Autism Life Today

“You never age out of purpose.” Emmalee Swartz joins Autism Life Today to share the vision behind Able Purpose Ministries, a faith-based community supporting adults with disabilities in Gilbert, Arizona. Emmalie talks about creating a place where adults can find belonging, build friendships, explore their gifts, and take an active role in their community. Through worship, Bible study, life skills,...

What happens when raising a child with profound autism becomes a daily fight for safety, support, and hope? In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Autism Life Today, host Ryker Martin sits down with Tiffany Sumner, a mother, advocate, and mental health awareness supporter, to discuss the realities of raising a child with profound autism and the challenges that many families face behind cl...

What if your child’s autism diagnosis wasn’t the end of the story, but the beginning of a completely different journey? In this episode of Autism Life Today, host Ryker Martin sits down with Kari Baker, author of Finding Kind: Discovering Hope and Purpose While Loving Kids With Invisible Neurological Differences, to discuss the realities of raising a child with autism, navigating the uncertainty o...

In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker sits down with Ashley and her son Messiah for an incredibly honest conversation about autism, motherhood, mental health, faith, and finding purpose in the hardest seasons of life. Ashley shares the deeply personal story of raising Messiah—from his difficult early years and autism diagnosis to the struggles, fear, isolation, and uncertainty she e...

What if someone who couldn’t reliably speak was actually understanding far more than the world realized? On this episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker Martin sits down with longtime autism advocate and mother Betsy Hicks for an incredibly powerful conversation about her 30+ year journey with her son, Joe. Betsy shares the highs, lows, challenges and breakthroughs that shaped her family — including t...

What if the hardest things happening in your life aren’t happening TO you—but FOR you? On this episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker sits down with Zack Ponder, a former special education teacher, author, podcaster, husband, father, and passionate advocate for special needs families. Zack spent years teaching students with profound autism and discovered firsthand the realities that special education...

What if we stopped focusing only on what isn’t going right—and started celebrating every little win? In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker sits down with Setarae, a passionate speech therapist whose personal connection to autism began with her own brother. Setarae shares how watching her mother advocate for her brother shaped the way she approaches speech therapy today—and why she b...

What happens when your child’s autism journey completely changes the way you see healthcare? In this episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Greer McInnis of Biomedical Healing for Kids to hear the deeply personal story that led her from working as a registered dietitian to exploring nutrition, gut health, research, and biomedical approaches for children with autism. After her son experienc...

What happens when a child with special needs becomes an adult? For many families, turning 18 or 21 doesn’t mean the journey gets easier—it means entering an entirely new world of services, guardianship, SSI, employment, day programs, financial planning, and lifelong caregiving. And for many parents, it can feel like they’re starting all over again. On this episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down...

What happens when you combine special-needs education, fitness, movement, and a passion for helping kids reach their potential? In this episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker sits down with Dallas and Mackenzie from Kenzie’s Kids, a unique mobile fitness program designed to help children and families with special needs through movement, exercise, confidence-building, and individualized support. Dalla...

What happens when a mother is told she has to wait nearly a year to get answers for her son? In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Lyndsy Moffatt, whose own journey with her son Dominic completely changed the way she looked at autism, nutrition, gut health, environmental factors, and the search for answers. Lyndsy shares the story of Dominic’s early years, the challenges...

When Tiffany Snow welcomed her first son into the world, she never imagined their lives were about to change forever. After a difficult birth, unexpected medical complications, and countless doctor visits, Tiffany and her husband learned their son Mason had Lowe syndrome, an incredibly rare genetic disorder that would require a lifetime of advocacy, faith, and perseverance. In this heartfelt episo...

What if autism care looked beyond symptoms and focused on the whole child? In this episode of Autism Life Today, Dr. April Lam shares her experience as both an autism mom and functional medicine practitioner helping families navigate the challenges of autism spectrum disorder. From early diagnosis and therapies to inflammation, gut health, folinic acid, CBD, and PANDAS/PANS, this episode dives int...

In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Nicole — autism advocate, podcast host of Pieces For My Puzzle, and proud mom to her son Dracen. Nicole opens up about the emotional moment her son first called her “Mom” after being told he may never speak, the battles she faced navigating the school system and IEP process, and the lessons she’s learned raising a child on the autism...

In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Laura Muller and Sarah Dowglish from Christ Church of the Valley to talk about something deeply important—special needs, faith, and true inclusion. What started as one question—“Where are these kids in the church?”—turned into a life-changing mission that has impacted thousands of families. From building a special needs ministry from...

In this episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Brooke Oltsik to break down the realities of ABA therapy—what it is, how it’s evolved, and how it’s helping families every day. Brooke shares her unique journey from special education teacher to BCBA, giving insight into both the school system and clinical care. We dive into the biggest misconceptions ab...

In this episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with master-level occupational therapist Courtney Bunch to break down what occupational therapy really is—and why it plays such a critical role in supporting children with autism and other special needs. From understanding the root causes behind developmental challenges to taking a truly holistic approach, Courtney shares how occupational therapy g...

In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Cricket Barrientos, founder of Sounds of Autism, to explore the evolving reality of autism care—from early childhood through adulthood and beyond. Drawing from her personal journey as a mother of a 23-year-old son on the spectrum, Cricket shares the often-overlooked challenges facing individuals with “middle-functioning” autism—one of...

In the very first episode of Autism Life Today, Ryker sits down with his wife, Tori, to share the deeply personal story of their family’s autism journey. From the first signs of regression at 18 months, to sleepless nights, aggressive behaviors, school battles, caregiver challenges, and moments of complete exhaustion, this episode gives an honest look at what life can be like for families raising...

Contact Dr. Mitchell at: drk.mitchell@protonmsil.com    In this powerful episode of Autism Life Today, we sit down with Dr. Ken Mitchell—a naturopathic doctor with decades of experience—to explore a side of autism that many families have never been told about. Dr. Mitchell shares his deeply personal journey as a father. After his son experienced a sudden regression, he refused to accept a “wait an...