In this episode of Parenting Impossible, host Annette Hines and Employment Law Attorney Rebecca Pontikes discuss the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and how to access different benefits you may be entitled to as a caregiver. Pontikes is the founder of Pontikes Law, LLC and represents employees in all areas of employment law. She specializes in gender and family responsibility (caregiver) discrimination, sexual harassment, negotiation of employment contracts and separation agreements, non...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Is our education system supporting the needs of kids with disabilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? That’s the question host Annette Hines, Psychologist Allison Brooks, and Special Education teacher Megan Parker discuss during Episode 64 of Parenting Impossible. Allison Brooks is a psychologist working in the Seattle Washington area. She has an extensive history speaking about topics such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), Autism, educational advocacy, motivation for middle sch...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 64
In this edition of Parenting Impossible, Annette and her husband Mark Worthington discuss what you need to consider during the divorce process as a parent of a special needs child. Mark is Senior Counsel at Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts and is a Professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law. He has also been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2008. Annette and Mark begin the show with a conversation about the increased number of people fi...
Aug 04, 2020•56 min•Ep. 63
How do people with special needs get permission to come to the United States for specialized healthcare? In this week’s episode of Parenting Impossible, host Annette Hines learns more about the complicated process from Immigration Attorney Linda Osberg-Braun. Ms.Osberg has served as the Deputy District Counsel for INS (now DHS) and was an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Southern District of Florida. She is known for her ability to solve complicated immigration problems and focuses on de...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 63
In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Host Annette Hines and her husband Mark Worthington discuss issues surrounding sending children back to school in the Fall. Annette addresses the additional challenges kids in the special needs community are facing during this transition period and shares her experience with distance learning. "This pandemic has given us an opportunity to look at our educational system for all children with fresh eyes but particularly for our children with special needs,"...
Jul 21, 2020•54 min•Ep. 61
Music therapy is subject near and dear to Parenting Impossible host Annette Hine’s heart. In this episode, Roman Music Therapy Services Executive DIrector Meredith Roman Pizzi joins Annette for an in depth discussion on the difference music therapy can make in the special needs community. Ms. Pizzi is a thought leader and passionate champion for the music therapy profession. She’s devoted her career to developing business models for the delivery of music therapy services and is an advocate for m...
Jul 14, 2020•52 min
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed almost every aspect of our lives. This includes how we work, socialize and learn. In Episode 59 of Parenting Impossible, Host Annette Hines and guest Dr. Ingrid Amorini-Klimek address what special needs education could look like in the future. Dr. Amorini-Klimek is a lifelong advocate for special needs families, the sister of a special needs brother, and has extensive experience as a special education teacher. For many years, she worked as an adminis...
Jul 07, 2020•53 min•Ep. 59
Certified Financial Planner Rob Wrubel joins Annette Hines all the way from Colorado Springs, Colorado for this episode of Parenting Impossible. Rob focuses on financial planning for families with special-needs members. It’s a community familiar to him both professionally and personally. Rob is the father to three children, including his 17-year-old daughter Sarah who has Down Syndrome. He is also an author and has written books titled, "Financial Freedom for Special Needs Families," as well as ...
Jun 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 58
Certified Financial Planner Rob Wrubel joins Annette Hines all the way from Colorado Springs, Colorado for this episode of Parenting Impossible. Rob focuses on financial planning for families with special-needs members. It’s a community familiar to him both professionally and personally. Rob is the father to three children, including his 17-year-old daughter Sarah who has Down Syndrome. He is also an author and has written books titled, "Financial Freedom for Special Needs Families," as well as ...
Jun 23, 2020•43 min•Ep. 57
In our Father’s Day edition of Parenting Impossible, The Autism Dad Rob Gorski and Annette discuss what it’s like being a single Dad to three sons with autism and a well-known voice in the special needs community. Rob’s journey started when his son Gavin, now 20, was diagnosed with autism. Not knowing how to cope with the diagnosis, Rob started what he calls a "virtual diary" in 2010. This "virtual diary" or blog was a way to write what he was feeling, but he didn’t really know how it worked or ...
