Full Spectrum Parent: Christian Autism Support | Special Needs Parenting | Faith & Autism Resources

We all know prayer is important and if we're honest, we often feel guilty for not praying enough. In Episode 29, we launch a 3-part series on praying for our kids. This week, we tackle the challenge of praying for our special needs kiddos. Why we do it, how we do it, and the big question: DOES GOD WANT TO HEAL AUTISM?

Whether you’re a special needs parent worrying about sensory overloads and meltdowns or a typical parent praying your kids don’t eat so much candy they puke, we are all hoping to survive Halloween. But what if instead of hoping for survival, we actually planned ahead and enjoyed this time with our kids? In Episode 28, we share our tips and tricks for navigating trick-o-treating and even dive into...

Screen Time. The word itself seems to conjure up guilt. Maybe you haven’t been the best at monitoring your kid’s electronics. Or maybe you struggle with regulating how many hours you’re staring at your own phone. At one time or another, we have all been ashamed at how many hours we’ve wasted staring at a screen. In Episode 27, we share some staggering statistics in regards to technology, while off...

In Episode 26, we are celebrating our one-year anniversary as the Full Spectrum Parent Podcast by giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky listener who leaves a review on Apple Podcast. We also finish our three-part series, "The Lessons Our Kids Teach Us", sharing candidly how God has killed the perfectionist in each of us and used autism to give us a glimpse of his love for every i...

In Episode 25, we continue our 3-part series called “The Lessons Our Kids Teach Us” and this week we had the  privilege of interviewing Jennifer Forsthoff. Jen is an author, speaker and advocate from Fenton, Michigan. Jen and her husband are pastors and have 3 children. Their oldest, Charlie, was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 at birth. As Jen experiences the beauty and challenges of raising Charlie, s...

In Episode 24, we introduce a 3-part series called “The Lessons Our Kids Teach Us” and we had the honor of interviewing Heather Avis. Heather Avis is a New York Times best-selling author, podcaster and Down syndrome advocate, working to create a more inclusive world where everyone belongs. Learn more about her latest ministry and her latest child’s book, “Everyone Belongs” at https://www.heatherav...

Grief is a part of life we can’t avoid. The only thing worse than walking through a season of loss, is seeing our kids walk through one. In Episode 23, we talk candidly about grief, loss, and how to help our kids navigate life during the dark times.

Just as Instagram has dozens of filters that change an image, our parenting styles run through unique filters that distort and change reality. I’m Episode 22, we highlight 3 commons filters we unconsciously parent through; how to recognize and overcome these filters with God’s help. Whether you are a special needs parent or a typical parent, you need to listen to this one!

When our daughter Mara was first diagnosed with severe autism, we had no clue what autism even was. We quickly received a crash course but would never want others to be blindsided like we were. In Episode 21, we share 10 early signs of autism to be aware of as your child grows and develops. Also, we’d love to connect with you in a greater way: 🧩FREE GIFT FOR AUTISM FAMILIES 10 Crucial Facts About...

Vacations are supposed to be a time to unplug, a time to laugh, and to time to enjoy just being with family.   But as special needs parents, vacations can be extremely stressful—to the point you need a vacation AFTER your vacation. In Episode 20, we share hilarious moments from our recent family trip to Ohio and offer three tips to consider when venturing with special needs kiddos on a summer vaca...

As special need parents, we believe God has entrusted us to care for our children. But should we release our kids into the world like a typical parent would? Or should we care for our special needs kiddos indefinitely on our own? There are no cookie-cutter answers to these hard questions, but it helps to talk with a parent who is a few steps ahead. In Episode 19, we continue our series “Letting Go...

Being a parent is hard. Launching our kids into the world is even harder. In Episode 18, we continue our series “Letting Go: Learning to Release Your Kids Into The World” by interviewing Elaine Kesner. Elaine has been married for 32 years and is a mom of 3 young adults. All attended college, one is married, and her oldest is currently a missionary in Uganda. Listen in as Elaine candidly shares her...

