AI with Bry Podcast

The episode contains several substantive observations about child development, sensory learning, and technology's impact (e.g., the cerebellum's role in complex thinking, the visualization gap from visual content consumption, the paradox of tech accommodations creating more steps). However, these are interspersed with conversational padding and repetitive affirmations ('That's right,' 'Yeah, absolutely') that dilute density. The guest makes her core points but doesn't drill deeply into mechanisms or quantify effects systematically.

“The last couple school observations I've been to, I would say 80% of the class does not have the movie in their mind because they've spent so much time engaging with visual content, not auditory and reading content, that it's filled that gap and disrupted the development of that movie.”

“There's nothing in edtech that has actually shown that edtech facilitates learning. And the research by um, Dr. Jared Horvath actually shows that since edtech got introduced into the system we've seen nothing but a decline in reading and math scores.”

The core argument - that kids need hands-on, multi-sensory experiences over screens, and that tech accommodations can backfire - is well-established in child development literature and has circulated widely (especially post-Anxious Generation). The anecdotes (daughter and restaurant tipping, blue-collar millionaires) are relatable but not novel. The guest references Dr. Jared Horvath and Montessori schools, which are common touchstones. The insight about using AI 'after thinking first' is practical but not contrarian.

“My hope or my realist view? My realist view is that it usually takes a generation of kids going from kindergarten to 12 to really kind of turn the tide in the educational system.”

“The blue collar workers are the new millionaires. Why? Because nobody knows how to do their job.”

Aubrey Schmalley is a working clinical occupational therapist with 20+ years of practice and has authored a book on the topic. She owns a therapy practice and has observable clinical credibility through direct work with neurodiverse children. However, she is not a published researcher, doesn't cite her own studies, and doesn't appear to be a household name or nationally recognized thought leader in child development or neuroscience. She is a solid practitioner-level guest, not a marquee operator at scale.

“I created a frame called Framework called Body Activated Learning, which was to help teachers capitalize on the way that the brain and the body needs to move in order to optimize learning in the classroom.”

“Aubrey Schmalley is an occupational therapist, speaker, and author of Uniquely Raising Leaders and Creators in an AI World. She owns Sensational Achievements in Connecticut”

The episode lacks concrete data and named examples to substantiate claims. The guest references 'Dr. Jared Horvath' and his research on edtech's decline in reading/math scores but doesn't provide studies, effect sizes, or timelines. She mentions '80% of the class' lacking visualization ability based on 'the last couple school observations' (anecdotal, not systematic). The five or six school districts in her area piloting AI is vague. Most claims rest on pattern observation rather than quantified evidence or specific case studies.

“And the research by um, Dr. Jared Horvath actually shows that since edtech got introduced into the system we've seen nothing but a decline in reading and math scores.”

“The last couple school observations I've been to, I would say 80% of the class does not have the movie in their mind”

The host asks reasonable framing questions and shows genuine engagement ('I'm so excited,' personal anecdotes about his daughters), but rarely pushes back or probes ambiguities. When the guest makes claims (e.g., '80% of classes lack visualization'), the host affirms rather than asks for methods, sample size, or alternative explanations. Follow-ups are often surface-level ('Tell us more about X') and agree-based rather than challenging. The host doesn't interrogate the guest's resistance to edtech when she also relies on tech examples (Grammarly, communication devices).

“I'm so excited to talk to you and kind of unpack this. If we jump into the learn segment here.”

“Yeah, absolutely. I see like, you know, I was watching some video on TikTok about, about communities and neighborhoods”