The Autism Dad

This week’s episode is all about helping our kids survive the COVID19 lockdown. Mary Jane Weiss, Ph. D, joins me to discuss ways we can help our kids better maintain, both emotionally and physically in a situation in which their entire world has been turned upside down. Mary Jane has worked in the Autism and ABA field for over 35 years and she has some amazing advice for parents, including myself....

In today’s episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Jason Kahn, PhD. Jason, as he prefers to be called, is a developmental psychologist and co-creator of Mightier. Mightier is a program I’ve talked about quite a bit because it uses video games to help kids learn to emotionally self-regulate. That means fewer emotional outbursts or meltdowns, and a reduction of parental stress. Jason talks about how...

In this week’s episode, (recorded on 4/8/2020) I talk with my friend Hazel McAdam. Hazel and I decided to have a conversation about everything from ADHD, Anxiety, and COVID19 to politics and how the outside world views the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID19 pandemic. I don’t typically, delve into politics but it’s interesting to hear firsthand what the people in other countries think o...

This is a very special episode. I speak parent to parent with Melissa Winchell about the struggles our families are facing on COVID19 lockdown. Melissa’s family was featured on ABC News recently, along with mine and few others. ABC News were exploring the impact COVID19 lockdown is having on special needs families like ours. I speak with Melissa about the challenges she’s facing as a special needs...

In this weeks episode, I speak with Alycia Halladay. Alycia is the Chief Science Officer at the Autism Science Foundation. We recently had a discussion about many things Autism related. We talked about the new Autism statistics released by the CDC and what they mean. We talked about how COVID19 is impacting Autism families and ways we can help. We also discussed the current bane of my existence, a...

In this shorter episode, I discuss a major milestone we’ve reached, 30 days on total lockdown. I share how I’m managing a seriously delicate medication situation with my oldest. I talk about how we’re doing and the struggles I’m facing as a single Dad during the worst pandemic in a century. Please remember that self-care is more important than ever. It’s not easy but we have to do our best to look...

In this episode, I talk with Aaron Shute from Brain Power. We discuss how they are using highly specialized software and Google Glass to improve the lives of Autistic kids and adults. Brain Power uses augmented reality to help Autistic individuals better interact with the world. The technology is absolutely amazing but please understand that this is very expensive and will not be for everyone. Aar...

In this episode, I open up about how I’m managing my depression while I’m on total lockdown with my 3 Autistic kids. Those of us who live with mental health issues may find ourselves struggling more because of all that’s going on around us. I hope that my experience can help someone else. Please remember that self-care is more important than ever. It’s not easy but we have to do our best to look a...

In this episode, I update you on a major decision I had to make in order to keep my immunocompromised son safe during the COVID19 pandemic. Very few things are simple with it comes to Special Needs parenting and I share the thought process that goes into making potentially life altering decisions for my kids. I also talk about a few other things that are on my mind and I curse a bit. ;-) I also wa...

In this weeks (albeit late) episode, I talk about life on lockdown and what it's like to manage this COVID19 health crisis as a single Dad to 3 Autistic kids. Gavin, (my oldest) is immunocompromised and I have to walk a very, very fine line in order to keep him safe. It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination but we're muddling through. Later in the episode, Emmett, my 11 year old, joins me t...

Here's an update on how my Autism and Special Needs family is managing on lockdown during the COVID19 pandemic. I wanted to provide you with a list of reliable sources for information regarding COVID19. Facts, science medicine and accurate, truthful information matter now more than ever. These are a few of the people and places I trust. These are some of the people and medical facilities that I tr...

I've been getting a lot of questions in regards to how I'm managing my household as the COVID19 pandemic worsens. I thought it would be better to do it this way and hopefully this helps someone. I'm NOT an expert and I hate giving advice but what I'm going to do is share a little bit about how I managing to keep us safe, sane and moving forward during these scary times. As you know, my oldest has...

In this week's episode, I speak with Lukas Lange, the CEO and co-founder of Probably Genetic. Probably Genetic is working very hard to make genetic testing more accessible to families who need it. Families like mine. Lukas and I discuss what genetic testing is, the role genetics plays in our lives and why it's so important to genetically test kids diagnosed with Autism. We also discuss the many hu...

