Never Too Festive: Parenting with More Joy & Less Mom Guilt

30. Music Therapy's Impact on Neurodivergent Children and Their Families with Samantha Foote

• Elizabeth Hambleton

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Unlock the transformative power of music therapy in parenting with our special guest, Samantha Foote, a talented and passionate music therapist. Samantha shares her remarkable insights into how music therapy fosters communication and social skills in children, particularly those with autism, ADHD, and Down syndrome. Listen to heartwarming stories about children finding their voices and making incredible progress, along with real-life examples such as the inspiring recovery of Gabby Giffords. The episode reveals the profound impact music can have in creating new neural pathways and opening doors to better communication.

Parents of neurodivergent children, this episode is for you. We talk about practical ways to integrate music into daily routines, creating supportive environments that cater to sensory needs without overwhelm. Samantha highlights programs like "Music Together" and discusses how they can help improve social, communication, and motor skills at your child's own pace. We also address the initial feelings of being overwhelmed after a diagnosis and stress the importance of community support and positive parenting strategies tailored to your child's unique needs.

Get inspired by the incredible story of Dr. Temple Grandin and learn how early intervention can significantly alter the trajectory of a child's life. We explore key resources, from Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to programs like the Katie Beckett waiver, that can support your journey. The conversation also touches on the emotional and logistical challenges parents face, offering self-care strategies and emphasizing the importance of support systems. Join us in spreading the joy and inspiration from this episode, and find out how a strong community can empower you to live a more fulfilled, joyful life.

Get Samantha's help Parenting with Confidence by clicking here.
Connect with Samantha at everybrainisdifferent.com.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to another episode of Never Too Festive. I'm your host, elizabeth Hamilton. If you've ever wanted to connect with your kids in new ways or looked for ways to create a little bit more harmony in your home, then you may be interested in music therapy. Today we have a special guest, samantha Foote, who's going to explain what it is and how it applies to parenting and how it can help all of us have new tools in our tool belts, because who doesn't need that as a parent, I know I do. Raising my hand, we are thrilled to have her.

Speaker 1:

Hey there, mama, and welcome to Never Too Festive, the podcast where we celebrate the extraordinary in everyday motherhood. I'm Elizabeth Hambleton, your host and fellow mom, on a mission to help you rediscover your sparkle, redefine your style and reclaim your sense of self in the midst of motherhood mayhem. Do you ever feel like you've lost touch with the stylish, confident woman you used to be before kids? Are you tired of living in yoga pants and feeling like you've gone from thriving to just surviving? Well, mama, it's time to reclaim joy, creativity and style, while embracing the fabulous mom you were meant to be. So grab your iced coffee and join me as we embark on a stylish adventure together, because here, on never too festive, there's no such thing as too much sparkle, too much flair or too much celebration. Get ready to shine bright and live your most fabulous joyful life, because you deserve it.

Speaker 2:

Thanks, so much for being here today. Samantha, thanks for having me on.

Speaker 1:

I'm excited, yeah, and for anyone who maybe isn't familiar with the idea of music therapy, how it can help any of us connect with our children, how it connects to parent coaching in general, I would love for you to tell us a little bit about it and how you got into it.

Speaker 2:

Music therapy is just working on non-musical goals using music. So I work mainly with kids and adults who have autism, adhd, down syndrome, things like that. But you can work on non-musical goals like social communication, emotional motor skills, cognitive skills, any of those things. So it's kind of like when you learn the ABCs, what do you use to learn the ABCs? You learn music. It's making new pathways in your brain to help you learn those things. And so that's what we do with kids who may be, you know, needing some extra help with things.

Speaker 2:

You use the music because music can access more of your brain than any other stimulus, and so you use music to make new neural pathways in your brain to help you accomplish your goals. And then I got into it because I was a junior in high school and I wanted to know what I was studying in college and I wanted to do psychology. But I really didn't want to give up music because I've been playing piano since I was four years old and I was in piano and choir and band and all those things and I randomly found music therapy on a college like website which, looking back on it, it didn't describe music therapy very well at all, but it got me into the field, so that's cool, like that's fine, and then I kind of gravitated toward, you know, the autistic population, and I've been working in that field for 18 years now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's so interesting. This is maybe not an amazing example, but it's funny because when you say like working on non-musical goals and remembering, it's funny because yesterday after school my daughter came home and was asking me how like to say the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and I couldn't say it at first and I was like, wait, I have to sing it because I can remember the song. But if you just told me to say it, it was way harder. And it's interesting how we do process things like memory in song. What other than like memory is maybe one, or memorizing or recalling things is clearly very musical. What other like non-musical sort of skills or goals do you see people focusing on with this modality?