Jun 18, 2020•55 min•Ep. 55
EP 55: Inside The Mind Of Autistic Author Ido Kedar In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette introduces us to 23-year-old Ido Kedar and his mother Tracy. Ido wrote his first memoir, "Ido in Austismland: Climbing Out of Autism’s Silent Prison," as a young teenager. The book had a huge impact on the lives of people with autism and their families. It’s also successfully challenged members of the professional community to look at autism theories with fresh eyes. Ido spent the first seven yea...
Jun 16, 2020•58 min
In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette interviews longtime friend and licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Kate Morrison. Kate specializes in working with families, children, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities. Annette and Kate discuss what services will look like as Day and Residential Programs begin reopening after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss how funding plays a role in programs moving f...
Jun 09, 2020•31 min
In this edition of Parenting Impossible, we learn more about a historic school that played a huge role in host Annette Hine’s life. Perkins School For The Blind was established 190 years ago and was the first school created for the blind in the United States. Perkins’ best-known student, Helen Keller, flourished while studying at Perkins and is highly regarded around the world for her efforts to assure equal benefits and rights for all people, particularly those with disabilities. During this po...
Jun 02, 2020•51 min
In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette looks back at what inspired her to start this podcast last September. Annette’s vision was to create a space where people could come together and talk about issues affecting the special needs community. It was all in honor of her daughter Elizabeth, who passed away from mitochondrial disease in 2013. Despite the pain, Annette learned the importance of remembering the joyful moments. While it’s not easy to talk about, Annette hopes her loss will be...
May 26, 2020•22 min
In this edition of Parenting Impossible, Annette speaks with a very special guest, her husband and business partner, Mark Worthington. Mark is Senior Counsel at Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts and is a Professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law. He has also been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2008. Annette and Mark begin with their perspectives on a topic they’ve been hearing a lot about from community partners, clients, and within t...
May 21, 2020•51 min•Ep. 51
It’s been months since many of us across the nation have had to change our way of life. It’s a difficult time for everyone, but having a child with special needs comes with additional obstacles. In this edition of Parenting Impossible, Annette speaks with licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Sharon Saline. Dr. Saline is a top expert on ADHD, anxiety, learning differences and mental health challenges and their impact on school and family dynamics. Annette and Dr. Saline begin their conversation wit...
May 12, 2020•45 min
In this edition of Parenting Impossible, Annette talks with The Arc of Massachusetts Executive Director Leo Sarkissian and Policy Officer Ellen Taverna about issues affecting the special needs community during the COVID-19 epidemic. The mission of The Arc is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, which includes community support and services fostering social inclusion and equity across all aspects of society. Ellen begins the podcast w...
Apr 24, 2020•58 min•Ep. 49
Annette’s podcast journey takes her all the way to the United Kingdom this time as her guest this week is Giuliana Wheater. Giuliana is an author, award winning therapist, teacher, trainer, public speaker & fundraiser. She is Founder of Therapies for Special Needs and Rainbow Kids Touch Therapy & Relaxation. She is the author of the book, Indian Head Massage for Special Needs. Giuliana first introduces listeners to her son Ollie who is on the autism spectrum and has a talent for the writ...
Apr 20, 2020•59 min•Ep. 48
Annette takes a few minutes at the beginning to update listeners about social security during the COVID-19 crisis and what you can do to access your benefits as well as get answers from the social security office. As of the date of this podcast, the offices are closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Annette suggests setting up an account online with social security so you can access certain information. She offers tip for navigating the system during this time. Annette on this podcast talks abo...
Apr 16, 2020•48 min•Ep. 47
Annette is back and talking about special needs advocacy with Leslie M. Leslie, project director for The Federation for Children with Special Needs based in Massachusetts. This is an important podcast about parenting, special needs and advocacy. Annette and Leslie discuss the importance of advocating for what you feel you need for your special needs child and they discuss important tips to remember when advocating as well as ways to make meetings with administrators and others more effective. Le...
