In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Active Reader co-founder and former classroom teacher Rebecca McAllister to unpack why so many complex kids (and even their teachers!) still struggle with reading—and how a multi-sensory, five-minute-a-day routine can rewrite that story long before first grade.

Rebecca shares:

• From “good student” to secret struggler. Undiagnosed dyslexia left Rebecca memorizing textbooks and dodging eye-contact with contracts—until Orton-Gillingham training finally “turned the world to color” at age 36.
• Why most classrooms miss the mark. Whole-word cueing relies on memorization; structured literacy rewires the brain by fusing sight, sound, touch, and movement.
• The active-learning blueprint. How her flash-card “equations” (C—cat—/k/) + tracing + play turn toddlers’ Hot Wheels laps into letter-sound mastery.
• Red-flag behaviors to spot early. Avoidance, echo-answers, symbol confusion—signs your pre-K child might be heading for the same hurdles.
• A 30-week plug-and-play curriculum. For parents, daycares, and special-ed teams: five to ten minutes a day, zero guesswork, scripts included.
• Success without burnout. Why mixing story time, movement games, and even movie characters with a target sound cements learning for ADHD and dyslexic brains.

Quote to tape on the fridge:
“If they can feel it, hear it, and giggle while they say it, the brain keeps it forever.”

Whether your child is handwriting their first “B” at 11 or devouring chapter books at five, Rebecca’s message is simple: build a sensory-rich foundation now, and reading roadblocks vanish before they start.

👤 About Rebecca McAllister

A certified teacher, literacy specialist, and co-founder of The Active Reader, Rebecca turned her own late-identified dyslexia into a mission: give every family the tools schools often skip. She leads one-to-one Orton-Gillingham tutoring across North America and designs play-based curricula that fit into real-life parent schedules.

🔗 Connect with Rebecca & The Active Reader

Website: theactivereader.com
Instagram: @the_active_reader
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebeccalmcallister
Email: rebecca@theactivereader.com

#ComplexKidsSimpleSolutions #EarlyLiteracy #OrtonGillingham #DyslexiaSupport #PlayBasedLearning

Listen to this episode and more at
https://wisdom4complexkids.com/complexkidssimplesolutions

🎧 Connect with Michelle:
Website: www.wisdom4complexkids.com
Instagram: @michellechoairy
Join the community: Wisdom 4 Complex Kids Facebook Group

💌 Have a question or want to share your story? Email Michelle at michellechoairy@gmail.com

🧠 Want simple tools that actually work?
Download the free advocacy toolkit: wisdom4complexkids.com/the-ultimate-advocacy-toolkit-pdf

In this conversation, Michelle welcomes therapist and EmpowerMind Solutions founder Dr. Kristen Williamson to bust the myth that ADHD and autism are deficits—and to show both parents and late-diagnosed adults how to turn “weird” traits into everyday superpowers.

Kristen shares:

• The diagnosis after 30 that changed everything. A lifetime of “too much” finally made sense when Kristen received back-to-back ADHD and autism confirmations at 38 and 39—then realized her entire family tree was “neuro-spicy.”
• Why girls (and moms) get missed. Early screening tools were built for 8-year-old white boys; masking, cultural norms, and medical gas-lighting leave women and people of color labeled “anxious” or “lazy” instead of autistic.
• Lawn-mower parenting vs. life skills. Clear every obstacle and your complex kid never learns to fold laundry, shower, or self-advocate. Kristen explains how to swap “mowing down struggles” for bite-size checklists and visual timers.
• 100 percent failure, 100 percent restart. ADHD brains abandon routines—and that’s OK. From alarm sounds to shower visors, Kristen demonstrates how curiosity beats shame every time a system breaks.
• Humor as a sensory aid. Why walking backward down the street, laughing at grocery-store meltdowns, and telling the story without passive-aggressive digs defuses stigma for kids and adults alike.

Quote to tape on the fridge:
“Your brain isn’t broken—it just writes in its own language. Learn the language, and the superpowers come online.”

Whether you’re parenting a meltdown-prone eight-year-old or wondering why your own coping skills collapsed at menopause, Kristen’s roadmap proves it’s never too late to ditch shame, get curious, and build a life that fits.

👤 About Dr. Kristen Williamson
A Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of EmpowerMind Solutions LLC, Kristen specializes in supporting neurodivergent adults—especially those diagnosed with ADHD or autism later in life—through self-compassion, practical strategies, and neurodiversity advocacy.

🔗 Connect with Kristen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristensmith0045
TikTok: @empowerminds.solu

#ComplexKidsSimpleSolutions #NeuroSpicy #LateDiagnosis #LawnMowerParenting #ADHDAutism #LifeSkills

Listen to this episode and more at
https://wisdom4complexkids.com/complexkidssimplesolutions

🎧 Connect with Michelle:
Website: www.wisdom4complexkids.com
Instagram: @michellechoairy
Join the community: Wisdom 4 Complex Kids Facebook Group

💌 Have a question or want to share your story? Email Michelle at michellechoairy@gmail.com

🧠 Want simple tools that actually work?
Download the free advocacy toolkit: wisdom4complexkids.com/the-ultimate-advocacy-toolkit-pdf

In this conversation, Michelle sits down with Cleverely operations lead Michael Israel to unpack the hidden reason babies and complex kids are still left in hot cars—and the 15-second fix that turns back-seat checks into second nature.

Michael shares:

• A dad’s near-miss that sparked a movement. One foggy commuter morning, a tech-savvy father forgot his son was still riding behind him. The memory lapse ended safely—but exposed a blind spot that kills dozens of U S children every summer.
• Why no one is “too careful.” Your brain can only juggle 7–8 data points at once; add work calls, grocery lists, or medical-equipment prep and any parent’s memory buffer overflows.
• Seat-belt déjà vu. How Cleverely’s $30 plug-in device swaps high-priced sensors for randomized voice prompts—training you to glance at the back seat the same way the 1970s trained us to click a belt.
• The number you never hear: 65,000 U S near-miss rescues a year—cases that don’t make national stats but leave lasting trauma.
• Easy wins for busy families. One-minute install, no app, no Wi-Fi, plus bulk programs for NICUs, CP clinics, and respite-care fleets so every caregiver hears the reminder.

Quote to tape on the fridge:
“Every time you exit, eyes to the back seat—even when the seat is supposed to be empty. That habit is the real safety device.”

Whether you’re hauling orthotics, wheelchairs, or a week’s worth of meds, Michael’s message is simple: habitualize the glance, and hot-car headlines fade into history.

👤 About Michael Israel

A former tech-startup strategist turned safety advocate, Michael leads U S partnerships for Cleverely, an Australian-born company dedicated to ending pediatric hot-car deaths through habit-building reminders.

Listen to this episode and more at
https://wisdom4complexkids.com/complexkidssimplesolutions

🎧 Connect with Michelle:
Website: www.wisdom4complexkids.com
Instagram: @michellechoairy
Join the community: Wisdom 4 Complex Kids Facebook Group

💌 Have a question or want to share your story? Email Michelle at michellechoairy@gmail.com

🧠 Want simple tools that actually work?
Download the free advocacy toolkit: wisdom4complexkids.com/the-ultimate-advocacy-toolkit-pdf