Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
You don’t snap at your kids because you’re a bad parent. You snap because your stress builds faster than your awareness, and no one ever taught you how to handle that.
I’m Dr. Cindy Hovington, a mom of three with a doctorate in neuroscience and founder of Curious Neuron. I created The Reflective Parenting Podcast for parents who care deeply, know a lot, and still find themselves overwhelmed in the real moments.
This is not a podcast where I tell you how to be a perfect parent. I’m in it with you.
Each week, I invite you into my own reflections:
- what I’m learning from scientific articles and books,
- what I’m noticing in my nervous system and emotions,
- and what real parents and experts teach me in conversation.
Together, we get curious about why we snap, shut down, or over-function in conflict, and what’s actually happening in our brain and body when we do. We talk about stress, shame, repair, boundaries, playfulness, and the quiet moments no one sees—so you can start to recognize your patterns and gently shift them.
By listening, you’ll learn to:
- notice your stress and body signals earlier,
- understand the lenses and stories that intensify hard moments,
- regulate your nervous system when parenting feels like “too much”,
- and handle conflict with more calm, clarity, and repair.
- But more than that, you’ll have a companion in the work.
I’ll share where I struggle, what I’m practicing, and how I’m trying to grow, so you don’t feel like the only parent who finds this hard.
If you’re ready to move away from “perfect” parenting and toward reflective parenting—where every tough moment becomes data, not failure—pull up a chair.
Let’s learn, feel, and grow together.
Find out which book I will be covering next month:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/
Join the private group on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/
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Purchase my course The Emotionally Aware Parent.
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Follow us on Instagram @drcindyhovington or Facebook @curiousneuronparenting
Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
Dr. Julie Scorah: Barriers to care for Autistic children
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In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Julie Scorah a licensed neuropsychologist at McGill University. Julie practices as a clinician and is involved in research about how to make autism resources more accessible to the families that need them. Here’s a preview of what we talked about:
11:21 - What should parents be looking for in terms of symptoms? When is the proper age to get a diagnosis and how is autism diagnosed?
18:52 - What is the prevalence of autism?
22:22 - Does autism present differently in girls than in boys?
25:52 - What are the motions after your child receives an autism diagnosis? Is it all bad?
37:22 - Is there DNA testing available to help diagnose autism and is it useful?
39:38 - What are the differences in the brain of a child with autism compared to a typically developing brain
42:53 - Are any birthing conditions (preeclampsia, pre-mature, etc) correlated with the likelihood of the child having autism?
46:40 - Why do autistic individuals have sensory sensitivities and what are they?
51:57 - Can being female be protective against developing autism?
Resources:
- Join Dr. Scorah and her team on Twitter
- To get involved in research check out the ACAR website or send an e-mail to autism@mcgill.ca
- ASD pathways study
- World Health Organization Training for caregivers of children with autism
For more information visit the podcast summary page here.
Tune in next week for episode 100 with Dr. Bruce D Perry!!
- Join the Reflective Parent Book Club for only $9.99 for the year: https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-book-club
- Watch my Tedx Talk on YouTube called The Over-Educated, Emotionally Underprepared Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDYJFY_9K9E&t=19s
- Grab my course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
- Doors open to join the next 8-week training (Starts Oct 12th) here https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/