Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey

Jodi is a New Yorker currently residing in Northern New Jersey with her Gaffer husband Frank and two incredibly kind and creative children, Emily (21) and Liam (15). At the age of 14 months, Liam was diagnosed with ASD and began early intervention (OT, PT and Speech) in the spring of 2009. While Liam could only say a few words and had to learn the simplest of tasks, he miraculously learned quickly...

Feeling the stress of a broken system, parents like me are constantly searching for ideas, resources and a supportive community to help us ensure our autistic adult children aren't dismissed and forgotten about after reaching the age where they're no longer eligible for traditional services. Often times, parent caregivers are left to create their own version of day programming or leave the workfor...

Cindy and Justin are mother and son duo advocates. Justin is 18 and has a dual diagnosis of Autism/ADHD, he was diagnosed at 18 months old. Aside from the role of mom, Cindy serves as Justin's full time carer/respite worker. She has dedicated the last 17 years to sharing their stories and experiences regarding autism, disability and most recently, Mental Health advocacy. In 2020, at the age of 49,...

Jenifer Thomas has been a single mom for 20 years to two amazing young men. Her oldest son Cobey who is on the autism spectrum is 27 years old and is 6'10! Cobey's younger brother, Cooper is 25 years old is a graduate of the University of TN.    Jennifer has been a full time caregiver for Cobey since 1995.   ***************************************** To purchase my book " Welcome to My Life – A Per...

Growing up Julie Fackrell always knew that one day she was going to live in California. She had no idea that mental illness and a late diagnosis of autism would be the vehicle that brought her there. Julie has two kids, Jacob is 28, Emma is 18 and they are the brightest stars that guide her. When she's not busily working the days away keeping schedules on track and completing various mom duties, J...

Kim resides in Massachusetts with her husband and four children, two teenagers and two young adults. She is an advocate for autism with a passion for spreading awareness, understanding and acceptance. Her daughter Alyssa is a young adult with profound, nonverbal autism. She shares her daughter's journey into adulthood honestly and openly on her FB page @adventures in autism with Alyssa. She also i...

Lori Haynes has been an autism and disability advocate for over 30 years. She is married to her wonderful husband Mike and they care for their 28 year old son Jacob at home. Her son Jake was diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism and intellectual disability at the age of 2 ½ and she has worked tirelessly since then to raise, not only awareness, but acceptance and understanding. She started the fir...

Kathy Radigan is a writer, blogger, wife to one, and mom of two boys, 23 and 17, and a 20-year-old daughter with significant disabilities. She is the creator of the blog, My Dishwasher's Possessed!  Kathy's work has been featured in many online publications including, Her View from Home, Grown and Flown, Finding Cooper's Voice, as well as having viral pieces on TODAY'S Parent, HuffPost, and Scary...

Dr. Karen Kelly is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) where she earned her BS and MS in nursing and a doctoral degree in education. She is a retired associate professor in the School of Nursing at SIUE. She taught leadership, health policy, and health care finance at both the graduate level and doctoral level. Karen is active in several nursing organizations at the loca...

Julie Swanson is the parent of Alex, an adult with an autism spectrum disorder and a special education advocate helping secure appropriate services for students with disabilities.  She is also the founder of The Life Skills Lady, a website devoted to the critical link between life skills and increased adult outcomes in autism.  Julie is also the author of Your Special Education Rights: What Your S...

Rachel Lack is a filmmaker and mother to an 11 year old autistic boy. She lives in Arizona with her husband and son, Henry. She has been filming 10 autistic kids in Arizona and Massachusetts for the last 7 years. She is filming these kids all the way to adulthood. The documentary series is called Across the Spectrum.   You can follow them all on Facebook at  Across the Spectrum: The Doc Instagram;...

So glad to be back hosting my podcast after an unexpected multiple month break!! For this first episode of season 4, I'm discussing the lengthy battle many of us face when trying to find a medication that is helpful to our kids, but also one that won't add additional challenges to their day to day behaviors, sleep schedule or appetite.  We've been experiencing what I call the "many seasons of Skyl...

Kelly resides in FL is mom to 32-year-old Steven who received his autism diagnosis at the age of 2.5. Since that time, he has also been diagnosed with Apraxia, Tourette's, OCD and Anxiety. Steven is a kind, gentle soul. He loves life and everyone he meets. His journey has not been easy but he has persevered through every single obstacle he has faced. Kelly learns from Steven every single day and f...

