For Our Special Kids

Our episode today is with Maren, a new friend of mine and a parent to 2 amazingly spiritual children. During our chat, Maren gives us lots of tangible, easily implementable strategies if you want to raise children in a more spiritual way.  She’s honest about how she perhaps used her words without understanding the impact of them on her then 2 year olds' “imaginary friend.”  She gives lots of...

Today’s interview is with Kate Swenson, author of Forever Boy. A mother’s memoir of Autism and Finding Joy.   In this episode, we talk about: Hitting that emotional and physical bottom,  Grief and unpacking our emotions,  Why we hate playgrounds, and  Kate's advice on how to navigate the great chasm between diagnosis and joy Kate writes and talks with a natural ease so I know you'll enjo...

Jen interviews her neighbor, Deborah Lapkin, in this week's episode. Deborah gave birth to Haley almost 40 years ago. They did not know at the time of her delivery that Haley has Osteogenesis Imperfecta or Brittle Bone Disease. In this episode, Deborah discusses their journey as a family within a small community and how they both helped to transform much of how our school operates today. She...

Can you have a spiritual, mindful practice when playing for hours on end with transformers? Kristen can! How do we take our every day and make it more connected?  How can we take the perceived mundane and make it magical?  How can we make moments into memories? In today's episode, Kristen O'Meara and Jen chat about her 16 year old son, Austin, and how her relationship with him has progre...

We are excited to add another episode to the Meet Amazing series of For Our Special Kids.  Today, Jen talks with Tiffany Goodchild about her incredible son Karter.  This is a raw look into the real life of a beautiful family and their journey from a traumatic birth injury   to celebration. Tiffany is a strong advocate for her son, his inclusion in this world, and the right of every child to live t...

How do you have a life to thrive in? We drop right  into this great chat between Alora and Jen, who have been spiritual friends for years now after connecting over the Abraham-Hicks, Law of Attraction content.  We begin chatting about how to work spirituality into your daily conversations with your children. She encourages us to keep things bite sized and don’t try to make every moment magical. Al...

In today’s episode, Alexis McGlynn and I give you a sneak peek into our future intentional and intuitive parenting course.  We discuss the surprise and shock of having a child that didn’t initially meet our expectations and how that causes grief and anger even depression. She then goes into how acceptance doesn’t have to mean loving your situation but that it does mean that you are willing to let...

Joell Dunlap introduces us to her non-profit organization called Square Peg Foundation. But, Joell also shares her life lessons, from having a son at 16, embracing her “judgey self” as she says , and her absolute adoration of horses and the magic they provide the world.  While Square Peg works primarily with autists, I think you’ll gain quite a few life lessons of your own. We love to hear from yo...

In this episode, Jen shares more of her and Teal's journey.  Just as for Our Special Kids was being launched, Denise Correll  interviewed Jen for her and Samantha Fey's podcast, Enlightened Empaths in 2022.   So, we thought it might be fun to share this interview  with you  to help you better understand more of Jen and Teal's story as you begin your new year. Enjoy! We love to hear...

Jen gives you a little piece of her heart's gratitude tonight on this quiet Christmas night.   May you know you are valued.  May you know you are special and important. May you know that you are loved. Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/the-magic-of-christmas License code: IQPMPGPEVQKIZIJC We love to...

In this episode, we are joined by Jenifer Edwards to go back to the basics of astrology.  Jen talks about the moon and what we should be doing when the moon waxes and wanes.  (A quick little trick for remembering what waning and waxing means...a waNing moon is getting smaller and is heading to the New moon. The 'N' in both helps me remember.)  Jen talks about the energy of the moon, the...

Steven Forth joins Jen again to introduce another aspect of ABA, Self Monitoring! He covers some simple techniques on how to reinforce our child's behavior.  Whether you create a series of goals or just start incorporating a conversation at the end of the day about behaviors throughout the day, you'll want to listen in. Also, please join Steven and Jen for our 1st Community Zoom.  Decemb...

