Tag: Autism perspectives

Episode #58 | Do parents have a reason to fear CPS? (Part 2)

Episode #58 | Do parents have a reason to fear CPS? (Part 2)

This week I had the pleasure of talking to a few parents that were willing to share their experiences with a CPS investigation into their own families.  We discuss the events leading up to their reports, their experiences while being investigated, and how both of their cases eventually were closed.

This is a scary and sometimes embarrassing situation that special needs families often find themselves in. Our hope is that by sharing these stories we can help to support each other, as well as urge more intensive training for mandated reporters so that these unfounded reports are less common in our community.

Watch for PT 3 where we will discuss this topic with John, a first responder and an autism dad, who has been involved on both sides of a CPS investigation.

If you have questions for Holly or our CPS contact, Meg please reach out to: hello@theisaacfoundation.org

Episode #57 | Trusting Your Gut When Your Child Has No Words

Episode #57 | Trusting Your Gut When Your Child Has No Words

This week we talk about ways parents have trusted their gut instincts when it comes to understanding problems and  needs related to their child with special needs. You might think this only relates to families who have children who lack functional communication. This isn’t the case. This week you will learn from my guests that even when your child is highly verbal, parents must still trust their gut when it comes to many different situations involving their special needs child and their ability to adequately self-advocate for themselves.

Episode #56 | Do parents have a reason to fear CPS (Part 1)

Episode #56 | Do parents have a reason to fear CPS (Part 1)

My long-time friend, Meg, joins me to share her knowledge as a social worker within the system of Child Protective Services (CPS). She shed a lot of light on:

  • What constitutes a mandatory report
  • Who are mandatory reporters
  • How do mandatory reporters determine whether abuse or neglect is taking place
  • The difference between the types of actions taken by CPS
  • Factors that CPS considers when following up on reports
  • How parents can help to prepare for the potential of a mandatory report in the future
  • What happens to a mandatory reporter if they report too often and reports are found to be unfounded/unsubstantiated
  • Training for CPS social workers
Episode #52 | Wandering and Eloping (Part 1)

Episode #52 | Wandering and Eloping (Part 1)

In this week’s podcast a group of parents joined me to talk about their experiences when their children have wandered from home and required the assistance of first responders to bring them safely home. Tune in to hear:

  • How long parents wait before calling 911 for help
  • Strategies parents use to help keep their children safe in their home and play areas
  • Phone tree strategies
  • Angel Sense GPS tracking
  • Lessons learned from these terrifying experiences

Stay tuned for Part 2  interview with first responder interviews with:  911 dispatcher Raegan Hays, Lt. Matt Cowles of the Spokane Police Department and Lt. John Goodman of the Spokane Fire Department.

Episode #48 | If autism was curable, would you?

Episode #48 | If autism was curable, would you?

In this episode of ISAAC’s Autism in the Wild, a group of autism parents join me to discuss this very emotionally charged topic: if you could cure your child from autism, would you? It was a fantastic discussion of parents respectfully sharing their thoughts and feelings on this sensitive topic. Our hope is that this podcast sheds light on both sides of this discussion and may help individuals who sit at one end of these two extremes to hopefully see the perspectives of those who live in the middle or even the other end of this debate. Our hope is that we can all grow in empathy and compassion of others within our autism tribe.

*This podcast is intended to be a respectful discussion. Rude and hurtful comments will be removed out of respect for our guests who were brave enough to openly share their perspective in this podcast.

Episode #43 | Pros and Cons of Full General Education Integration

Episode #43 | Pros and Cons of Full General Education Integration

A group of parents joined me to discuss some of their experiences with their special needs child and integration in the general education setting. In this episode we discuss:

  • The positive experiences and advantages of time spent in the general education setting;
  • Where parents feel they had more input in the time spent in general education;
  • Challenges of time spent in general education settings;
  • Changed perspectives over time…
  • Other considerations and options for integrating special needs children with their peers.
Episode #41 | A is for Autism… and sometimes …

Episode #41 | A is for Autism… and sometimes …

This week’s podcast may not be what you expected.  Just because our loved ones are affected by an autism spectrum disorder, doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of being naughty like every other kid. This week, a group of autism parents join me to share their laugh-out-loud stories we hope will improve your mood.

Podcast #40 | Media Characters: Do they help or hurt the public’s perception of autism

Podcast #40 | Media Characters: Do they help or hurt the public’s perception of autism

In this episode of ISAAC’s Autism in the Wild Podcast, a group of parents joined me remotely to talk about various television, movie, and theater characters who depict autism and whether they are truly helpful in educating the public about autism spectrum disorders. We also talk about the gaps in portraying those that are more significantly impacted by autism and other disabilities.

Episode #39 | Should Parent’s Participate in Weekly Therapy

Episode #39 | Should Parent’s Participate in Weekly Therapy

In this unique episode, we virtually connected our guests (due to the need for social distancing) to discuss the pros and cons of participating in weekly therapy visits. In this episode, we talk about:

  • the benefits and potential gains when parents participate in weekly therapy;
  • the challenges associated with participating in weekly therapy;
  • how to keep partners/spouses involved in therapy when they work outside the home;
  • Using therapy time as self-care time;
  • What to do if your provider prevents you from participating in therapy.