056 - How Autonomy and Interests Transform Challenges - With Danika Maddocks

Welcome to "Parenting the Intensity!"

I had the pleasure of hosting Danika Maddocks again on the podcast.

In this episode, we delve deep into how autonomy and kids' interests can be pivotal in overcoming challenges, especially for emotionally intense, gifted, and twice-exceptional children.

Danika, a psychologist and founder of the Gifted Learning Lab, shared her valuable insights on how these approaches can benefit not only neurodivergent kids but all children. Here are some key takeaways:

🔹 Leverage Autonomy to Promote Well-being: Autonomy is crucial for all kids but necessary for neurodivergent children. Allowing them to have control in certain aspects can lead to a boost in motivation and overall well-being.

🔹 Incorporate Interests to Ease Difficult Tasks: Engaging kids' interests—even during mundane tasks like morning routines—can transform struggles into enjoyable experiences, enhancing their motivation and cooperation.

🔹 Focus on Expanding Joy to Address Challenges: Crafting time for enjoyable for the child can help improve overall well-being, sometimes reducing the intensity of challenging behaviors.

Dive into the full episode to explore practical ways to redefine parenting strategies for your exceptional children. Let's foster environments where our kids feel understood, supported, and empowered.

"You can give autonomy and support at the same time...A lot of neurodivergent and emotionally intense kids do really benefit from more help, and that's actually gonna give them more independence in the long run because they're not gonna be overwhelmed all the time."

Connect with Danika

www.giftedlearninglab.com

https://www.instagram.com/giftedlearninglab/

Resources mentioned

Reduce Power Struggles with Your Gifted/2e Kid free email mini course

Make sure to subscribe to our podcast for future episodes and leave a rating and review, that helps us get in front of more parents. Don't forget to check out the resources mentioned on our website at www.parentingtheintensity.ca

Join the "Parenting the Intensity Community" to find the right things that works for YOUR child and adapt them to YOUR reality.

To be able to enjoy your life and kids, not always being afraid of the next outburst

Take a deep breath, keep going, we’re all in this together!

Music by Oleksii Kaplunskyi from Pixabay