This is a very special episode and one that's very near and dear to my heart. While on our recent trip to Orlando, I had a chance to sit down for a face to face with Kate Mazelin, Marketing Director of Give Kids The World. Give Kids The World is an amazing place where kids with terminal, life threatening or serious health condions, along with their families, can spend time, make memories and find...

In this week's episode, I speak with Taylor Linloff. Taylor is 25 years old and was diagnosed with Autism and severe anxiety in 2018. Taylor became an advocate after being cast in CBC's "You Can't Ask That" Docuseries and is listed as #10 in The Mighty's top 14 autistic influencers. Taylor also lost her father, Conrad, last month to cancer and she wanted to use her experience to help others, like...

As you know, or maybe you don't, my boys and I were invited to stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld recently. They are one of the very first hotels in the country to become Autism Certified. Our mission was to honestly evaluate their Autism friendly accommodations and experience what it's like to visit a truly inclusive hotel. In this episode, I sit down with David, Laura and Ana t...

In this week's episode, I have the honor of speaking with one of my personal hero's Peter Morley. Peter is an amazing human being and someone I'm truly grateful to call friend. Peter has battled cancer, lives in chronic pain and faces many other health challenges. He's devoted his life to fighting to protect our health care. He regularly travels to Washington DC in order to testify before congress...

S3E4 This weeks episode broaches the subject of what it's like to be an Autism parent, while in the US Military. I had the honor to speaking with Josh Gibbs and learning about the unique challenges that our Military families face while raising a child with Autism. Josh shares how to navigate the system inside the military in order to find your child the help and services they need. I'm so grateful...

(S3E3) My guest this week is Alison Singer, President of the Autism Science Foundation. Alison is an amazing human being and I'm honored to have her on the pod today. She shares some personal stories about Autism in her life that has given me some much needed perspective. We also discuss many important things impacting the Autism community today, from research and early intervention to building a...

S3E2 My guest today is Dr. Tara Smith. She's an expert in vaccine-preventable and infectious diseases. We discuss the facts and dangers of VPD's like Measles, Whooping Cough and Flu. These are very serious conditions that can be fatal, especially to the immunocompromised, those with HIV/AIDS, Cancer patients on chemotherapy, the very old and the very young. Many people are more afraid of the vacci...

S3E1 I have a very honest conversation about vaccines with Dr. Ryan Marino, an ER Physician and Medical Toxicologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. It's 2020 and we're still debating vaccines, while people are getting sick from diseases that were once considered eradicated. People are contracting measles and whooping cough at epidemic levels due to people refusing to vaccinate. Vaccin...

S2E11 Wandering is a huge problem in the Autism community and it's reached epidemic levels. Sidra Collins is an Autism Mom and Community Manager at AngelSense. She joins me to discuss everything you need to know about wandering and how AngelSense is working to save the lives of Autistic kids who wander. If you are worried about your child with Autism wandering off, you need to listen. You can find...

S2E10 In this week's episode, I have a very open and honest conversation with my good friend Hazel McAdam. She one of my favorite people and you should definitely follow her on Twitter. She's an adult living with ADHD and Anxiety. She helps so many people by sharing her journey and educating the world. We talk about how these conditions impact her daily life, and how we can better support those wi...

I had the opportunity to speak with Sheri A. Marino, MA, CCC-SLP this past week. She's the Executive Director of the Autism Healthcare Collaborative. The only way I can think to describe this organization is Dr. House meets Autism. The AHC basically provides families of medically complicated Autistic children with access to the top doctors from various specialities via teleconferencing. This puts...

S2E8 In this week's episode, I have the chance to talk with Ethan Fisher about depression, mental illness, addiction and suicide. Ethan is a keynote speaker who has turned tragedy into something positive. He helps students all over the country and I'm so grateful he had the time to talk with me about this. You can find Ethan: ethan-fisher.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNDRAFTED_EFISH (https://t...