Dr. Stacey Kohler, DSW, LICSW

Flourishing: Caregiving Autistic Adults Podcast

Education EN ↓ 6 episodes

This podcast addresses the critical knowledge gap for caregivers of autistic adults as they navigate the service cliff (Ishler et al., 2021), which is defined as the abrupt end of federally mandated educational services at the age of 22. The transition to adulthood lacks reliable, well-structured care coordination and support services to help caregivers identify and access the full range of available adult support services. Often, these services are hidden in grey literature, where you need to know the service name to explore the resource. The service cliff directly impacts caregivers as well...

Author

Dr. Stacey Kohler, DSW, LICSW

Episodes

Episode Six: Interview with Dr. Kerry Magro, Autism Author & Advocate 09.04.2026 37:19

Send us Fan Mail Autism Support Centers: Where You Can Go For Help! The following are Autism Support Centers in Massachusetts: Central/West Region: www.autismresourcecentral.org HMEA's (Horace Mann Educational Associates) Autism Resource Central , 712 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 Phone 508-835-4278 This agency services about 4,000 families, and they are affiliated with Advocates, wh...

Episode Five: Interview with Dr. Dannette Taylor, IEP Advocate and Consultant 02.03.2026 48:10

Send us Fan Mail Episode 5 focuses on the transition cliff from K-12 settings and covers future planning, ABLE accounts, and, in Georgia, the Now and Comp Waiver programs. Episode 5 will feature a guest expert, special-needs advocate Dr. Dannette Taylor, who is also a caregiver to an autistic adult. The episode addressed the service cliff and the gradual loss of services prior to transitioning fro...

Episode One: The Service Cliff, Gendered Care, and Knowledge Gap 01.03.2026 54:05

Send us Fan Mail This episode introduced the realities of caregiving for an autistic adult at the transition from K-12 mandated support services to the fragmented adult services landscape. We explored the service cliff, when services end. We examined how caregiving is often placed upon mothers, and we also looked at research that found most caregivers have a knowledge gap about supports and servic...

Episode Two: Step-By-Step Guide to Applying for Adult Services, and Gendered Care Continued 01.03.2026 47:01

Episode Three: Early Pioneers, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Skill Development 01.03.2026 48:23

Send us Fan Mail Episode 3 will cover a deeper dive into autism caregiver pioneers who advocated for vocational rehabilitation supports over 100 years ago. The episode will examine some first responder programs, and highlight the importance of the work of Dr. Sukariva, Dr. Kanner, and others. This episode, we will review Mass Ability Program and describe how to access this support. Historical F...

Episode Four: Siblings as Autism Caregivers - Interview with Alex 01.03.2026 1:03:22

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, two siblings from different parts of the world discuss the psychosocial issues of caregiving for a sibling. Alex is the guest today. We will examine the need to have open discussions with family members regarding long-term care planning and the importance of the role siblings hold in the safe space they may provide their autistic adult sibling. Resources in Canada...