Beneath the Behavior: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids With Science, Not Shame
Beneath the Behavior is a podcast for parents of neurodivergent kids who want understanding instead of blame.
Hosted by pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers, each episode explores what’s really going on beneath a child’s behavior—from a brain and nervous system perspective—so parents can respond with more clarity and less self-doubt.
This podcast isn’t about quick fixes or perfect parenting. It’s about slowing things down, making sense of hard moments, and supporting neurodivergent kids with science, not shame.
Episodes are short, focused, and grounded in real clinical experience. If parenting feels harder than it should, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place.
Beneath the Behavior: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids With Science, Not Shame
Latest Episodes
Autism Communication Strategies That Actually Work
If your autistic child isn’t communicating clearly yet, where do you actually start?In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers breaks down what to do first when autism and communication challenges show up after a diagnosis. ...
Autism (ASD) Diagnosis Guide: First Steps Every Parent Needs
Autism diagnosis—now what do you actually do first? Skip the overwhelm and start with what truly matters for your child. In this Introductory first episode of this Beneath the Behavior miniseries: Now What? Next Steps...
OCD in Kids: Intrusive Thoughts, Compulsions, and the Treatment That Works
OCD in children and teens is widely misunderstood.Obsessive–compulsive disorder is not about liking things clean or organized. It’s a cycle of intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors that can quietly take over...
How Nonverbal Autistic Children Communicate (AAC, Echolalia, and Language Development)
In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers explores the inner world of nonverbal autistic children and the communication systems many parents and educators overlook.Many parents quietly ask difficult questions:...
Why Neurodivergent Kids Fight Bedtime: Anxiety, Night Wakings & Self-Soothing Explained
Bedtime shouldn’t feel like a nightly battle. But for many parents of ADHD and autistic children, it does.If your child fights sleep, wakes in the middle of the night, can’t self-soothe, needs you present, or seems wired at bedtime, this...
Fan Mail
This is one of the most practical, helpful, honest, and accurate podcasts I’ve ever heard and I’ve shared it with several other parents including my co-parenting ex and other parents of children with PDA, ODD, ADHD and other parents of children who are non-speaking with AAC devices.
Boise, Idaho