Episode Details

In this episode, Alpha sits down with Francesca Casaro, developmental educator, autism and ADHD specialist, and founder of Neuro Connections, to talk about what neurodivergence actually is, why so many people are only getting diagnosed in adulthood, and how to stop working against your brain and start working with it.

Francesca's path is a fascinating one. Born in Italy, she moved to New Zealand, had a daughter, and it was only when her daughter started school that the journey toward diagnosis began, for her daughter, and eventually for Francesca herself. Both are autistic and ADHD. Rather than sitting with that information, Francesca went deep, completed a Master of Autism Neurodivergence, and built a career supporting autistic and ADHD families.

This conversation is warm, honest, and genuinely useful, whether you're navigating neurodivergence yourself, supporting a child, or simply trying to understand why some things feel so much harder than they should.

What We Cover

·       What developmental education actually is (and why it's different from teaching)

·       Why autism isn't more common, we just understand it better now

·       What a 'spiky cognitive profile' means and why it matters

·       Why formal labels can be useful, but only when they give you tools, not more shame

·       The neurodiversity movement and what 'neuro-affirmative' practice actually