As graduation season is upon us, many parents are faced with the challenge of releasing our kids into the big, scary world. Our ability to let go and launch our children depends on the health of our relationship with them. In Episode 17, we discuss six warning signs that you may be leaning towards codependency as a parent and how choosing to place our trust in God is always the answer.

In honor of May being National Foster Care Month, we dedicated Episode 16 to sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding foster care and adoption. With a candid look at our foster to adopt journey, we debunk five prevalent lies we hear all the time while challenging parents to prayerfully consider foster care and adoption.

We challenged our listeners to ask us anything and the questions came rolling in.  In Episode 15, we tackle tough parenting questions ranging from how to deal with guilt as a parent to how to keep your kids in their bedrooms at night.  This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

As Christian parents, we believe church should be an essential part of our children's lives. Yet the more kids we had--the more challenging church became. From the toddler who can't sit still to the teenager on the spectrum, church can be an overwhelming place. In Episode 14, we speak candidly of our own struggles with our children in the church setting and how we overcame some of these ob...

If we were to set up a confessional for parents, and you could slip behind the curtain and share your “sins”, the one admission we would hear most often is this: “I can’t stop yelling at my kids.” My husband and I are pastors, yet we lose our cool with our children too. The chaos of life with little ones feels as if you are a boiling pot of water—the minute you turn up the heat—you find yourself s...

The day our daughter was diagnosed with autism we entered into a foreign land called Special Education. In this strange new world, they spoke an entirely different language—spouting jargon and acronyms left and right. My husband and I felt completely lost. In Episode 12, we offer 10 tips for tackling your child’s Individualized Education Plan, defining terms, and walking parents through what it’s...

Considering medication for our children is a hot topic. Some families are dead set against the idea, while others swear by them. With so many options, it can be difficult to navigate what is best for our children.  On top of all this, as Christian parents, we are confronted with the stigmas regarding medicine that exists in some circles.  If our children are on medication, does that mean we aren&#...

Raising special needs kids should qualify as an extreme sport. But raising typical children in the midst of these challenges takes parenting to a whole new level. In Episode 10, we reveal an exclusive interview with a very special guest: our eldest son Jeremiah. Jeremiah describes the challenges he has faced as a typical teen growing up with two siblings who struggle with severe autism.

We challenged our listeners to ask us anything and the questions came rolling in.  In Episode 9, we tackle tough parenting questions ranging from how we hire babysitters to how we address the topic of sexuality with our children.  This is an episode you don’t want to miss! 

Every child learns differently.  Every child has different needs. Throw in a pandemic, masks, and social distancing—and learning gets complicated.  How can we as parents make wise decisions in regards to our kid’s education? What does God require of us? In Episode 8, we offer three guiding principles to navigate decisions regarding school, while sharing our blunders along the way. 

Sleep.  We know we need it but can never seem to get enough.  As parents, sleep can feel elusive.  The moment a tiny human enters our world—everything changes—including our sleep schedule. In Episode 7, we encourage parents that we aren’t victims to our children’s erratic sleep patterns.  Our kids CAN learn the skill of sound sleeping, no matter what challenges our families face.

Expectations are a tricky thing.  God calls us to believe for great things but how do we navigate life when it doesn’t seem to measure up to our expectations?  Most of us grow up dreaming of a spouse, a modern home designed by Joanna Gaines, a white picket fence, and 2.5 kids. Yet sometimes life serves up a different course than we envisioned—special needs, divorce, illness, miscarriage, lonelines...

There has never been a time in history where our mental health has been more taxed. Sickness.  Isolation. A world-wide pandemic.  And throw in the responsibility of raising good humans to boot.  I never thought much about my mental health until I experienced my first panic attack.  In this episode, we share our story and the steps we took toward pursuing peace and prioritizing our own mental healt...