Philosophically Untenable: A School Psychologist's 15-Year Journey
What happens when you're a occupational therapist in special education surrounded by neurodivergence every day...and then realize you're looking in a mirror? For Maggie Latona, it took a phone call with a parent about a student's autism diagnosis to finally see herself clearly. The stories the mom shared? Maggie did those things too.
Jenna Goldstein spent 15 years as a school psychologist watching the system pathologize, punish, and misidentify neurodivergent kids. Eventually, the gap between what she knew was right and what schools were willing to do became impossible to navigate. The schools and Jenna were "going in totally different directions" in their thinking, their worldviews about humans and children, their understanding of diversity. So she left, and built something better.
In this episode, Jenna pulls back the curtain on what really happens in schools when a child might be autistic. She explains why schools aren't equipped to identify autism, how power dynamics silence professionals who see clearly, and what it means to create the conditions where neurodivergent kids can actually thrive.
We also talk about:
Why schools and professionals are "speaking a completely different language" about the same child
The three neurodivergent perspectives Jenna brings to her work (as an autistic person, parent of autistic kids, and former school psychologist)
How she a one of the "best and brightest" students in school
The PDA Safe Circle and her work with Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman
What autistic joy looks like when you're doing hip hop dance as an adult
This conversation is a masterclass in seeing systems clearly, speaking truth even when it's unwelcome, and building the world neurodivergent people actually deserve!
Find Jenna Goldstein: Website: nd3.org
Email: jenna@nd3.org
Facebook: ND3
Jenna's Offerings: •Cothú Parenting (Awesome Training parenting program for parents of autistic young people)
The School Question course (with Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman) •
PDA presentations and workshops •Private consultations and direct services
Mentioned in this episode: Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman and the PDA Safe Circle
Cothú Parenting (run by autistic people, based in Ireland, created by Evelyn Welton)
Resources: Learn more about high-masking, late-diagnosed autism: Instagram @neurokoryous Unmasking Retreats: koryandreas.com
