EPISODE 168
Sensory Health:
An Essential Concern for Neurodivergent People
with Dr. Virginia Spielmann, PhD, OTR/L
An Essential Concern for Neurodivergent People
with Dr. Virginia Spielmann, PhD, OTR/L
Play the Episode…
Show Notes
Dr. Virginia Spielmann discusses sensory health and its broader implications with Barry and Dave, beyond just auditory or visual sensitivity issues. She explains how sensory processing affects emotional and physical well-being, emphasizing that everyone processes sensations constantly but may experience challenges in how they integrate sensory information. She explains how neurodivergent individuals often face misinterpretation of their behaviors, with observable actions being labeled as “just behavior” rather than recognized as potential indicators of sensory distress. Virginia concludes by emphasizing that sensory health is a human issue affecting everyone, not just those with neurodivergent conditions, and highlights how differences in sensory processing have contributed to human diversity and expertise throughout history.
Featuring
Dr. Virginia Spielmann
Dr. Virginia Spielmann is an AUDHD Occupational Therapist and the Executive Director of the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing in Denver, Colorado. She is a published author of multiple papers and chapters. She is an international and TEDx speaker. She consults on television and other media projects. Virginia obtained her PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on mental health from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara. She also is trained as a DIR/Floortime therapist.
Learn more about the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing
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…and Continue the Discussion
Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.
1. Virginia describes sensory health as much more than simply being sensitive to sounds, lights, textures, or smells. How does she describe it and how is that different (and similar) to your previous understandings?
2. How can differences in sensory processing affect a person’s emotional well-being and mental health?
3. What steps can be taken to prevent misinterpretation of a child or adult’s reaction to challenges to their sensory health? Why is it important to look through this lens in providing support to neurodivergent individuals?
HOSTED BY
Barry Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Barry Prizant is a speech-language pathologist with more than 50 years experience as a researcher and international consultant for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. He is an Adjunct Professor of Communicative Disorders at the University of Rhode Island and Director, Childhood Communication Services (a private practice). Previously, he served as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Brown University School of Medicine, and held a tenured professor appointment at Emerson College. Publications include 5 books, most notably Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2015; 2022) and The SCERTS Model manuals, an educational approach implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published 150 scholarly chapters and articles and serves on numerous professional advisory boards for journals and professional organizations. Barry has presented more than 1000 seminars and keynote addresses internationally, including two invited presentations at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day. His career contributions have been recognized with honors from Brown and Princeton Universities, the Autism Society of America and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Visit Barry’s website here
Uniquely Human, the book (Updated and Expanded edition!)
Dave Finch
Dave Finch is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband. As a writer and creative consultant, his work has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, SiriusXM, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Howard Stern Show, and the award-winning Netflix series, Atypical. Based in Denver, Dave’s company, Elevated Studio, produces this podcast and other recognized series.
Visit Dave’s website here
“I have read a million and one books on Autism. Uniquely Human is the best book I have ever read, hands down. Thank you Barry for this incredible gift!!!!”
– Navah Paskovitz, Mother of three boys with Autism, Co-Founder, the Ed Asner Family Center
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– Michelle Garcia Winner, Speech Language Pathologist and Founder of Social Thinking
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– Susannah Meadows, The New York Times
“In this hilarious memoir (which also gives some of the finest explications of Asperger’s out there), Finch approaches trying to be a better husband and father with the determination of Sherman marching on Atlanta.”
– Judith Newman, People (4/4 stars)
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