190. Exploring the science of Failure for you and your Autistic learner

In this edition of Non Linear Learning, Dr. Vaish Sarathy and co-host Searmi Park unpack the buzz around “productive failure”and flip it on its head for neurodivergent learners.

Inspired by Manu Kapur’s work and his recent conversation on 10% Happier, Vaish and Searmi explore when failure can deepen learning, when it harms, and why the word we’re actually looking for is exploration, not failure - at least for this audience. 

In this episode

1. Productive failure - what we think it means
   
2. Why we don’t “design failure” for autistic students
   
3. Parents as the ones who “fail productively”
   
4. Real-life stories
   
5. A challenge for listeners

Key takeaways

1. Exploration > evaluation. Our learners already face constant performance tests; they don’t need “engineered” failure.
2. Hold the bar high, detach from outcomes. You can keep rigor and still protect nervous systems.
3. Make the “failure” yours. Parents and educators can iterate on the environment, task, and supports instead of labeling the child.
4. Build a web, not a bridge. Let detours teach the terrain.

Resources & Links

1. Book: Productive Failure: Unlocking Deeper Learning Through the Science of Failing by Manu Kapur
2. Podcast that sparked this convo: 10% Happier with Dan Harris — “Let’s Normalize Failure (The Right Kind) | Manu Kapur.” (Spotify)

Try this at home (Quarterly Challenge)

Pick one stretch experience your child “can’t do”—museum hour, library time, a short concert, a new trail, and scaffold it respectfully (sensory-wise, regulation-wise). Debrief afterwards: What worked? What needs one tweak? What surprised you?

About your hosts

1. Dr. Vaish Sarathy — TEDx speaker, PhD educator, creator of Non Linear Education, and mom to a non-speaking autistic poet with Down syndrome.
2. Searmi Park — Concertmaster, Eugene Symphony; founder of Autism Mustang Alliance; mom to a non-speaking autistic young adult.

Support the show

1. 💌 Get the free guide: Turn ON your child’s learning switch
2. 🎓 Join the Non Linear Education waitlist
3. ⭐ If this episode helped, please leave a 5-star review and if it didn’t… maybe skip the review this time 😉 

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Disclaimer: The information in this Podcast is for educational purposes only. Vaishnavi Sarathy, Ph.D. is an educator, not a doctor, specifically not your child’s doctor. Please consult your physician before implementing any supplement or diet recommendations.