Speaker 2:

I see a lot of kids who are non-speaking use music to speak, and so we start off with maybe I read books, so I sing the books to them and then they will hum the melody and then they'll sing the melody and then they'll say the words without the melody and they'll just say it, and so that's the goal. So I'm working with a four-year-old right now who he started out. He does not speak at all and now he's starting to make sounds and he's starting to hum along to the melody and then all like pause in the book sometimes and he'll just randomly say a word, like we're singing a song about sandpipers the other day, and I paused, I wanted him to make a sound and he just blurted out sandpiper and I was like whoa, what is this? You know. And so just different things like that, like so we used it a lot with communication, and then you know you might use it with turn taking, and so I pass out some drums and I play a beat, and then I tell the kid to copy what I did, and so you're working on waiting, you're working on turn taking, you're working on listening, you're working on recreating things. So you have to use all those different skills to do that one activity.

Speaker 2:

And then Gabby Gifford is a really good example of music therapy. She doesn't have autism or anything like that, but she had a traumatic brain injury and she was in the hospital. Hospital she had like all the therapies so speech, occupational, physical, all and music therapy and her, the center in her brain that is used for speech was affected and so music was able to reach a different part of her brain and then she was able to sing and then she was able to speak because those had created new pathways in her brain to help, you know, recover from that. So it's like a really dramatic example of it. But that's kind of. If people want to see a really good representation of how music therapy works, they can youtube it or google it. Just google her name and it will come up with her story, which is super fascinating.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is so interesting to think about how music does activate different parts of our brain, which is interesting because I think the whole sort of general conversation around creativity, right it is connecting like right brain and left brain, and sometimes kids, I think can get pigeonholed into like one type of person and it can be great to have these different modalities that explore all kinds of brains. How do most parents sort of get introduced to this or get started Like how would I know if something along music therapy or some of the theories of music therapy would benefit my child?

Speaker 2:

You can go to music therapyorg and it has a bunch of different fact sheets on it that tells you about music therapy and how it works with all the different diagnoses, different populations. So if you just have, like a neurotypical kid which isn't diagnosed with anything, then it can show how music can help them, show how music can help like autistic kids. But really, and you can also find a music therapist in your area and I recommend just doing that, just typing in there, your area, it will come up with a music therapist in your area and then you can just ask them how can music therapy help my child? In the state of Idaho where I live, medicaid like a certain waiver on Medicaid will pay for music therapy. And so I'm on a list and when people get diagnosed and then they get Medicaid, then they'll say these are your different options for nontraditional therapies. You know they have swim therapy, horse therapy, music therapy, art therapy. Here's all the different therapies, and then they tell you how they can help your child.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a great tip because I know that my kids have been in different kinds of therapy. We've had to do the very traditional physical therapy, occupational therapy we've done and it can get just lots of things but it can get so expensive that I know a lot of people do drop out of programs. So that's a great tip for how people can maybe find resources for helping pay for it and, like you said, youtube has some great options. What age do you usually see people getting children into this? Because I'm thinking of my own kids. I do have one child who has some sensory stuff, but we didn't find that out until kind of his early elementary years. And, looking back, we actually were in a music program. It wasn't therapy specifically, but it was like early toddler music together, which I think is a pretty big program oh, I love music you loved it, and now I'm sort of wondering if it was kind of therapeutic for him, even in a way.

Speaker 1:

I didn't understand. So, like, how do you coach kids or parents to get their kids into music, even if it's like not in a therapy minded way, but what benefits are you seeing from that?

Speaker 2:

So music is a great way just to bring people together. And then the music together program specifically is designed to increase social skills, communication skills, motor skills and you're even like typically developing kids, and so it's just a way to increase all those things using music. And I always tell parents, like, if you go to one of these things and your kid doesn't participate, that's okay, they're taking it in, they're taking in everything and they'll participate when they're ready. Because, if you think about it, they're kind of performing for people and so that kind of can be really nerve wracking. You know, if you had to go somewhere, you're just like, hey, do this, do this.

