Resources
At Healing Empowerment Collective, we are passionate about sharing knowledge. Browse our book recommendations and helpful YouTube videos at your leisure.
This page is routinely updated. Check back for new resources! If you have a suggestion for a video, book, or topic you'd like to see, fill out the suggestion form below.
Table of Contents
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The psychology of sports trauma, sports injuries, and sports performance,
Learn more about the healing power of nature and other holistic ways of healing.
Stress Responses
YouTube videos
Books
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Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score
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Dr. Bruce Perry: What Happened to You?
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Dr. Gabor Mate': When The Body Says No
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Dr. Gabor Mate': The Myth of Normal
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Dr. Peter Levine: Waking the Tiger
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Steve Haines: Trauma is Really Strange - Teen Friendly!
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Margaret M. Holmes: A Terrible Thing Happened: A Story for Children Who Have Witnessed Violence or Trauma - Kid Friendly!
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Chandra Ghosh Ippen: Once I Was Very Very Scared - Kid Friendly!
Trauma & the Nervous System
YouTube videos
Dr. Gabor Mate' on the connection between Trauma, ADHD, and addiction (1 hour): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLvCXIvgrGQ
The HeartMath Institute on resilience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU5IZlBlRBc
Books
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Dr. Kristy Halloway: Fight, Flight, and Freeze: Moving From Victim to Survivor and Experiencing Wholeness
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Maria Colomy: You're Not Triggered, You're Dysregulated
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Marc Schoen, PhD.: Your Survival Instinct is Killing You: Retrain Your Brain to Conquer Fear and Build Resilience
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Faith G. Harper: UnF*ck Your Brain - Teen Friendly (with discretion!)
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Steve Haines: Anxiety is Really Strange - Teen Friendly!
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Free Online: Big Feelings Come and Go - Kid Friendly!
Polyvagal Theory
YouTube videos
Polyvagal Theory Explained Simply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlhFrBoEnxU
Polyvagal Theory Made Simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zrlKLgnov4
Why Vagus Nerve Stimulation is Crucial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gna1iyeGz90
Books
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Stephen Porges: The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, & Self-Regulation
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Stephen Porges: The Pocket Guide to Polyvagal Theory
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Marilyn Sanders & George Thompson: Polyvagal Theory & the Developing Child
Somatic Healing
YouTube videos
The science of HeartMath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsFBvvi3xOQ
What is Somatic Movement? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gna1iyeGz90
Why Vagus Nerve Stimulation is Crucial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gna1iyeGz90
How To Release Trauma Stored in the Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcCdoOkWPI0
Books
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Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score
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Dr. Gabor Mate': When the Body Says No
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The HeartMath Solution: Engaging the Power of the Heart's Intelligence
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Transforming Stress: The HeartMath Solution
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Brittany Piper: Body First Healing
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Transforming Stress for Teens: The HeartMath Solution - Teen Friendly!
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Lauren Rubenstein: Visiting Feelings - Kid Friendly!
Self-Regulation
YouTube videos
HeartMath Quick-Coherence Technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NhUkgnQzM
Learning to Self-Regulate Through Self-Attunement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TplLHhDRqAQ
Books
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Amber Thornton: A Parent's Guide to Self-Regulation
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Maria Colomy: You're Not Triggered, You're Dysregulated
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Faith G. Harper: UnF*ck Your Brain - Teen friendly (with discretion!)
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Dr. Julie Smith: Why Has No One Told Me This Before? - Teen friendly!
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Elizabeth Cole - I Am Stronger Than Anger - Kid friendly!
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Gabi Garcia: Listening to My Body - Kid friendly!
Healthy Coping
YouTube videos
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1rNKQMbLOo
5 Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms You Shouldn't Ignore:
Healthy coping for young people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv2DJ9riXb4
A to Z coping ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EXpkVw3fh0
Healthy coping skills that AREN'T avoidance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ibfCSZ8bX0
Books
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Nick Trenton: The Art of Letting Go
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Brene' Brown: Rising Strong
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Nicole Gonzalez: The Book Every Teen Should Read - Teen Friendly!
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Natalia Maguire: My Body Sends a Signal - Kid friendly!
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Healthy or Unhealthy Coping, and How to Know the Difference - Kid friendly!
Attachment
YouTube videos
How Attachment Theory affects childhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3bynimi8HQ
Dr. Gabor Mate on authenticity vs. attachment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3bynimi8HQ
Books
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Dr. Amir Levine & Rachel Heller: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find - And Keep - Love
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Hoffman, Cooper, & Powell: Raising a Secure Child
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Mark Wolynn: It Didn't Start With You
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Purvis, Cross, & Sunshine: The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
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Betsy de Thierry: The Simple Guide to Attachment Difficulties in Children
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Jessica Zaid-Hills: The Anxious Attachment Recovery Guide for Teen Girls - Teen Friendly!
