Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

In this episode, I am joined by Amanda Owens of Illuminate Communicate about what she does as a Speech Therapist consulting with Homeschool families! Amanda provides support for families online, but she also provides speech therapy for residents of Indiana. She is currently working on becoming a speech therapy provider for the states of Texas and Florida as well! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/p...

Today I talked with Sarah Collins, owner of Homeschool OT, about how she supports families! Sarah does truly fantastic work consulting with families about how we can support our children in all the things they wish to do! I have actually consulted with Sarah myself, so I know she does good work putting resources into hands of parents to empower them! We also discussed a project we are working to c...

In today's episode we are talking about music education! Why do we learn music? How do we support children developing a positive relationship with music when they have different processing strengths and weaknesses? What are some resources that are available for exploring music further in your home? All this and more in this episode! Make sure to subscribe because we will be discussing music m...

In this episode I interviewed Cynthia Herron, an Autistic Blogger and owner of Inside Our Normal! Cynthia works to support families who may have had experiences similar to her own family! And she does so from a refreshingly realistic perspective! Cynthia has recently create a booklet ALL about Sensory Processing Disorder, and she did a GREAT job of breaking down a very complex topic!!! It is great...

Today I talked with Julie Angstadt, Owner of Hummingbird ABA Therapy, about how, as a Neurodivergent person, she created Hummingbird ABA Therapy Center to support children in the development of self-advocacy skills and partner with kids to help them learn things that are of interest to them! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-29 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consult...

In this episode, I talked with Kalli Clement, Owner of Perfect Blend Coffee Company, about how she provides opportunities for young adults with disabilities to not only get job training, but to also work, collect a paycheck, and find other opportunities in the community! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-28 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and p...

In this episode, I talked with Melissa Goolsby, Owner of Across the Board Therapy Center, about how to find therapists that will honor the personhood of your child and family! Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-27 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 Neur...

In this episode, I talked with Kendra Booth, President of Emerald Coast Exceptional Families, about how they created a nonprofit organization to support families with exceptional needs. Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-26 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities thro...

In which Jessica and I talk about the movies Encanto and Turning Red and how they relate to generational trauma. Shownotes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-25   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 Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

Join me today and hear Amber O'Neal Johnston talk about her new book that is coming out in May!!! I absolutely LOVE her message about learning to love who we are and where we come from... and how that opens us up to being able to see what is beautiful in other people!!  This is SUCH an important message for our Special Needs Families where children often struggle with appreciating themselves...

Does your child hate math? Is it the subject they struggle with most? Are you searching for the Special Needs Math Curriculum that will solve all of your woes?  If you want to see real progress with math, the key is not a curriculum targeting a specific learning disability.. the key is helping your child see the beauty in math and to find a curriculum that teaches the way your child learns best. ...

Join me today as my daughter, Jessica, and I talk about the importance of internet safety, including some of the measures we have put in place over the years to protect them. Spoiler! It has not included software or guardian tech! It has mostly depended on building and maintaining a trusting relationship with our children and using that as a place to build online relationship skills. Like so many...

Join me for another episode of our series: Profiles in Personhood! Today you will get to meet my son, Austin, and learn a little more about what is important to him! Get ready to laugh along with us as we talk about Hyperlexia, NonVerbal Learning Disability, classic video games, music, and humor! And we get to hear Austin do some of his voice impressions for us!! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/...

My guest today is Madison Holcomb, an Autistic adult whose work focuses on offering an Autistic perspective to families and professionals. Madison was a recent guest speaker at SEXABA, a conference focused on the importance of thinking ahead to the needs of not only the child, but also the adult the child will become! This must include giving thought to sex education. Oftentimes we think of sex ed...

The Holidays can be a very difficult time for Special Needs Families, and one of the big reasons The Holidays can be so difficult is: traditions.  Holiday Traditions are made up by a democracy of the dead. They are not designed to meet the needs of the people in your home today. The were designed for an earlier time.  Join me as we discuss ideas for "Marie Kondo-ing" your Holiday Traditi...

Join me for the inaugural episode of our new series: Profiles in Personhood! Today you will get to meet my daughter Jessica (unedited) and learn a little more about what is important to her! In the episode, we decided that if we were going to create an ad for her it would be: Jessica loves drawing, big hugs, and fandoms – including The Wizard of Oz , Bendy and the Ink Machine , and Five Nights at...

Often the perspectives of Autistic individuals (or individuals with other types of diagnoses) are not taken into consideration because their perspective is not well known.  This time of year there are many holidays that expose us to a perspective that also may not be well known to us. With Thanksgiving being last week, Hanukkah being this week, and Christmas coming in a few weeks, I thought it was...

ABA has been under fire from Autistic adults because the bodies that govern the field of ABA are not living up to their sacred responsibility to protect children from unethical treatment.  So what do we do with ABA? Do we advocate that every child receive ABA? Or do we say ABA is evil and should be banned? Or...is there a more nuanced approach? I believe there is!!  Join me today as we dive into w...

Real inclusion is all about connection ! It's not about having everyone in the classroom doing the exact same work. It's about helping everyone find the way that they can connect with the topic of the day best! In this episode, I talk about how I manage this in my online classes where I teach Woodworking and Family Yoga through The Charlotte Mason Co-op. But really, it just comes down to...

It's tough being a teenager, period! There are so many changes to go through, and if you add sensory processing issues to that, it can be even more difficult! Join me today as we talk about how we can show up as the adults and support our children through these changes!! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-14 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents...

Join me today as we talk about LOVE on the Spectrum! I will be sharing me and my daughter's perspective on the first season of the TV show, "Love on the Spectrum," and then I will be sharing some of the things that I have learned along the way about dating and relationships from an Autistic perspective!  Show Notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-13  For more info about Am...

I am a HUGE fan of the Teal Pumpkin Project! In fact, not only do we have a Teal Pumpkin sign in our yard, but I am also a Neighborhood Captain, which means I encourage others in my neighborhood to consider participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project!  The Teal Pumpkin Project is a great way of making sure that children with allergies feel supported on Halloween, but it is also a great way of identi...

I have had the privilege of knowing some pretty fantastic teachers!! But for all of us who are part of an IEP team – whether we are a teacher, parent, administrator, advocate, etc. – it is essential that we make certain that each child's IEP does what it was intended to do: guarantee children that we are prepared to provide them the support they need to grow and learn!!  Let's start taki...

Words are Power: The Importance of Examining the Language We Use  Have you ever wondered why I titled my podcast "Special Needs Kids are People Too" when there is a push to stop using terms like "Special Needs"? There is a reason!! Find out in this episode! Show notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-10 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for par...

Who gets to decide which people have value and which don't? Who gets to decide what kinds of diversity are acceptable and what kinds aren't?  What would happen to our creativity and ingenuity as a society if we prevent the existence of certain types of diversity? What happens to our well-being as a society when we choose to exclude people in our lives who are different from us? What happ...