Speaker 2:

If someone was telling you to do it, you've never done it before. It might be kind of anxiety inducing. And so music is just a great way to bring people together in a non-threatening environment. Like if you were asked to play instruments, for example, and you have percussion instruments, I do drum circles and I always give, like people who are kind of hesitant to participate just an egg shaker and it's just a little like shaker that looks like an egg and they can just shake that egg or they can go up and play different percussion instruments that they want to, but you can get into it in non-threatening ways.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that makes sense. Even our public library has kind of a reading time where they give people egg shakers and it is it's like one of those like how do you kind of mess that up? Right, it's so easy for the adults, for the kids and for kids of different ages, cause, you know, a lot of families have siblings, and maybe what one kid can enjoy, it's hard to find that thing for someone else. So I totally can relate to this, cause I've I've been that parent in groups, so we all have egg shakers and we're, like you know, connecting with kids and I think it is true it's such an time for them to learn socialization and look around and even looking at older siblings, what younger siblings are doing. It's interesting to see how the music does connect everyone, and I know you do some parenting things that aren't just music related. Can you tell us a little bit more about that as well?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So I noticed the parents who maybe their kid isn't diagnosed yet or their kid is just diagnosed and they don't have the resources for therapy. They still needed help, and so that's why I created my programs. I have a monthly membership where parents can come. They can get ideas from different parents.

Speaker 2:

I do training on what it means to be neurodivergent, what that looks like, and then also positive parenting strategies. So you know, instead of using punishment, what can we do instead of punishment? Because research has shown that punishment does not work and it just creates kind of a not a great relationship between parent and child. And so we have that. And I also have a Parenting with Confidence program where we work on a framework that has three different things. We talk about how to understand your child, so how to understand their emergence, how to know how to understand your specific child and how to master your own self-regulation, and then how to parent with positive strategies, and some of those strategies include music.

Speaker 2:

But if it's not right for your child, then we don't use music, because I know when my kids were little they did not like music. I would turn music on and they would cry. I actually took my kid, my oldest kid to, you know, like a like music together class and he just cried the whole time and I finally realized it's because all my kids are diagnosed with autism and they all have sensory you know issues, and it was just. The music was just too much for him.

Speaker 2:

Now they all like music, but back then they did not, and so if music isn't the right strategy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, like it was chaos in there yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so we would go to story time at the library and he would look at me and just say go home, go home, because it was too chaotic, so yeah. So we have like different positive parenting strategies. I use a positive discipline curriculum, but we talk about different things like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'd love to talk a little bit more about, well, two things sort of let's start with kind of figuring out that maybe you got a diagnosis or someone suggested that your kid might be neurodivergent. I know that can be very overwhelming to hear as the parents. There's so many questions, you know. Is this person right? How do we find out? How do I support this? What do I do? Like I mean, it's just sort of like can be a little bit of a spiral, I think. So if you were working with a parent who's, like newly has a child who's newly diagnosed, were working with a parent who's, like newly has a child who's newly diagnosed, what would you say to her to help her Like what's the first steps in getting started and making sense of, like the world, of supporting neurodivergent children?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I would first tell her do not listen to doctors who say your child will never do this, they'll never do this, they'll never do that. Because I know many, many, many kids who doctors were like they'll never talk, they'll never have friends, they'll never you know like have a significant other and they have all those things. And so I don't know why doctors choose to tell people that in that moment. But I mean, I'm sure they're just trying to prepare the person for like worst case scenario stuff so they can prepare themselves, but it's very defeating. So don't listen to the doctors. They don't know what your child's gonna do like.

Speaker 2:

Look at Dr Temple Grandin, who she was diagnosed with autism. Her mom was told to put her in like a mental institution and forget about her, and now she is. She revolutionized the cattle industry, she is a author of like many, many books and she is a speaker, a sought-after speaker for um, being an autism advocate. And so that's the first thing I would tell them is just don't limit your child's potential. And then learn from other people who have the diagnosis like, learn from other neurodivergent people to understand, like, what your child might be going through and how to do that. And then the next thing I would say is get help from the state if you can.

