About Our Practice
A Parent-Centered Approach to
Making Sense of What You See
Divergent Insights Consultation provides parent-focused consultation for families seeking a clearer understanding of their child’s behavioral, emotional, learning, or developmental needs (ages 6–16).
Laura Spates
School Psychologist
About the Owner
Laura Spates, MA, SSP
Laura is a certified school psychologist with a master’s degree and specialist degree in psychology and more than 16 years of experience working in public education. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively with children and adolescents with diverse learning, behavioral, emotional, and developmental needs, including students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and other forms of neurodivergence.
Her professional experience, combined with her own personal understanding of neurodivergence, has given Laura a unique perspective on the challenges families often face when trying to understand what is going on with their child. She understands that recognizing that a child is struggling is often just the beginning. Parents are then left navigating unfamiliar terminology, lengthy specialist waitlists, multiple providers, school systems, evaluations, and sometimes conflicting information, all while trying to determine what their child needs and how to help.
Laura has spent years working alongside families to gather information, understand assessment results, analyze data, identify patterns, and make sense of the educational and psychological information available to them. She helps parents organize and compile meaningful information they can share with pediatricians, therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other specialists as they pursue appropriate evaluation, treatment, therapy, medication, accommodations, or additional support.
Having worked in Oklahoma, New York, and Illinois, Laura is familiar with the language, processes, and protocols of special education and public education systems. She understands how educational concerns, psychological information, and a child’s day-to-day functioning can intersect… and how important it is for parents to have a clear understanding of their child’s needs when advocating for them.
Laura created Divergent Insights because she sees a significant gap between the moment a parent realizes, “Something isn’t quite right, and my child needs help,” and the moment they are able to sit down with the right specialist and receive answers. Long waitlists shouldn’t mean families have to wait to begin understanding their child.
Through Divergent Insights, Laura hopes to help bridge that gap by giving parents a knowledgeable, compassionate partner who can help them organize information, understand what the data may be showing, and prepare for conversations with the professionals who can provide diagnosis and treatment.
Every child is different. Every family is different. The goal isn’t to put a label on a child but to better understand what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
Laura Spates
School Psychologist
Consultant & Advocate
Laura Spates, School Psychologist
As a School Psychologist, Laura Spates founded Divergent Insights Consultation to partner directly with parents who notice that their child or adolescent is experiencing learning, behavioral, attention, emotional, or social differences.
Navigating school systems, evaluations, and clinical terminology can often feel overwhelming. Laura provides a calm, collaborative space where parent observations are respected, organized, and connected to meaningful educational and developmental guidance.
Direct Email: lauraspates@divergentinsights.org
Direct Phone: 405-209-7241
The Bridging Mission
Why Divergent Insights Exists
Families frequently face a difficult gap between first noticing that something is different and knowing how to communicate effectively with schools, pediatricians, or specialists.
01
Parent Observations
Noticing behavioral, learning, attention, or social nuances in daily life.
02
Organized Information
Structuring records, questionnaire findings, and observed patterns systematically.
03
Meaningful Questions
Transforming uncertainty into focused questions for educators and providers.
04
Professional Conversations
Productive, evidence-backed dialogue with schools, doctors, and specialists.
05
Meaningful Support
Targeted accommodations, individualized strategies, and successful growth.
Guiding Philosophy
Our Approach
Every child is unique. Our consultative framework is grounded in six deliberate principles:
01
Individualized
Built specifically around the individual concerns, questions, and developmental circumstances of each child and family.
02
Parent-Focused
Centering parental insight and empowering caregivers with clarity to advocate confidently for their child.
03
Information-Driven
Integrating records, questionnaires, observations, and educational data to uncover meaningful patterns.
04
Thoughtful
Approaching every family with empathy, active listening, and deep professional consideration.
05
Clearly Bounded
Maintaining unambiguous ethical boundaries as a consultation practice without diagnosing or treating conditions.
06
Designed for Next Steps
Providing practical recommendations and clear questions to guide conversations with schools and specialists.
Have Questions About Getting Started?
Start with a complimentary 15-minute consultation to discuss your concerns, ask questions, and learn more about Divergent Insights.