Today Tash & Shannon sit down with Eileen Youngberg, an Assistant Program Manager from Trillium Employment Services. Trillium is a non-profit organization based in Washington State. We dive deep into not only the work Eileen does but also the importance of why we need to be advocating and pushing for our kids as they are leaving the transition programs from high school to finding a place in the workforce, however that may look for them. Also, we discuss why it's important as a society to see...
Oct 09, 2023•59 min•Ep. 91
Come join us! Today we are talking about our community and defining the very pillar of why we exist as a podcast and community. Peer-to-Peer support can be defined as a person who belongs to the same group or shares the same lived experience. In contrast to mentorship where help is provided by an expert, in peer-to-peer support ALL peers are equally qualified. 3 Key Principles of Peer Support: respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement on what is helpful. Much evidence support that pee...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 90
In this next installment with Bre Gastaldi, Inclusive Education Consultant & Educator, we learn about the actionable steps that need to be taken at large as well as day-to-day. The goal is to make huge systemic shifts in education and it takes all of us adopting a core set of beliefs and values.
Sep 25, 2023•54 min•Ep. 89
Today we learn and discuss how people and institutions hold their own definition of what real inclusion means. We brought on Bre Gestaldi, an Inclusion Education Consultant & Educator, to break down the “What” + “Why” of what inclusive education REALLY is. Facts + links provided in the episode: Research reasons - No studies conducted since the late 1970s have shown an academic advantage for students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities educated in separate settings (Falvey,...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 88
Making connections with others can be very daunting, especially for special needs families. Where do you even start? We are so pleased to share our chat with Sarah Watkins, from AUsome Sauce, a non-profit organization based in Southern California, who saw a problem in her area and decided to do something about it. Sarah shares about her own family, what AUsome Sauce is all about, and ways that you can find or create a similar community where you live. Do it for your kids and do it for yourself, ...
Sep 11, 2023•52 min•Ep. 87
Today, we’re talking tics, involuntary movements, stimming, and other repetitive behaviors. What are they and how do we experience them in our own households, it’s quite the ride. Tics and other stimming behaviors are very common among autistic individuals. Sometimes they are very self-soothing and can really help someone feel grounded and regulated. We fully support this for our kids and others. Other times, it can be very disruptive and unsafe, or the person can get stuck in a loop, unable to ...
Sep 04, 2023•56 min•Ep. 86
This episode is all about us ladies and some random facts! We love to have these episodes to not only share some personal stuff about us crazy girls but to also bring some fun lighthearted laughter to your week once in a while!
Aug 28, 2023•43 min•Ep. 85
It is thought that experiencing joy and experiencing grief are two mutually exclusive emotions or houses of emotions. In this episode, through an authentic conversation, we debunk that isn’t the case and prove the two can coexist and WHY it's important to embrace joy with grief.
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 84
This episode is ALL about our recent trip to visit Tash in Washington! We reflect on the trip and how meeting on Instagram has changed our lives so much. Come chat with us!
Aug 14, 2023•36 min•Ep. 83
Some great questions from our listeners today, focusing on speech therapy and communication. We deep dive into our kids’ speech and language development over the years and also discuss some of our favorite therapies. Not every therapy is available or appropriate for every child, so do your research and see what’s best for your family. Want to learn more about one of our favorite speech therapists? Go check out Katja from @bohospeechie and listen to our interview with here HERE Have a great topic...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 82
Join us today as we discuss how our perception of trust and distrust in medical professionals has shaped our behavior as both a parent and advocate for our exceptional children.
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 81
You don’t want to miss this one! Such an amazing chat today with Jim Elliot and Tinamarie Hernandez of Diveheart. Diveheart is a non-profit organization that specializes in adaptive scuba diving to any child, adult, or veteran with a disability, in hopes of providing physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person. In their words, “Diveheart works with individuals who have a variety of disabilities, including physical and developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, am...
Jul 24, 2023•52 min•Ep. 80
Today we talk with Dr. Alisa Elliot, who is the owner and creator of Chrysalis Spectrum in Houston, Texas. Her company provides in-home care for a variety of people in need, including those with disabilities. Today we’re chatting about why it’s important to have respite and in-home care. We also discuss what to look for in a provider, what to expect, and what to do if it doesn’t work out. Dr. Elliot has over 25 years of experience in direct one-on-one care with individuals and is a special needs...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 79
Step inside our brains for the second installment of Mom Guilt. Why because Mom Guilt is inevitable and provides endless amounts of opportunities to discuss. This time it is about the actual inner dialogue that takes place. “I am a failure.” “I am the worst mom.” Why are we like this?!
Jul 10, 2023•57 min•Ep. 78
Insert Bon Jovi song lyrics... Today we sat down and recapped the summer so far. The good, the bad and the ugly. Come hang with us as we chat summer. And then hop on IG and let us know how it's going for YOU!
Jul 03, 2023•48 min•Ep. 77
Today’s episode we sat down with guest and author ,Sheena Leedham, to talk all about movement and the benefits it provides for our exceptional needs children. We do a dive into how this movement can not only help on a physical level but also bring confidence and inclusion with their Neurotypical peers. Links: Follow this link to learn more about The Power of a Note, and I Can Jump Rope! Both books can be found on Amazon, Bookbaby, and elitefts.com . She's even providing four weeks of her 12-Week...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 76
On this episode we identify, breakdown and apply the four traditional styles of parenting: Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive and Uninvolved/Neglectful. We dive into the newer developed parenting styles such as Tiger, Attachment, Positive/Gentle, Outsource and Helicopter. Why we may operate mainly with only one or two of these styles, at any point in our lifetime as parents, we can presume any of these styles depending on the season or situation. Additionally the rub comes when our individ...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 75
We are thrilled to have Dr. Kristin Wegner on today, discussing ABA and other behavioral therapies. Kristin talks about her background working with neurodivergent children and the educational and professional journey that has brought her where she is today. We dive into the history of ABA and how it has evolved over time. We discuss both the positive and negative sides of behavior therapies and always want to emphasize the importance of finding what is best for your child- it’s not going to be t...