Speaker 2:

So I don't know if each, I don't know what each state offers, but I know in Idaho there's a Katie program and I know that is another state. Doctors won't tell you about it and it's just a program where you it's on a need based, it's not based on money. You it's on a need based. It's not based on money, like medicaid usually is, but it's, and so if your child meets the criteria for it, you can get all your health care paid for. You can get all your therapies paid for. They have a special waiver to pay for non-traditional therapies, um, and that just can help you just learn to breathe so that you can take maybe some of the suggestions that the doctor gives you. But you don't have to have the stress of not being able to pay for them, because I know, even if insurance covers it, even if your private insurance covers it, you still have the co-pays and that can add up quick for all the different therapies.

Speaker 1:

Um, as I've had I've had both of my children in ongoing therapy and I will drink to that because it and it's like, depending on where the therapy is held if it's a hospital versus like an office, like okay, it can be radically different. Yeah, yeah, that's a great tip. No, just to like. Just for clarity. If someone was looking for that, what would they put into Google if they're not in your state, like I'm in Texas, if I'm a Texas mom and I'm looking for it, what should I be Googling? What term?

Speaker 2:

I would Google Katie Beckett in your state to see if it's there.

Speaker 1:

Okay. And Beckett can you spell that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's B-E-C-K-E-T-T.

Speaker 1:

Okay, katie Beckett. Okay yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then if it's not in your state or there's different things you don't qualify for, I would just Google like go talk to your health and welfare office or type in like autism services, your state. Or type in like autism services, your state or state funding Medicaid, your state. But the biggest thing would also be to talk to a provider. So if you're in speech therapy, if you're in occupational therapy, go talk to them and say, hey, do you know of any like state programs that would pay for this? Because they'll know, because they're taking that money from from other clients.

Speaker 1:

Right, and sometimes public schools will have different programs for things like speech and you can get it through schools If you're in the public school system. I know Texas definitely has some of that, so I the wait list can be long, so it's not always a perfect option, but it is an option, especially if you're paying for one thing but you can get something else Like maybe your kid needs multiple therapies. If you can get one through the school and pay for something else privately, then that can help offset your your cost. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, if you have a child, I would say if your child is between the ages of three and five, definitely contact your local school district and get them assessed for developmental preschool, because they can go to preschool, they'll get all the therapies they need and they'll be set up to go into kindergarten with the IEP, which is an individualized education plan. They'll be set up with that going in kindergarten so you don't have to go through the process of an IEP once they're in kindergarten, because I had to do that with my oldest son and he had to be failing before they do an IEP yeah, I feel that I have a 504 for one child and it was quite the process and we had to get almost four,000 in outside, like private assessments to like have the paperwork to go back and get it, and they do not.

Speaker 1:

You have to find the right advocate because, like the school was not helping me figure that out, they did not want another kid with one and they really were not giving me suggestions. So I do. I agree with you that like finding an advocate or like a guide or another parent in your community who's gone through these processes can be so helpful because there are nuances in every area and, like like you're saying, like different programs. So getting connected with someone locally can be really powerful if you know of anyone or kind of just ask around.

Speaker 2:

Or you can join Facebook groups and ask on there. I know there's like Idaho autism moms in my area and you can go on there and say, hey, I need an IEP advocate, I need a speech therapist, I need help getting diagnosed, like all these different things, and like moms are more than willing to help you, like they want to just share all the information.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, even asking at your school's PTA, like you'd be surprised how many parents have a kid in something, or like they've gone through speech or they've gone through dyslexia or they've gone through, you know, pt or OT or like I mean it's for a lot of kids these days. So there's nothing to be embarrassed about too. I think I just, you know, I know some people like maybe they don't want to say it or admit it, or they feel like their kid's going to be labeled Um and I'm not saying that that never happens, like I, I wouldn't. I'm not trying to dismiss that, but there is a lot of power, I think, in as the parent saying we're going to embrace this and we're not going to. It's like we're not going to let it shame us or define us, because don't you agree that, like the kid gets a lot of the sentiment of like how they feel about it from the parents?

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly Like if your child gets the diagnosis of autism and you say, well, this is an excuse for you, like you don't have to do this, you don't do that, you don't have to do that because you have autism. The kid will get that feeling and just say, well, I've had kids saying this to me. They're like I can't do that, I have autism, and I'm like that's not true. I'm like that's not true. But if I really like when parents say, like everybody is different, this is how your brain is and this is how your brain works. But everyone has different brains and this is how we're going to help you, it doesn't mean you can't do. Maybe we need to find different ways to help you do things. And so the attitude definitely rubs off on the kid.

