Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast

Host Annette Hines opens the episode with an overview of the "Health and Hospital Corporation v. Talevski" U.S. Supreme Court Case and the impact the case may have on the ability of people who depend on public benefit initiatives funded by state and federal agencies be able to sue states when their civil rights are violated.  She also notes the recent gains the disability community is making in co...

Even though mindfulness is familiar, and we know we should practice it, we struggle to do it and need reminders to stop and care for ourselves. Podcast guest, Shonda Moralis , who is a life balance coach and therapreneur, explains how mindfulness and finding a state of calm is when we perform at our best. She developed a method and wrote a book with the same name, Don't Forget to Breathe , that fo...

Host Annette Hines wraps up her series on legal planning and supporting the decision-making of your loved one with disabilities during Special Needs Awareness Month with a deep dive into special needs trusts.  Have you ever wondered: How does someone manage a special needs trust? How do you choose a trustee or appoint one in your planning documents? Who can serve as a trustee? What kinds of distri...

Voice and Choice is a term host Annette Hines developed to refocus the decision-making process on the disabled person to ensure that their voice is heard and their choices are honored. She explores how to support legal decision-making for your disabled person; recent developments related to guardianship; t he Britney Spears conservatorship case; what we have learned from the Covid pandemic; and fu...

October is Special Needs Awareness Month! Attend one or all four short, complimentary trainings via Zoom each Wednesday in October at 5:30 pm EST with a live Q&A session with Host Annette Hines .  A single registration is required to attend four sessions as each will use the same meeting link. Register for the webinars here: https://bit.ly/SNPlanningWebinars The first episode in this series is abo...

Did you know that how you were raised and what you witnessed about money impact how you spend and save?  Guest Michelle Francis is the owner of Life Story Financial in Denver whose slogan is: "Money is the heart of our life story," as well as a mom to three, two who have Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disease diagnosed at birth.  She's found in her work as a financial planner that our lif...

When your family is faced with natural disasters or emergency situations, how do you cope?  For families with children with disabilities or complex medical needs, what types of plans do you have in place to protect their access to medicines, devices or equipment, food and more? Host Annette Hines and her guest, Patricia Frost who is vice-chair of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition (PDC) wit...

Sensitive Topic Warning: Host Annette Hines discusses child abuse and child sexual abuse in this episode. She introduces the episode by reflecting on the report of the abuse of a young man with disabilities in a group home in southern Illinois published on ProPublica.org , noting that the incidence of abuse is much higher for youth with disabilities.  Her two guests, Dr. Amy Saltzman , founder and...

What do you do when your five-month-old child has seizures that are only happening at night? For writer Marc Palmieri, it was hard to know whether the strained movements and odd facial expressions were a problem for his young daughter Anna, when she had been a healthy, happy baby otherwise. Ultimately, Anna was diagnosed with complex partial seizures, frontal lobe Epilepsy and was able to live a f...

Host Annette Hines opens the episode sharing about the month of September and the celebrations of Special Needs Companies, which includes the 10 years of service of Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts and 3 years of hosting Parenting Impossible Podcast!  Plus, this month is the start of the online Transition Planning Masterclass & Coaching Programs : Learn more here: https://bit.ly/Transition...

What is PDA? New to the United States, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) Syndrome is a small, distinct profile of autism characterized by avoiding demands and expectations due to an anxiety-based need for control. Our guest, Diane Gould,  is the founder of PDA North America and the first American professional with a certification in Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome. She notes that those wi...

In a time when employers are scrambling to fill empty job posts, imagine having a tool that would enable the ease of hiring neurodiverse individuals with a 90% retention rate to fill those positions.  Our episode guest, Director of avail Support Lisa Marie Clinton explains how the avail® solution provides the one-on-one job support through digitalized tools to provide tailored training and ongoing...

