world. "Bandaid" accommodations are insufficient; a fundamental redesign is needed.
Quotes
- At 8:00 - "Yeah, so resilience as a concept for me would be the ability to adapt to your environment and adapt to stresses in your environment..." - Monique Mitchelson offers a neurodiversity-affirming definition of resilience.
- At 16:16 - "autistic brains process 40% more information at rest than neurotypical brains." - Monique Mitchelson provides a key statistic to explain why neurodivergent individuals experience sensory and information overload more intensely.
- At 18:02 - "the processing chip in the brain literally melting down and not being able to process anything more." - This powerful imagery describes the state of cognitive and sensory overload that leads to shutdown and an inability to function or learn.
- At 22:33 - "When you are already struggling day to day in extreme distress, do you really need to build resilience? You actually need to reduce the stressors." - This highlights the core argument against forcing attendance, emphasizing that the priority should be creating safety and reducing stress.
- At 32:46 - "if we think about it, it's like a triangle of learning. at the bottom is our sensory regulation... then our executive functioning, and right at the top is learning." - The speaker uses this visual to illustrate that academic learning is impossible without first establishing a foundation of sensory and emotional safety.
Takeaways
- Prioritize reducing environmental stressors for a neurodivergent child rather than forcing them to "build resilience" through exposure to overwhelming situations.
- Understand that school refusal is often a result of legitimate sensory and cognitive overload, not defiance; it is a trauma response to an environment that feels unsafe.
- Advocate for a child's foundational needs by remembering the "Pyramid of Learning"—sensory and emotional regulation must be established before academic learning can happen.
- Shift the goal from perfect school attendance to the child's overall well-being, using this as the primary metric for success when collaborating with schools.