Lenora and Jen discuss online speech therapy in this episode. Have you ever wondered how much time you spend driving to therapy?  Do you want to be more involved in your child's therapies? Can therapies be conducted online successfully? Why is speech therapy so important for neurologic development? We get into all of this and more during our episode today. We do want to apologize for the audi...

In this episode, Jen gets way out of her comfort zone.  Over the past 6 months she has shared quite a bit about her family, her life,  and Teal with you.  You may have realized that she likes to be spontaneous.   It is true.  So, today, Laura Hernandez pushes Jen to think differently about how she runs her life and her family’s life.  Laura pushes Jen to look at her patterns,  priorities, systems...

As we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to spend a little time talking with Teal's dad, Alex, about gratitude.  This journey we are on can be challenging.  And pausing for a moment to remember what we have to be thankful for is simple and extremely rewarding.   This Thursday, regardless of where you're from or what country you're in, take a pause and tell those around you why they are...

Have you ever wondered if you could communicate with your child before they were conceived? Or if their spirit could come to you prior to conception? Do you ever think about how your connection with your chakras can impact your physical well-being or the confidence and security of your child? In this episode, Christine and I discuss her amazing book, A Journey Into Being. She is thoughtful and pas...

Steven and I dive into the many facets of a child's behavior and how really...it all comes down to the parent's interaction, response, reaction, and reinforcement to their child's ultimate behavior.   Wow...this episode is intense and I know you'll want to pull that car over and take some notes!! Join us live on December 14th at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET for a Community "For O...

In this easy and light-hearted discussion with Sharon M. Draper, we talk about how much of an impact Melody has had on the world.  As she writes her 3rd book in the Out of My Mind series, she knows how important it is to continue to tell the powerful story of this beautiful and intelligent girl with CP. Sharon gives us some insight as to who is playing Mrs. V. and Melody in the upcoming movies.  H...

Are you dreading Halloween? Does the thought of coming up with costumes for your kiddos make you sweat? Is the idea of taking your child out in the dark in her wheelchair a nightmare all on it’s own?  Well, then, this episode is for you.   Special Thanks to: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/tutti-fruity License code: GDNC7AAIJGNFVG8P We love to hear from...

In this 2nd episode with Rupert Isaacson, we dive into neuroplasticity and BDNF, shamanism, the Horse Boy Method and it’s evolution.  Rupert answers a couple of our listener questions and shares a really profound answer to "What is one word that describes a child with special needs?"   I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.   We love to hear from you. Send emails to ForOurSpeci...

In this episode, part 1 of 2 with Rupert Isaacson, we talk about his experiences with the bushman in Africa, his belief in the power of mentorship, how Temple Grandin influenced his life, the stress of being a parent to a child with special needs, and so much more! I hope you enjoy. And, let me know what you think. We love to hear from you. Send emails to ForOurSpecialKids@gmail.com if you have qu...

What a treat to get to interview my Spanish daughter! Candela joined us in August of 2021 and she brought so much joy and light to our family. She also connected really well with our family and especially with Teal. She shares her perspective with us today and openly discusses how adults and teens as questions about Teal's diagnosis.  I love how she gets into details with us all about how Tea...

Who knew that music therapy was so scientific? In this episode, we explore the magic of music and how we can use it to make new and unique neural connections in the brain to increase our children's ability to learn.  Ben and Anna's positive energy and love for children comes through in their music.  And we're thrilled to share it with you in this episode. I hope you enjoy.  And, as...

Kate Trotter, of Akashic Elements, reveals to us what the Akashic Records are, how she accesses them, and what the records can teach us. The Akashic Records can uncover how to enhance your relationship with your child, what foods are best and most comforting, what past lives are impacting your current life, and so much more.   We talk about how to use the Akashic Records to determine when you migh...

While Kelly and I had an extremely hard time connecting, mercury is in retrograde, I think you'll love this interview.  His poor puppy, Bruce Wayne, was having seizures and pooping all over the floor, he lost phone and computer connection 3 times, his son, Cade, was stimming just as we started the interview, and well...as he said, just another day in his home. What an amazing father, husband,...