Our contributors

graduated from Whitman College, where she studied art.

is a journalist and editor with more than 10 years’ experience covering health, mental health, and well-being for nationally recognized brands and publications.

is the author of “The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education” and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days. 

is a health researcher and social innovation expert who brings advanced research methods and design expertise.

is a licensed psychotherapist, leadership coach, and recognized leader in digital mental health and education technology.

is an Understood Teacher Fellow and a third-grade general education teacher, co-teaching a special education inclusion class at Ashburton Elementary School in Bethesda, Maryland.

is made up of passionate writers, editors, educators, and subject matter experts who have worked in classrooms and with students who learn and think differently.

is a lawyer specializing in special needs estate planning and trust and estate administration.

is the proud mother of two teens who think differently. She’s also an award-winning journalist and radio host whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, and more.

is Understood’s associate director for accessibility and inclusion. A CPACC- and ADS-certified expert in digital accessibility, she designs and delivers trainings on disability awareness and inclusion.

is a health and science journalist.

specializes in special education and STEM and is a State Teacher of the Year recipient. She is pursuing a PhD in gender inequity in STEM.

has spent her 40-year career advocating for the rights of children with learning and thinking differences.

is an experienced educator who leads Understood’s impact and efficacy work, including the implementation of culturally responsive practices.

is an author, mental health counselor, and Florida Supreme Court certified family and circuit mediator. She specializes in anxiety, gaslighting, narcissistic abuse, and ADHD.

is head of school of Proctor Academy and has spent 30 years in school education. He’s also on the board for the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis.

is an educator, a speaker, and co-founder of the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative. She is also an ambassador for the Global Presence.

is a college learning disabilities specialist and a sought-after author and speaker on preparing students with disabilities for college.

is a special education professor at Michigan State University. He has been a speech-language pathologist as well as a university clinical supervisor.

is a licensed psychologist who focuses on ADHD, learning differences, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, behavior, executive function, and emotional regulation.

is an education consultant, education professor, and teacher. She is on the board of the South Carolina Learning Disabilities Association.

is a pediatric occupational therapist. She’s worked with children, teens, and young adults for more than 20 years.

is a licensed attorney and professor of education law and policy. He also co-hosts the education law podcast, “Chalk & Gavel.”

wrote many books on ADHD, including “Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD.” It is impossible to overstate his immense contribution to the field.

is an associate professor and program coordinator of education policy and law at Indiana University.

is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the Founder of Bay Area Modern Therapy. She focuses on women’s mental health, parenting, anxiety disorders, and ADHD.

is the superintendent of schools in Fremont, New Hampshire, an author of several books, and an educational consultant.

is a bilingual speech-language pathologist for a public school system in South Carolina and the state’s representative for Tobii Dynavox.