Apr 02, 2020•46 min•Ep. 46
On this episode of Parenting Impossible, The Special Needs Survival Podcast, Annette talks with Leslie M. Leslie of The Federation for Children with Special Needs to discuss how to be more involved in the education process as a special needs parent. Leslie serves as the Project Director for the MassPAC and APPLE projects at the Federation for Children with Special Needs. She provides technical assistance to both Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (SEPACs) and school district special educ...
Mar 30, 2020•49 min•Ep. 45
Advocating for your special needs child in school or as a young adult in their transition years is something just about every special needs parent will have to do. In this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette talks about how important it is to advocate properly for your loved one. Her guest this time is Ellen Chambers. Ellen has devoted her career as an advocate by helping families, educators and agencies secure proper special education services for school children with special needs. Ellen ...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 44
Annette takes on the topic of discrimination against caregivers of those with special needs in this podcast episode. This podcast being aired during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, it’s a very timely topic as many of our special needs caregivers are uncertain about their employment future. Rebecca G. Pontikes, is Annette’s guest and is the founder of Pontikes Law, LLC. She represents employees in all areas of employment law, specializing in gender and family responsibility (caregiver) discrimination, ...
Mar 19, 2020•41 min•Ep. 43
This episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette talks about life Insurance. But before you turn away, you need to understand the importance of life insurance in the special needs planning conversation. It is an important topic and vital part of a special needs trust. Annette’s expert guest for this topic is Janice A. Forgays, an attorney with over 25 years of experience in this area of helping families. She is with the firm PRW Wealth Management and serves as Estate and Wealth Management Counsel. ...
Mar 16, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 42
Annette takes this podcast episode to answer some questions from listeners about special needs planning. Many questions come in from her dedicated podcast fans about all types of topics related to special needs planning, law and other important topics. Annette first takes a minute to recognize that many in the special needs community are concerned about the Coronavirus as some may be more vulnerable than others. Annette and her team at Special Needs Law Group are doing everything they can to pro...
Mar 12, 2020•36 min•Ep. 41
Annette goes “live” in this special podcast episode. She takes the microphone and heads out to the Federation For Children With Special Needs Conference in Massachusetts to talk with folks about a number of topics important to the special needs community. Annette speaks about the topic of transition planning which she has covered before on the podcast with various trusted experts. Part of being a special needs parent is understanding and going through the transition process as your loved one app...
Mar 10, 2020•33 min•Ep. 40
On this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette sits down with Yariela Brandao, founder of byond 22, an organization that helps the families of young adults in their transition years. byond22 recognizes that there is a great need for many individuals with disabilities that need assistance transitioning from special education to adult services. Yariela has taken her years of advocating for her own daughter who is deaf and blind and used her knowledge and passion to help others through these chal...
Mar 05, 2020•42 min•Ep. 39
Annette kicks off part two of her interview with Dr. Sharon Saline, a licensed clinical psychologist, a leading expert on ADHD and the author of the very popular book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew. This time, Annette and Dr. Saline discuss executive functions, how to understand them better and how to maximize these critical life skills for your child with ADHD. Dr. Saline says that for many with ADHD, autism or other learning challenges, executive functions can be challenging to manage. ...
Mar 02, 2020•42 min•Ep. 38
Annette talks about how to be a great parent of a child with ADHD this week. Her guest is Dr. Sharon Saline, a licensed clinical psychologist, a leading expert on ADHD and the author of the very popular book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew. Dr. Saline first discusses what ADHD actually is and walks listeners through what it takes to accurately diagnose a person whether they are a child or an adult with ADHD. She says that the symptoms that are used to diagnose a child versus and adult can ...
Feb 27, 2020•50 min•Ep. 37
This week, Annette talks about the stress, challenges and hardships of caregivers and parents of those with special needs. Her guest to discuss this important topic is JK Whisenant. JK provides counseling in a diversity-based practice to adults providing individual and couples therapy, small groups and psycho-education/training. JK treats parents and caretakers of special needs populations helping them navigate through the accompanying stress, depression and anxiety. Annette and JK discuss just ...
Feb 24, 2020•53 min•Ep. 36
