Beneath the Behavior: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids With Science, Not Shame
Dr. Mark Bowers
6 episodes
6 hours ago
Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is being defiant — or felt guilty about how you’ve responded — this episode is for you. Many parents of neurodivergent kids are told (directly or indirectly) that their child won’t behave, won’t listen, or won’t try. Over time, that story can lead to stricter discipline, more punishment, and a lot of shame — even when nothing seems to help. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers offers a different framework, rooted in ...
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Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is being defiant — or felt guilty about how you’ve responded — this episode is for you. Many parents of neurodivergent kids are told (directly or indirectly) that their child won’t behave, won’t listen, or won’t try. Over time, that story can lead to stricter discipline, more punishment, and a lot of shame — even when nothing seems to help. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers offers a different framework, rooted in ...
Send us a text If you’ve ever thought, “Nothing is teaching my kid,” this episode is for you. Many parents of neurodivergent kids spend their days correcting, explaining, setting consequences, and trying again — only to face the same hard moments over and over. It can leave you wondering whether your child is learning at all, or whether you’re failing them somehow. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers offers a critical reframe: correction doesn’t work during dysregulation —...
Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is being defiant — or felt guilty about how you’ve responded — this episode is for you. Many parents of neurodivergent kids are told (directly or indirectly) that their child won’t behave, won’t listen, or won’t try. Over time, that story can lead to stricter discipline, more punishment, and a lot of shame — even when nothing seems to help. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers offers a different framework, rooted in ...
Send us a text Parents of neurodivergent kids hear it all the time: “They know better.” And when the behavior keeps happening, that phrase quietly turns into blame—toward the child or toward the parent. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers unpacks why knowing what to do isn’t the same as being able to do it, especially for neurodivergent kids whose executive functioning skills are still developing. We’ll talk about the difference between knowledge and capacity, how st...
Send us a text If you’ve ever found yourself in a power struggle with your child and wondered, How did we get here again?—this episode is for you. Escalation rarely starts with the “big” behavior. It often begins with something small: a transition, a request, a tone, a moment of disappointment. And suddenly, both you and your child are overwhelmed. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers explains a core nervous-system truth that changes how we understand these moments: t...
Send us a text Meltdowns and tantrums often look similar on the outside—but what’s happening underneath is very different. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers explains why confusing meltdowns with tantrums leads to so much unnecessary blame, escalation, and exhaustion for parents of neurodivergent kids. We’ll talk about what regulation actually means, why punishment doesn’t work during meltdowns, and how much common parenting advice unintentionally makes things harder. You...
Send us a text In this first episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers introduces the purpose and approach of Beneath the Behavior. If parenting feels harder than you expected—confusing, exhausting, or isolating—you’re not alone. Many parents of neurodivergent kids try everything they’re told to do and still feel like they’re missing something. In this episode, we slow things down and talk about why so much parenting advice doesn’t fit neurodivergent kids, how blame quietly replaces und...
Beneath the Behavior: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids With Science, Not Shame
Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is being defiant — or felt guilty about how you’ve responded — this episode is for you. Many parents of neurodivergent kids are told (directly or indirectly) that their child won’t behave, won’t listen, or won’t try. Over time, that story can lead to stricter discipline, more punishment, and a lot of shame — even when nothing seems to help. In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers offers a different framework, rooted in ...