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Dorothy Markham: All About Ben: Helping Children with Attachment Issues to Understand Their Feelings - Kid Friendly!
Still Face Experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTTSXc6sARg
Adoption
YouTube videos
Attachment and adoption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGjxUROo2m4
Babies remember separation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y0CzLv1Iiw
Long-term effects of separation on adopted children:
Michael Grand on The Primal Wound and The Adoption Constellation:
7 core issues of adoption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tjXahbEy3I
Books
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Sherrie Eldridge: Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew
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Nancy Verrier: The Primal Wound
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Michael Phillip Grand: The Adoption Constellation: New Ways of Thinking about Practicing Adoption
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Purvis, Cross, & Sunshine: The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
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Anne Heffron: You Don't Look Adopted - Teen friendly!
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Angela Tucker: "You Should Be Grateful": Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption - Teen friendly!
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Elena S. Hall : Adoption is Both - Kid friendly!
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Chandra Ghosh Ippen: Mama's Waves & Daddy's Waves - Kid friendly!
Family Relationships
YouTube videos
Understanding the Drama Triangle in family conflict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpvKDYPqC5I
Lynne Forrest on Victim Consciousness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV3Z0XS3T-w&list=PLm7wX4pwKJAWIyHoc4iUHe7bZXIfjckm5
Lynne Forrest - Starting gate positions on victim triangle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN3sD6Vr3PE&list=PLm7wX4pwKJAWIyHoc4iUHe7bZXIfjckm5&index=2
5 Types of communication: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3loIV3Z9MQ
Books
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Richard C. Shwartz: No Bad Parts
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Krissy Pozatek: The Parallel Process - Growing Alongside Your Adolescent or Young Adult Child in Treatment
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Mark Wolynn: It Didn't Start With You
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The Arbinger Institute: The Anatomy of Peace - Resolving the Heart of Conflict - Teen Friendly!
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Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements - Teen Friendly!
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Claire & Mia Fontaine: Come Back - A Mother & Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back - Teen Friendly!
Peer Relationships
YouTube videos
How friendship affects the brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmVpwXH4jhA
How some friendships last - and others don't: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOVdiDUlNsg
Differences between healthy friends and toxic friends:
7 signs of an abusive friendship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVMeV28vEuk
Books
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Dr. Daniel J. Siegal: Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
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Dr. John Duffy: Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety
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Gary Chapman: The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers
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Brene' Brown: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) - Teen friendly!
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Brene' Brown: Braving the Wilderness - Teen Friendly
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Caroline Millington: The Friendship Formula - Teen friendly!
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Christina Furnival: The Not-So-Friendly Friend - Kid friendly!
Boundaries
YouTube videos
Understanding the Drama Triangle in family conflict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpvKDYPqC5I
Explaining healthy boundaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAap_uMPbGY
Setting boundaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf4FIt5DG4g
Setting boundaries with kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmhvFzqX_Ic
Setting healthy boundaries in friendships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb9L4XQNwPw
Setting boundaries with your parents at any age: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdyTUYkGpQ
Books
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Melanie Beattie: Codependent No More
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Juliane Taylor Shore: Setting Boundaries That Stick
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Faith G. Harper: Unf*ck Your Boundaries - Teen friendly (with discretion)
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Mel Robbins: The Let Them Theory - Teen friendly!
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The Arbinger Institute: The Anatomy of Peace - Resolving the Heart of Conflict - Teen Friendly!
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Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements - Teen Friendly!
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Christina Furnival: The Not-So-Friendly Friend - Kid friendly!
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Jenny Simmons: I Can Say No - Kid friendly!
Self-Image & Self-Love
YouTube videos
The journey to self-love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HTKzQm67mw
The Story You Tell Yourself - your narrative identity:
Brene' Brown - Why your critics aren't the ones who count:
Brene' Brown - true belonging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vphih0pa1A
Brene' Brown full TED Talk - Listening to Shame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psN1DORYYV0
Books
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Shad Helmstetter, PhD: What To Say When You Talk To Yourself
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Dalai Lama: The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
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Jen Sincero - You Are a Badass - Teen friendly (with discretion)
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Brene' Brown: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) - Teen friendly!
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Brene' Brown: Daring Greatly - Teen Friendly
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Brene' Brown - The Gifts of Imperfection - Teen friendly!