Jun 12, 2023•56 min•Ep. 74
It’s a grab bag of your most asked questions this week! Here's what you've been asking about: 1. Eating habits and sensory-related food aversions @8theplate SOS Approach to Feeding 2. Driving and riding in the car: safety and car seat alternatives Buckle Up For Life 3. Making friends: peer support and maintaining friendships Special Olympics...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 73
Today Jen shares her story with our community. From having two boys in 13 months to having her youngest diagnosed as deaf shortly after birth, to then having her oldest diagnosed as autistic, Jen shares how this has changed the dynamic in her family. She shares how they have to balance the wants, needs, and sensitivities of both children as well as how they approach life adapting to both of their kids sometimes opposing needs. Thank you Jen for sharing your story and giving us perspective. We do...
May 29, 2023•56 min•Ep. 72
It’s summertime, aren’t you excited? Or are you wondering how to fill all of those hours of unstructured time at home? We go into depth on each of our summer plans and talk about camps and programs that are offered in our areas. We also touch on sports and vacations. Camping with autistic kids, it’s possible as long as you're flexible…and know where the nearest fast food drive-thru is located. Have a great summer, we’ll still be publishing episodes, so put on some headphones to drown out the car...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 71
"They" said it would get easier.. but does it really? Let's have some real talk about this. There isn't this magical, easy place that we are searching for or journeying to. If that's what you're looking for you had better pack some serious bags. Lots of clean undies. But what we can say is that while it doesn't get easier, we DO get stronger. We learn new tools to deal with each new challenge. Meet us on the pod today and let's talk about it all.
May 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 70
We started this episode with a certain goal and topic in mind. Like so many things in life, it quickly pivoted in an unexpected direction, turning into an interview of Brittney and her perspective as a caregiver of Austin and his profound needs. We always intended to have an episode like this on Moms Talk Autism. Some of the extremes of Austin’s life are not often spoken of or even acknowledged, even within the autistic community. It’s not a desired place to be: the outlier of the outliers. Have...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 69
Time for another Moms Talk Moms episode! This week we have Tash, Brittney, and Shannon on the mics. We have some fun ones but tossed in a few deeper ones for you too. Let’s get to know one another better! Today we talked about anything from our first celebrity crushes and favorite concerts to things like tasks that we secretly despise and some of our greatest regrets. Join us! And because we don’t want to forget… here’s the deep Hair Conditioner link that Brittney talked about: https://a.co/d/7g...
May 01, 2023•50 min•Ep. 68
We want to start by giving you a trigger warning; this episode could be hard to listen to and may evoke some big emotions. We ask that you listen to this episode with an open heart and mind. There is a percentage of our community who have children with what may be considered more profound autism. In this journey, these parents may have to make decisions for the safety of not only themselves but also their child, in order for them to flourish in this life. Today we get personal with a beautiful m...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 67
It may not be a fun or exciting topic to cover, but it is so very important! We are thrilled to have our special guest, Chris Olmanson, on to discuss his experiences working for a large health insurance company. Chris shares practical tips and tricks (takes notes, it's worth it) as well as some personal stories of the special needs families he has worked with over the years. Chris is now co-founder of Beaming Health, one of our most favorite websites and resources to recommend to families, espec...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 66
Today we had the opportunity to sit down with Katja Piscitelli and chat all things gestalt language processing! Katja, also known as @BohoSpeechie on Instagram, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist. She owns her own practice called Total Spectrum Speech. We talked about what gestalt language processing even MEANS, how it applies to our kiddos, and ways that we as parents, teachers, and providers can help our exceptional children. This was such a great episode and we are so excited to share...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 65
It’s so easy to spiral down in the “what if” game and second-guess ourselves. When it comes to our exceptional children and their care, it can feel even more stressful, like if you screw up this one therapy, medication, opportunity, etc then I’ve failed as a parent. We are here to tell you that’s NOT TRUE! Today we look back and discuss what we wish we would have known. If you don’t remember anything else from this episode, remember Shannon’s advice: NEVER SAY NEVER. Because, if you do, you will...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 64
Another Mom Talk Moms! How do we get to know one another better?! By asking questions that friends would ask friends as they’re getting to know one another! So, tackling some of those today! Dream vacations, biggest inspirations, free time activities (what's that?!), and more! Let’s chat, friends! Instagram: @momstalkautism Email: hello@momstalkautism.com brittney@momstalkautism.com jean@momstalkautism.com shannon@momstalkautism.com tash@momstalkautism.com...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 63
What a rude awakening it can be to get your first "NO" after the journey of getting a diagnosis, what gives?! This conversation covers the scope of the many nuances of the private marketplace, medicare, Medicaid healthcare, and other state programs that may provide specific needs. It's just the tip of the iceberg packed with some helpful nuggets! We share a little bit of what we wish we knew, especially out of the gate. Instagram: @momstalkautism Email: hello@momstalkautism.com brittney@momstalk...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 62
