Non Linear Learning - Rethinking Education for Neurodivergent Learners

Homeschooling sometimes begins when parents realize the education system is not serving their child. 
In this episode of Non Linear Learning, Dr. Vaish Sarathy speaks with Victoria Lenormand, a former detective turned holistic health practitioner and homeschooling parent, about what it takes to trust a child's internal compass and let go of conventional definitions of success.
Victoria brings an evidence-based perspective to homeschooling. Trained to observe patterns and follow facts, she applied that same mindset to her son's learning and recognized that a linear schooling model was taking enormous energy just to maintain — without supporting his identity or growth.
Together, Vaish and Victoria explore:
How to build the mindset needed for homeschooling

The 3 factors learning is built around when done right. 

How to interpret stubbornness or "wilfulness" in a way that works for your child, and 

Why the energy cost of education is critical information for parents

This conversation is for parents considering homeschooling, questioning traditional schooling, or feeling the constant friction between who their child is and what school expects.
As we reflect in the episode:
"When something in education takes enormous energy just to maintain, it's worth asking whether it's actually working."
Resources
Victoria Lenormand's parent community: https://www.geminidirections.co.uk
You can find Vaish at www.instagram.com/drvaishsarathy

Parents of Autistic children and children with Down syndrome are often given advice that sounds compassionate, reasonable, and supportive. But much of it slowly limits learning, flexibility, autonomy, and long-term growth.
In this milestone Episode 200 of Non Linear Learning, Dr. Vaish Sarathy challenges 5 common pieces of parenting and education advice that unintentionally lower expectations and shift focus away from real learning.
In this episode, you'll learn why Dr. Vaish challenges:
• Strict routines and rigid structure — and how too much predictability reduces tolerance for learning and change • Traditional support groups — and how shared grief can quietly stall progress
... and more 
This episode is for parents who:
• Have been told academics can wait • Feel uneasy about advice that sounds kind but feels limiting • Want age-appropriate, intellectually rich education for their child
Resources
Learn how to teach real academics non-linearly, without waiting for "readiness," inside Non Linear Education.

When 8-year-old non-speaking autistic Rafael found text-based communication, he didn't just start "answering questions." He started telling the truth about his body, his anxiety, and the frustration of being misunderstood.
 
If you've ever looked at your non-speaking child and thought, "I know there's more in there… I just don't know how to reach it," this conversation is for you.
 
Today I'm joined by Daria and her 8-year-old autistic, non-speaking son Rafael, co-creators of Spelling the Tea on Autism on Substack and Instagram. After discovering text-based communication, they realized how deeply Rafael had been misunderstood - and started documenting both his words and the science that helps explain them.
 
Inside the episode, we talk about:
Rafael's "goner mindset" before communication and what typing changed about his sense of the future.

How apraxia creates a gap between intention and movement and why that gap gets mislabeled as "low IQ," "behavior," or "non-compliance."

The concept of an "interference score" for food!

How Rafael would redesign first in schools for non-speakers.

Why regulation, communication, and learning are inseparable… and why independence in cognition does not mean independence in motor and sensory systems.

 
This is a humbling, practical, and very human reminder that:
We can't keep separating "behavior," "sensory," and "cognitive" boxes.

Research on autism that excludes non-speakers cannot be our only compass.

And most importantly: sitting still is not a pre-requisite for real thinking or rigorous education.

 
You can find Daria and Rafael at https://www.instagram.com/spelling_the_tea_on_autism/
and https://spellingthetea.substack.com/
 
You can find Dr. Vaish Sarathy at https://www.instagram.com/drvaishsarathy/
Check out her 6 foundational tips on education at https://www.drvaishsarathy.com/nonlinearlearning

I first spoke with Dana Johnson nearly 4 years ago, and that conversation completely changed how I saw vision and learning. I call it my "ocular motor awakening" when I truly understood that vision has three components, and only one of them is corrected by glasses.
Dana is the co-creator of the Spellers Method and the founder of multiple centers dedicated to helping non-speaking individuals communicate and learn with purpose. As both an occupational therapist (OT) and a Spellers Method practitioner, she brings a unique approach to supporting individuals with autism, apraxia, dyspraxia, and sensory-motor differences.
In this episode, we talk about the power of purposeful motor skills, breaking down barriers for non-speakers, and what real communication means.
Key Takeaways:

Vision isn't just about eyesight it's about how the brain processes what we see.

Apraxia is a motor planning challenge, not a cognitive one.
Communication is possible when we focus on purposeful motor skills.
What does right support look like?
Get in Touch:
👉 Learn more about Dana Johnson's work at Spellers Method Tampa
👉 Connect with Dr. Vaish Sarathy on Instagram: @drvaishsarathy

If you're parenting an Autistic child and living in a state of constant alert (sensory overwhelm, dysregulation, sleepless nights, meltdowns, and the never-ending to-do list), this episode gives you a concrete biochemical map for how to get back to baseline.
In today's conversation,I'm joined by Dr. Scott Sherr board certified internal medicine physician, certified practitioner of Health Optimization Medicine, and COO of Troscriptions, a company making physician formulated, precision-dosed buccal troches for focus, stress, sleep, and immune function.


We talk about:
What is the "sympathetic spiral of doom."

What GABA deficiency actually looks like (and why calming down isn't as simple as "go meditate").

Why mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic inflammation show up so strongly in autistic and disabled kids and how supporting cellular energy can actualy reduce hyper-excitability.

The real problem with giving kids 10–20 supplements at once.

How targeted support can help caregivers feel better now, while they work the longer game of diet, lifestyle, and environment.

Links Mentioned
Dr. Scott Sherr's clinical practice: https://drscottsherr.com

Troscriptions Products: https://troscriptions.com
(Please work with a practitioner before using any product with a child.)

If you found this episode helpful: Please share it with a caregiver who feels stuck in stress, burnout, or dysregulation.
And grab my free guide: Gut Health Toolkit