I am your Neurodiverse host, Dr. Olivia Kessel.

I was diagnosed with dyslexia in university and I wish I had been diagnosed much earlier. It would've explained a lot of the issues I was having in school!

This podcast however, was really inspired by my daughter, Alexandra. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in an MRI scan at nine months old. She had had encephalitis from a viral infection at nine weeks while we were living in Africa. More recently, Alexandra has been diagnosed with dyslexia like her mother, and in fact, my father has dyslexia as well.

Speaking for myself, I find that it can be very lonely.  I often struggle to find the right information and the right resources to get the best for my daughter.

At the time, a lot of my friends and their children weren't neurodiverse and they weren't experiencing what I was experiencing. Given my personal experience, the impetus of creating this podcast is that I would like to support other parents who have, or suspect they may have neurodiverse children.

It can be scary at first, but with help, advice and support we can meet the challenges together.