Speaker 1:

Well, and I think that's so universally applicable, because my kids are both academically very successful, but they did learn to read in very different ways and like they were on different timelines, and so it's not like we can't all reach the goal, but even how we get there is a different path.

Speaker 1:

But even how we get there is a different path and it's not always this like one size fits all, cookie cutter sort of educational model or behavioral model or parenting model, because every family is different, our bandwidth is different, how much the adult works like, how much they're present, how many therapies you can even get to transportation.

Speaker 1:

I mean even like regionally um, we are, I'm in Dallas, it's a big city, we have a lot of resources here. I've spent a lot of time at a very specialized hospital for one of my children and it's funny because I was just telling him earlier this week that like we are so lucky to have this hospital here, because I know you think it's a giant pain in the. You know what to be here all day, but like other people drive from Oklahoma or from Louisiana to be here and it's like 20 minutes away from us. So you know like even what's available can be so different for each family. That I think that's what's nice about online resources is that it does um open the world up for people who do have transportation issues or you're in a like more rural area, or whatever. It is that, like there are so many online resources these days, like no matter where you are yeah for sure.

Speaker 2:

Um, I know my son does like online. It's a. It's a program. It's called cool minds and it's a program to help with your processing speed and it helps with reading though. So he's gone from like two grades below grade level in his reading ability to almost grade level in like six months, and so that's online and it's changed his life and he can now read. He doesn't necessarily like love reading, but he'll do it when before it was a huge fight, and so or like neurofeedback. So I interviewed someone on my podcast and they they did neurofeedback, and I thought that neurofeedback only be done like in person, and she does it online, which opens it up to so many more people, and so definitely like there's more resources online now and we're able to help kids more and adults more than we ever have before.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and just for anyone who listening, who isn't familiar, what is neurofeedback? Just since you mentioned it?

Speaker 2:

isn't familiar. What is neurofeedback, just since you mentioned? Yeah, so it's just like they put these things on your head and then they do an assessment. It's kind of like electrodes on your head and then they do an assessment that shows like what, what you need to work on, and then you just like watch something while these things are on your head and then it helps change your brain so that it's able to function more efficiently and, you know, maybe you don't have as much anxiety. Or the woman that I was interviewing said like she's helped get rid of migraines. She's helped, you know, like symptoms of ADHD or characteristics of ADHD.

Speaker 1:

Um, just diminish the things that people want to diminish and just help people function better yeah, and that's what's I think so interesting that I, my kids, have had a number of health challenges that are fairly prolonged, so I can understand feeling overwhelmed. You get all these bills, you get all this information, you get all these rules. You have to do the 504, you have to do the iep, you have to do the paperwork and you have to do the IEP. You have to do the paperwork they renew every year and it's like this whole thing and it's like a lifestyle. And my kids aren't even as I don't know what the right word is Maybe like their needs aren't as demanding as certainly some other kids needs. So it can be even a lot more work than I experienced, and so I can understand.

Speaker 1:

I've been there with the like feeling of this is so overwhelming, but also it's amazing how, if we look for it, there's so much hope too that, like there are so many new modalities, it's easier than ever to find it. More of it is online, there's more help. So I think that you know it's a. It's an important perspective as the parent. Or like how do we support our kids without just feeling totally overwhelmed? Like, do you feel like most parents are struggling with that? Or like, how do you help support the parent to not just the child?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's part of the program that I have is mastering your own self-regulation and within that is, you know, self-care strategies.

Speaker 2:

I know a lot of parents don't have time for self-care, but maybe you know like you can do five minutes here or just step outside for a few minutes and breathe in the fresh air different stuff like that Cause I know a lot of parents are extremely overwhelmed. A lot of parents aren't able to work because their kid needs their full time care, and so I think reaching for those resources that help with the care of your child can really help parents. So, like the Katie Beckett waiver, like I was talking about before, like that allows someone to come into your home and take your child out into the community and do stuff with them so that you're not solely responsible for them all the time, because I know a lot of kids who are neurodivergent can't have, you know, like a typical babysitter because of their the behaviors that they have, or because of their needs, or they might be medically fragile or whatever, and so that allows for carers to come in and help give the parents some respite.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I can believe that when my daughter was about one she was in hospitalized feeding and had tons of stuff. She was in OT, she was in PT, she was in feeding. She was not doing well. At one point they were like she'll die by Christmas if this keeps up and you definitely cannot get a babysitter in that situation. Like, and I to your point, like I lost my first business, I had just started kind of being like I'm going to be an entrepreneur and like trying to balance that because I could tell that regular work hours were going to be hard. And like when they, you know, when someone says your kid's dying, like you drop everything and that's what you do and it's fine and she's healthy today, and like obviously worth it. But um, I think it is that staying on top of the mental game as the adult is. It's hard and it does take support. I think you can't be afraid to reach out and realize that your kid deserves support, but so do you, because without it it can feel very overwhelming.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I know a lot of parents feel like they're alone and no one feels like they do. But definitely reach out, find the support groups. That's why I started my group, because I noticed that parents just need time to vent in a nonjudgmental place.

