The Autism Dad

In this weeks episode, you’ll learn everything you need to about ABLE accounts. Sarah Pennington from ABLEnow, explains that ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts for individuals with disabilities. They allow these individuals to save money without impacting their eligibility for public benefits like SSI or Medicaid. This is incredibly important for special needs familie...

My guest this week is Marissa Pittard and she is empowering parents. We talk about what inspired her to create a free service that not only helps parents locate desperately needed services, supports, and resources but also builds out a roadmap for their newly diagnosed special needs kids. This is a free service for families within the United States and it's changing lives. About Marissa (Missy) Pi...

Welcome to The Autism Dad podcast, I'm Rob Gorski. This show is inspired by my own personal journey as a single dad raising three autistic kids. It's all about special needs parenting, the challenges that we face every day, and some of the things we have to learn to navigate along the way. This season, we're going to put a major focus on empowering parents. We're going to talk about building a com...

Season 5 is officially over and I thought it would be fun to close the season out by revisiting one of my favorite interviews from this season. Sit back and enjoy a great conversation with my friend Kate Swenson. Connect with Kate Swenson: Finding Cooper's Voice Check out Forever Boy About Kate Swenson: Kate is Cooper's mom, the founder of Finding Cooper's Voice, and the author of the new book For...

In this episode you'll learn what Board of DD is, who SSA's are and what OOD stands for. Autistic kids grow up to be autistic adults and many will need the services and supports that these agencies provide. This is our experience and what we've learned along the way. We've been talking about this on Facebook and I wanted to share what our journey has been so far. Come join the conversation at face...

In this final episode of season 5, I sit down and speak with Doug Farrago, retired family physician and author, about his book, “Noki.” Noki is about an autistic young man who has the remarkable ability to essentially become any boxer he’s ever seen fight. It’s a brilliant story, a fairly quick read, and I love the representation. Guest Bio: Douglas Farrago is a retired family physician, author of...

In this brief episode, I share a look back at Season 5 and a glimpse of what I have in store for Season 6. Thank you all for helping to make this podcast such a success. I'm looking forward to continuing to bring you content that is positive, relevant, and educational. Have a fantastic holiday season, and I'll see you in the new year. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic...

There has been such a demand for this topic and I’m really excited to get the ball rolling on potty training. My guest today is Molly Johnson, otherwise known as The Autism Consultant. She’s here to share some potty training tips and tricks. . Guest Bio: Molly is an autism consultant, working with parents to reduce challenging behaviors and teach their child new skills. When working with parents,...

This week my guest is Christina Abernethy from Love Hope & Autism. She's here to talk about her journey as an autism mom, how something called Goally has profoundly benefited her son, and the advocacy work she's doing to make public restrooms more accessible. Mentioned in this episode: Visit getgoally.com and use the code "theautismdad" to save 10% off your order Guest Bio: Christina is a dedicate...

My 22 year old autistic son Gavin is here today to talk about his very first experience voting. He shares how it went, how he prepared for it, and also has advice for other first time voters with a disability. Link to pt1 Guest Bio: Gavin is 22 years old, diagnosed with autism and several rare genetic conditions. Gavin is very passionate about politics and gaming. He’s currently working on becomin...

In this week's episode, I talk with Madeline Cheney from The Rare Life Podcast, where she shares her family's journey raising two amazing kids, one with very rare conditions. We have a conversation about what life is like for her family, some of the challenges they face, and how she's helping other families dealing with similar things. Guest Bio: Madeline Cheney is the host/creator of The Rare Lif...

In today's episode, I talk briefly about helping my adult autistic son engage in the voting process. I've learned a few things along the way and thought it would be helpful to discuss this as many out there are in a similar situation. Important Links: My Autism Parenting Support Forum: Click Here Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Da...