Alicia Miner (WA) - resides in Washington State and is a single mom to her amazing 18-year-old son, Austin, who is autistic and non-verbal. She has recently started the Spelling to Communicate program and is always advocating for her son's future.  Connect with Alicia via FB: www.facebook.com/alicia.miner.9 Leasa Hoogerwerf (CA) - is the mother of two adult sons, her youngest, Cody is 21-years-old...

Jess Ronne (MI) - Lives in Grand Rapids, MI and is the author of 'Sunlight Burning at Midnight' and 'Blended With Grit and Grace.' She also founded a non-profit 'The Lucas Project' and initiated & helped produce the recently released documentary 'Unseen' which touches on the challenging lives of caregivers. Jess and her husband Ryan are the parents of 8 children and their almost 18-year-old son Lu...

Caryn Culver is a life long Tennessean and currently resides in Knoxville with her husband Chad and 3 children. Caryn's middle child, Peyton, was diagnosed with autism in 2010 at the age of two. Since this time, their family has been on a journey to help Peyton reach his best potential. After visiting doctors and specialists around the country and trying numerous therapies, Peyton has finally foun...

Lisa Dempsey is a special needs mom & is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, Forgotten Wishes Foundation, whose mission is to inspire a sense of belonging and be a source of joy for people with disabilities. Lisa also writes a blog about her experiences called Cluck Howl Crow. Lisa is happiest when spending time with her husband Robert and family. To refuel her mind and body, Lisa travels in her...

Peri, better known to her FB followers as Not Raingirl is a 24-year-old autistic adult. Peri's honesty, understanding and deep desire to educate parents and caregivers about living with autism - as a nonverbal child and now an outspoken advocate, is greatly appreciated and admired. *I can assure you this Autism mom not only values Peri's willingness to help explain and guide me but that she does i...

Johanne is a writer, autism advocate and mother of an adult son with severe autism. Her memoir, CHOICES - One mother's determined search for the supports to meet the needs of her aging autistic son, details her journey from her son's infancy to adulthood. Today, Johanne continues to work with special needs students in the public school system and lives in her Habitat for Humanity home on Cape Cod....

Kate Swenson, the founder of Finding Cooper's Voice and nonprofit, The More Than Project, is a mother to four kids, a wife, and a proud Minnesotan. She writes and creates videos regularly about her life as a mother and an autism advocate for Facebook, Instagram, and her website,  Finding Cooper's Voice . Her book,  Forever Boy, A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy , is available now and hig...

To kick start all things Autism Education month, I'm taking to the podcast solo to discuss my thoughts on Skyler turning 19 next week and my evolving perspective on future living arrangements.   I reference a few prior guests in this episode as well - Dottie Davis (Episode 78) 7 Michelle O'Reily (Episode 88) so be sure and listen to those! ***************************************** To purchase my b...

Kim Albrecht is a southerner transplanted to California via the Midwest along with her husband and 2 teenage daughters, the oldest of which has level 3 non-speaking autism. She hosts the award winning LOMAH Disability Podcast, where over 100 expert guests have been interviewed on topics relevant to planning the future for teens and young adults with disabilities.  The show deep dives into a single...

Christy Pickrell is a wife, mother, author and advocate for individuals with disabilities or health concerns.  Christy has been in the caregiving field for 30 plus years, starting with family members as well as a respite provider for the ARC of Maryland. She is the mother of a 22-year-old disabled son and wife of 29 years.  Christy has been published in Autism Parenting Magazine, as well as 50 plu...

Lindsay is the founder and owner of The Pampered Parent, a monthly self-care subscription box and supportive online community for moms of children with special needs. In addition to The Pampered Parent, Lindsay is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). As a BCBA, she works with individuals with a variety of developmental disabilities, as well as with their caregivers and families, to improve c...

Kelley Howe is a Spelling to Communicate practitioner, occupational therapist, and owner of Adroit Therapy Services in Knoxville, Tennessee. In her practice she strives to help nonspeaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals gain access to reliable communication. Kelley has been using Spelling to Communicate with her clients since 2016 and is currently helping to train new pra...