Feeling anxious about money or wanting to avoid talking about it are normal. However, Wealth Psychology Expert and Host of the award-winning, Breaking Money Silence® Podcast Kathleen Burns Kingsbury explains that when we're not talking about money, we're more likely to make financial mistakes and have difficulty learning from them.  Plus, in order to have goals and plan for ourselves as well as le...

@RareDiseaseDad and DadVocate are the monikers for Adam Johnson who is now a rare disease patient advocate who hosts a podcast called Parents As Rare that features stories of others like him who are affected by rare or chronic diseases.  Host Annette Hines and Johnson discuss a range of topics relating to the struggle that he faced in 2019 when his symptoms related to mitochondrial disease started...

While setting out to write a book about how to age to perfection and thrive to age 100, Award-Winning Author and Podcast Guest Judy Gaman met Lucille, an amazing woman who would transform Judy's life and perspective on aging.  Lucille introduced Judy to the beautiful, wonderful, tender side of old, became a dear friend, and provided Judy the hope that maybe she could have that much fun when she's...

"Adversity is not an excuse - it is a reason...to thrive and to push ourselves to excel," writes Mindy Henderson , podcast guest, author, motivational speaker, and advocate as well as the editor in chief of QUEST magazine of the national Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).  Despite the adversity Henderson encountered in the workplace and while job searching due to others' assumptions about her b...

How might climate change affect your world? What is a disaster readiness plan? Host Annette Hines discusses these timely topics with her guest, Alex Ghenis who is the deputy director of Sustain Our Abilities (SOA). His advocacy work within climate change and disaster preparedness highlights the needs and voices of the disability community that comprises 20% of all people in the world. As a wheelch...

A severely traumatic or unusual birth experience, weeks spent in the NICU, and harsh lectures from a neurologist about your child's chances of survival or living a good life are common starting points of the parenting journey that unites many special needs families. Host Annette Hines notes how her guest, Kelly Speck , author of the new book, Hope in the Heartache: The Journey of Grace and Growth...

How does your child's diagnosis affect your family? Where do you find other parents or caregivers facing similar joys and challenges? Kate Swenson writes that autism "affects the whole entire family," and notes that it was nearly impossible for her to find an autism community when her son Cooper was first diagnosed. Parenting Impossible Host Annette Hines talks with Swenson about creating the blog...

Annette Hines host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast Co-Founder and President Elliot Kallen of A Brighter Day an organization created in memory of Kallen's son who committed suicide have an eye-opening discussion about teen depression, stress, and suicide statistics. A Brighter Day in San Ramon, CA provides resources for teens and their parents to reduce stress and depre...

Annette Hines, host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast hosts a minisode to address how to combat feelings of being unmotivated or uninterested in life. When you recognize that you're a little off, it's probably time to sit and reflect on your goals and make a list to identify your tolerations.  Ask yourself: "What am I tolerating in my life that I should not be putting up...

Annette Hines , host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast starts the podcast talking about her recent live video post in the Circle of Care Facebook private group open to anyone in the disability community in which she asked: "If I could do one thing for you today to make your life better, what would it be? Dream big." Coming from a place of gratitude, Annette shares how im...

Annette Hines host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast starts the podcast reflecting on the role of fathers in the disability community.  With Father's Day approaching, Annette Hines will interview three different guests who are fathers and share unique perspectives from mothers. Our topic in this episode is about honoring the worth of all people and the universal need to...

  Annette Hines , host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast starts the podcast honoring the memory of disability advocate,   and mom Julie Beckett, who passed at the age of 72. Julie is a champion in the disability community who fought to allow children with disabilities to live at home while receiving care covered by Medicaid. The Katie Beckett Waiver, named after her daug...

Getting ready to retire and have a disabled adult child in your care? In this episode, Annette Hines host of Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast shares her tips on the 3 Things you should consider before you retire should you have a disabled adult child?   Annette goes into detail on updating your financials, looking at healthcare and health insurance, updating your "Circle o...