In this week's episode, my friends Rose and Sunny from Bened Life are here to discuss the importance of inclusion and neurodiversity in the workplace. We come at this from a couple of different perspectives with the goal of Guest Bio: Sunny Cash is the Community Director for Bened Life. She has over 10 years in the psychology and neurodiversity field. When she's not working on building a neuro-inc...

A mom asks this week's Listener Question in the support forums. She wants to know what to expect during her toddler's autism evaluation. This is a great question, and answering it can be very helpful for many parents. Important Links: My Autism Parenting Support Forum: Click Here Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple...

Today's episode is based on a listener request, and it's all about acute residential care. My guest is Brandon Clark, PsyD. Brandon is the clinical director at Springbrook Autism Behavioral Health and is here to answer parent questions about acute residential care. Guest Bio: Brandon Clark is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the clinical director at Springbrook Autism Behavioral Health. He h...

This week's Listener Question is about how to deal with an unsupportive family member or a family member that doesn't understand or accept your child's autism diagnosis. I hope this helps, and please continue to send your questions. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creato...

This is a Quick Take Bonus Episode answering a listener's question: "How do I talk to my kids about autism?" To grab the full episode, and listen to the entire conversation, click here. My friend Rose joins me today to help parents navigate this challenging situation. Rose just happens to be autistic and has a tremendous amount of insight, which she freely shares. This episode will help you form a...

Today's listener question is a really good one. "How do I talk to my child about autism?" My friend Rose joins me today to help parents navigate this challenging situation. Rose just happens to be autistic and has a tremendous amount of insight, which she free shares. This episode will help you form a strategy for talking to your child about their own autism or even helping them better understand...

So many of our kids benefit from visual schedules, but they can be a pain to create and manage. Goally is a visual scheduler for kids that actually works. It's incredibly versatile, digital, easy to use, and grows with your kids. Tanna Neufed is a speech pathologist and Product Manager at Goally. She's here to explain how Goally can help your kiddo. Guest Bio: Tanna Neufeld is a licensed, ASHA-cer...

Today's listener question is a tough one, and it was pulled from my support forum, here. A mom sent this in and I really felt this and wanted to address it directly. I hope this helps. QUestion/Statement My son was diagnosed about 5 years ago with autism, severe ADHD and language delay. He's come a long way but still struggles with most aspects of social interaction, especially with kids his own a...

Have you ever struggled to navigate the app marketplace while looking for something to help your kids or loved ones with a disability? If so, this is the perfect show for you. My guest Cristen Carson Reat, she's the cofounder and Program Director at BridgingApps.org. She's here today to talk about BridgingApps, a free, heavily curated, and carefully vetted database of apps for people with disabili...

Today's listener question is "anyone else aware of the extent of their child's condition, but still get sad when you see it in paper?" I appreciate the honest question. I've been having really deep conversations with someone who's helping to see some of the things in a different light, and it makes a difference. This question popped up, and I wanted to share some of the wisdom that was shared with...

I wanted to share that you can listen to me on the "Welcome To Fatherhood" podcast. Kelly Jean-Philippe and I had a great conversation about what being a Dad means. Check it out at the link below, and subscribe to Kelly's pod. :-) https://welcome2fatherhood.com/listen Mentioned in this episode: Listen to the "Welcome To Fatherhood" Podcast Kelly started the Welcome To Fatherhood Podcast after he a...

My guest today is Ron Suskind. I sat with Ron, in-person, to discuss his journey as a father to an autistic son, who experienced significant regression at a very early age. This is his family's incredibly moving story of heartache, hope, and meeting their son where he is. Guest Bio: Ron Suskind is a Pulitzer-winning journalist, bestselling author, and producer of award-winning documentaries and fe...

Today's episode answers all your questions about Speech Therapy. My guest is Mckell Smith, a special needs mom and Speech/Language Pathologist. We talk about her parenting journey before diving into a conversation about what Speech Therapy is, how it works, who benefits, and how to navigate the system. Guest Bio: Mckell Smith is a Speech & Language Therapist, mom of four (three with special needs)...