Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

What are the challenges of being a neurodivergent woman? We are taking a break from our Q&A series this week to address this question! Michelle Markman of ND Coach, Inc is my guest this week, and she works to empower high-masking, high-achieving women, particularly those who have been late-diagnosed or self-diagnosed autistic (or otherwise neurodivergent). So what are the challenges of being a...

Our next Q&A is all about ACT/SAT Testing Accommodations, a topic of great concern to those with high schoolers. Today we will be answering important questions like: Which test should my student take? How do I apply for accommodations? What kinds of accommodations could I possibly apply for? Is there anyone who can help with this process? You can ease your mind about ACT/SAT testing accommodat...

Our next Q&A is all about Misophonia, a condition where a person experiences a decreased tolerance for certain sounds. To help us understand more about Misophonia, I have asked Doctor of Audiology Rae Stout to join me! Dr. Stout is an Autistic Audiologist that has taken a particular interest in using low gain hearing aids to help children not only cope with Misophonia but to hopefully increase...

Today is all about Primitive Reflexes! And I invited Sarah Collins of Homeschool OT to help us out as we dive into this topic!  Sarah is not just a talented OT. She is also a homeschool mom with lived experience with retained primitive reflexes! What are primitive reflexes? Primitive reflexes are things that our bodies naturally do as babies but that we loose as we develop. When development gets i...

This Is Why We Homeschool - Part 2! Last week's episode addressed some questions that could all be answered with the sentence: "This is why we homeschool!" This week I want to expound on that idea by explaining the inverse of why we homeschool! When people ask why we homeschool, what they sometimes really want to know is, "Why don't you go to school?" Very often they...

This is why we homeschool! We are continuing our Q&A series this week, and all of the questions for today’s episode can all be answered with the sentence: "This is why we homeschool!" There are so many things that can make life more difficult for those of us with needs that fall outside the average. Sensory processing differences can be especially challenging and even more so during...

We are continuing our Q&A series this week. All of the questions for today’s episode will focus on how to effectively shoulder the responsibility of advocating for others. There is no doubt that advocating for others does place a burden on the advocate, no matter how much we love and care about the person we are advocating for. This burden is doubly challenging for Neurodivergent parents who n...

We are continuing our Q&A series this week. All of the questions for today’s episode will focus on inspiring confidence in our children. Parents wrote in asking about their struggles with helping their children to not only understand themselves but also accept themselves. Can we help our children become more confident in themselves? If so, how? Join me today to find out the answer to these and...

We are beginning 2024 with a series of podcast episodes on questions asked by members of my Facebook group! All of the questions for today's episode, the first episode of the new year, focus on how we can find balance. Parents wrote in asking how they could find balance in helping their children but also enjoying their children. They asked how to find balance in setting expectations and offer...

For the last episode of 2023, I felt like it was important to remind all the moms out there that you are people too! 2023 has been a hard year for many people I know (myself included),  and sometimes this time of year can bring some extra stress. Sometimes we, as moms, need a reminder that as people we also have needs that are worthy of being cared for. As I take a brief holiday break to take care...

I recorded this episode back in the spring before I got sick, and so Amanda's book, Low-Demand Parenting , has already been out for several months. The conversation we had was quite fascinating! As it turns out, Amanda Diekman is also an Autistic adult who thinks in patterns! I have found that when an Autistic adult who thinks in patterns writes a book, it is worth reading because it will hel...

One of the hardest things to support a child through is the hateful acts of others, especially as many children feel powerless to stand up against it. I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard a child say, “No one cares what I think. I’m just a kid.” This has been a tough year for my own children. One of the ways I can support them is by giving them opportunities to use their voice. When...

Join me for a wonderful talk with the author of The Christmas Menorahs , Dr. Janice Cohn, a psychotherapist in New Jersey and New York who specializes in healing trauma. The Christmas Menorahs tells a very important story about how ordinary citizens fought back against antisemitism in Billings, Montana. Anytime anyone is dehumanized, it puts us all at risk, but most especially the more vulnerable...

Did you know that children with disabilities were also targeted during the Holocaust? And as such it can make learning about the Holocaust a very different experience for kids with disabilities. This topic is even more relevant today in light of recent events. What are the things we need to consider when educating our children, in general, and specifically about the Holocaust and other such events...

I am so glad to be back doing podcasts again! I have been through a very difficult 7 months with my health, and we are still not through it yet, but I am feeling better! So welcome back! Join me and my thoughts on health, neurodiversity, Autism, trauma, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and Cancer.  I hope you enjoy the update and some of the thoughts that have occurred to me as I have been fighting through...

Did you know that I will be speaking at the Educate & Rejuvenate Online Conference ? It's an educational conference for parents and educators alike! My Workshop is titled "Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia… Oh my!" Click here to register for the conference.. you don't want to miss it! On the podcast today I am speaking with Kelsey Sorenson, the creator of the Educate &a...

My family recently had the pleasure of attending Pensacon, a Comicon located in Pensacola, Florida! We love getting to attend Comicons because they are a space where we can be accepted exactly as we are! And we also get to meet a lot of other great people with whom we can “nerd out” about our favorite fandoms! I think part of the reason the kids I work with are drawn to a lot of these stories and...

In which I interview Ambre Sautter from Reshelving Alexandria, and she shares her ideas about why stories can be so meaningful to those of us that are Neurodivergent! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-41 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergen...

Gestalt Language Processing is a hot topic right now in Speech Therapy circles, but for the rest of us, what exactly is it? Join me as we use the classic Star Trek story of Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra to understand yet another way we can work to form connections with our children! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-40 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for par...

Meet Anthony from Living Book Press, a small family publishing company that republishes books that are out of print! Join us as we discuss how “some of the stories that we tell are not the ones that we tell actively... that we put in a book... that we put on a screen… that we put in a video game. They are the stories that we live!” Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-39 For more info...

Join me and some of the students in my Special Needs Membership as we talk with Adrienne Kress about the importance of opening ourselves up to the risk of storytelling.. and how she participates in storytelling through writing and acting. Adrienne Kress is the author of the Bendy and the Ink Machine books and others. Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-38 For more info about Amy Bodki...

Join me and some of the students in my Special Needs Membership as we talk with Laura Faye Smith about the importance of storytelling and how she participates in storytelling through acting. Laura Faye Smith is the voice of Rosalina in the Super Mario Brothers fandom and Noelle in the video game Genshin Impact. Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-37 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a S...

When I consult with families, I work within their values system. That means I work with Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, etc. And I make it my business to be knowledgeable about resources for a wide variety of religions! One of the things I often talk about with families during a consult is supporting kids not just physically and mentally,...

In which I get to info dump about my love of Mythology and we begin a new series on storytelling! Be sure to check out the Show Notes for links to all of the books and videos I mentioned in this episode. While it is a rather lengthy list, it is nothing compared to my personal Mythology collection!! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-35 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs...

Join me as I share with you all about my absolute favorite educational philosopher, Charlotte Mason, and why I think she should be your favorite too! Understanding why we choose to educate the way we do is extremely important because it helps guides us in making educational decisions that advance our goals. Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-34 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Speci...