Empathy, Shame, & Vulnerability
YouTube videos
Brene' Brown full TED Talk - Listening to Shame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psN1DORYYV0
Brene' Brown on vulnerability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO6n9HmG0qM
Brene' Brown full TED talk - The Power of Vulnerability:
Brene' Brown on empathy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw
Peter Levine, PhD on overcoming toxic shame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeucbAfy0WY
Books
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Mark Wolynn: It Didn't Start With You
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Michele Filgate: What My Mother and I Don't Talk About
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Brene' Brown: I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) - Teen friendly!
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Brene' Brown: The Gifts of Imperfection - Teen friendly!
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Brene' Brown: Daring Greatly - Teen friendly!
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Betsy de Thierry: The Simple Guide to Understanding Shame in Children - Teen friendly!
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Jamie Letourneau - A Kid's Book About Shame - Kid friendly!
Neurodiversity/Neurodivergence
YouTube videos
Several TED talks playlist: https://www.ted.com/playlists/153/the_autism_spectrum
Books
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Jenara Nerenberg - The Divergent Mind
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Steve Silberman - Neurotribes
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Chloe Hayden - Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After - Teen friendly!
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Louise Gooding - Wonderfully Wired Brains - Kid friendly!
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Elise Gravel: This Is My Brain! A Book on Neurodiversity - Kid friendly!
What is neurodiversity? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALJ3CFRRZpo
10 Neurodivergent traits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrtvkyURbMs
What actually is neurotypical? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnhbIaFed0s
ASD (The Autism Spectrum)
YouTube videos
Several TED talks playlist: https://www.ted.com/playlists/153/the_autism_spectrum
What is autism? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX-qhuXXuF8
What is the autism spectrum?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyuP7Q1fk9g
5 Key Differences between ASD and ADHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rihlhHR3tow
15 signs of autism in adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGeNAgh3IqY
Books
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Devon Price, PhD.: Unmasking Autism
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Barry M. Prizant, PhD. - Uniquely Human
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Temple Grandin: Visual Thinking
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Paid Layle: But Everyone Feels This Way
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Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik: Hidden Brilliance
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Eric Garcia: We’re Not Broken
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Sarah O'Brien: So, I'm Autistic - Teen friendly!
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Jennifer Cook O'Toole - The Asperkid's Secret Book of Social Rules - Teen friendly!
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Holly Robinson Peete - Same But Different - Teen friendly!
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Niamh Garvey - Being Autistic (And What That Actually Means) - Kid friendly!
ADHD
YouTube videos
Books
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Dr. Gabor Mate': Scattered Minds
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Dr. Edward Hallowell & Dr. John Ratey: Driven to Distraction
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Dr. Russell Barkley: Taking Charge of ADHD
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Dr. Sharon Saline: What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew
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Dr. Tamara Rosier: Your Brain's Not Broken - Teen friendly!
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Dr. Michele Novotni: What Does Everybody Else Know But I Don't? - Teen friendly!
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Kate Kelly & Peggy Ramundo: You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?! - Teen friendly!
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Soli Lazarus: ADHD Is Our Superpower: The Amazing Skills and Talents of Children with ADHD - Kid friendly!
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Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez: Benji's Busy Brain: My ADHD Toolkit Books - Kid friendly!
5 Key Differences between ASD and ADHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rihlhHR3tow
What is ADHD? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZrZa5pLXk
Trying (An ADHD Short Film): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGzwoPJ3sE0
Connections between ADHD and trauma (can skip first 8 min):
21 signs of ADHD in women & girls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbvRVrDw8C0
Facts & myths about ADHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoEfxNIE-dk
Learning Differences
YouTube videos
How to help kids talk about their learning difficulties:
What is Non-verbal Learning Disorder?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ZkXeOT0Uk
NVLD vs. Autism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_KK8vt5KLg
6 types of Dyslexia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilELQlUBWto
Facts & myths about Dyscalculia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02MB3zI5iNI
Dyspraxia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tbcCaXsN94
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?:
How Slow Processing Speed affects students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiyBNZEuPPc
Books
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Michael Brian Murphy: NLD From the Inside Out
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David Flink: Thinking Differently
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Ben Foss: The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
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Dr. Gail Saltz: The Power of Different - Teen friendly!
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Alais Winston: The Self-Help Guide for Teens With Dyslexia - Teen friendly!
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Brenda Miles: How I Learn - Kid friendly!
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Jolene Gutierrez: Too Much! An Overwhelming Day - Kid friendly!
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Vanita Oelschlager: Knees: The Mixed-Up World of a Boy With Dyslexia - Kid friendly!