Speaker 2:

And then they need, if they want ideas of how to help, they need to get ideas from other parents who also understand what they're going through. I think a lot of professionals can say a lot of things, but if they don't have a neurodivergent kid or, even worse, if they don't have any kids, they just don't get it. I had one parent before I had kids. Don't get me wrong. I think that professionals can help you, but it adds a whole new layer of understanding when they do have kids. And I had one parent before I, before I became a mom. She said I'm sorry, I I just don't trust you because you're not a mom, you don't understand. And I was like, well, that's rude. But then, after I became a mom, you don't understand. And I was like, well, that's rude.

Speaker 1:

But then, after I became a mom, I was like, oh, I get you, like I totally understand now, right, well, it's like anything else, right, like I've heard that expression that just because you've flown in a plane doesn't make you a pilot. It's like, until you've had that exact experience, like how many parents have said before, like oh, when my kids xyz. Like when my kids in high school they're not before. Like oh, and my kids X, y, z. Like when my kids in high school they're not going to do this. Or like when my kids, you know a toddler, they're not going to be on screen there.

Speaker 1:

You know we all have these goals and some of them you know we stick to, but others you can see how. Or like one kid did it, but then the second kid, it was difficult. And you know, even I think multiple kids gives you different perspectives, because some of the you only have one. You're like, oh, that wasn't that hard. But then you know my other one, like even potty training my kids was radically different experiences for each one. So it's funny how, yeah, we, you have to hold your experience loosely because it's not always the one for everyone.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Yeah, no, that makes total sense and actually kind of building on the idea of what can parents do to support themselves. We at Never Too Festive ask every guest for a petite plaisir and if you are a newer listener and you don't know about that, it's a French for a simple pleasure, because I really believe that things like creativity and joy and style and fun don't have to be these like monumental life shifts. We can all bring little pieces of it into our lives if we're intentional and we look for it. Same with gratitude we're coming up on, you know, the holidays, Thanksgiving. So if you could share a little petite play there, something small that's bringing you joy recently, then it can serve as inspiration for all of us.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I am loving Sunday dinners at my parents' house. We just go. My sisters are finally all back in one place. They were. They're significantly younger than I am and so they've been at college and all that stuff, but now they're back and I love getting together with them and my kids and my niece and my husband and like everybody, and we just have a dinner on Sundays and it that's like my favorite time of the week.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that. I feel like that's very perfect for heading into the holidays, too, where I think we all are being with loved ones and that of gathering is a little bit more top of mind for all of us. And even if you're not near extended family, you can do it with your own family, kind of make it a purposeful time of gathering. Thank you for being on the show, and where can people find more about you if they'd like to connect?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they can go to everybrainisdifferentcom. Also find me on Instagram at everybrainisdifferent.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic. That's wonderful, and I'm sure that we will leave all those links in the show notes for anyone who is looking for them, and I hope this inspired everyone to give yourself grace in your parenting journey, even if your child isn't neurodivergent. We all have different brains in all kinds of different ways, and we're all doing our best, and you are too. Thank you for joining me today on Never Too Festive. I hope you are leaving feeling inspired and refreshed. If you've loved what you've heard, don't keep it to yourself. Share this podcast with a friend who could use a little extra sparkle in her life. And hey, while you're at it, why not leave a review on your favorite podcast platform? Your feedback helps us continue to grow and inspire more women like you. Have questions or feedback you want to share directly with me? Simply click the link in the show notes to send me a text. I'd love to hear from you Until next time. Remember, all we have is today, so let's choose to live our most fabulous, joyful life together.