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During COVID, Jillian's son Bobby developed PANS/PANDAS, leading to sudden changes in behavior including self-injurious behavior. The diagnosis was initially dismissed by his neurologist but later acknowledged by a local pediatrician who confirmed her observations. Jillian and her husband both had to quit their jobs to care for Bob full-time due to the ongoing challenges. She described the significant impact on her family's life, including living in crisis mode and experiencing severe caregiver burnout, which led to her being prescribed multiple medications that left her feeling numb. Jillian emphasized the importance of addressing both the physical health aspects and the mental health challenges faced by caregivers in similar situations. Find her on Facebook: "Bobby's World-Profound Autism & Comple Needs. On Instagram: BobbysWorldProfoundAutism

Jillian talks about her son having not only autism but PANS/PANDAS, but the doctors not recognizing it. She is also very open about caregiver burnout and dealing with mental health issues over it. Listen to the full episode on this channel.

Steve Gonyea shared the challenges of his son Dustin's late autism diagnosis, his own experience as a single dad, and the lack of services in rural New York. He detailed his and his wife's work as foster parents to over 180 children, primarily those with autism and complex needs, and their decision to adopt three. Steve discussed his various projects aimed at creating solutions for the disability community, including a community bus service, an autism barn, recreational centers, and efforts to address housing and dental care issues. He emphasized the need for parents to be proactive and highlighted his involvement in national initiatives like Ability Village. The conversation also touched on the high rate of fathers leaving families with autistic children and the importance of parental involvement.  Reach Steve at [email protected]

Meet Steve Gonyea, Super dad! He has fostered 180 children including many with Special Needs. He adopted that last three, one of whom is profoundly autistic. Now he is busy advocating and creating projects for them. Listen to the full episode to see what else he is up to.

Cindy interviews Tyler Hudson focusing on Tyler's experience raising his non-speaking autistic son, Lyric. Tyler shared his journey from Texas to Tasmania, his career as a musician, and the challenges of Lyric's regression into autism after initial typical development. They discussed the long diagnostic process, the limitations of early interventions like ABA, and the lack of medical investigation into underlying conditions. Tyler explained his motivation for public advocacy, sparked by RFK Jr.'s controversial speech, and his frustration with the broad autism spectrum label. The conversation highlighted Lyric's recent progress with spelling to communicate, which has been a transformative experience for the family. Tyler also promoted his book, "The Missing Lyrics," which details his journey and critiques societal denial around autism.

Tyler is an autism advocate and the father of Lyric who has autism. A musician originally from Texas, he moved to Australia and now resides in Tasmania. Tyler explains his motivation for public advocacy, sparked by RFK Jr.'s controversial speech, and his frustration with the broad autism spectrum label. Listen to the full episode on this channel.

Nicole shared Caleb's story, including his early development, sudden regression and subsequent diagnosis of autism. She described the challenges of finding appropriate care, including Caleb's time in a residential school and the eventual creation of House of Hope, a micro-residential program for adults with profound autism needs. Nicole discussed the difficulties in navigating the adult service system, the lack of trained staff, and her vision for replicating her model to help other families navigate transitions from high school into adulthood.

Nicole shared Caleb's story, including his early development, sudden regression and subsequent diagnosis of autism. She described the challenges of finding appropriate care, including Caleb's time in a residential school and the eventual creation of House of Hope, a micro-residential program for adults with profound autism needs. Nicole discussed the difficulties in navigating the adult service system, the lack of trained staff, and her vision for replicating her model to help other families navigate transitions from high school into adulthood. Listen to the full episode on this channel.

Elizabeth's son was diagnosed with Autism and Apraxia at three years old. At ten years old they discovered spelling and RPM with Soma, then worked with Eizabeth Vosseller and the Spelling to Communicate method. Later she worked with Dawn Marie Gaivin and Dana Johnson of the Speller method, so she is familiar with all three spelling methods. Now she works as a Special Education Advocate, helping parents navigate the system and IEP meetings, helping them to advocate not only for Spelling, but for an age appropriate education. Elizabeth discusses a recent case involving a student named Zach who needed accommodation for letterboard use in his IEP, but the school system refused to implement the IEP, leading to a successful due process hearing where the student's testimony about his spelling abilities convinced the hearing officer.

Elizabeth is the mom of a son with autism who spells to communicate. Now she works as a Special Education Advocate helping families who want to get spelling into IEP's in school. Listen to the full episode on this channel.

Melissa shares her experience as a parent of two neurodivergent children, including her 10-year-old son who was diagnosed with PANS PANDAS following multiple infections including strep throat, Lyme disease, and pneumonia. She explained the challenges of distinguishing between PANS PANDAS symptoms and autism or ADHD, describing how her son's behavior suddenly changed with intense anxiety, throat-clearing sensations, and school avoidance. Melissa discussed treatment approaches including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and the importance of finding the right educational environment, noting that her son now attends a flexible democratic school program that works with his special needs. The conversation also covered the connection between neurodivergence and PANS PANDAS, with Melissa emphasizing that many families struggle to get proper diagnosis and treatment, often facing skepticism from traditional medical providers.

Melissa has 2 neurodivergent sons, and one also has PANS, which sent her on a quest to learn all about PANS/PANDAS. Listen to the full episode to learn more.

Lori went down the non-conventional path seeking out Biomedical intervention for her son Craig to help him after he was diagnosed with Autism. After he turned 21 she and her husband helped to create a program called Life Opportunities at Nashua Community College which provides a supported environment for adults with Disabiities. Then one day she read the book "Underestimated" by JB Handley and his son Jamie. She says Jamie was so much like her son Craig, being treated like a 2 year old, even though he could do calculus. So she found a practitioner and took him for a Spelling session. During the session she read him a lesson and had him poke a letterboard to answer questions with known answers. Then she asked a question that was not in the story and Craig knew the answer. "How did he know that?" Lori asked. It turned out Craig knew a lot more than he had ever been given credit for! Cindy and Lori also discuss telepathy and The Hill and Lori's business as a mindset coach. Her business is called "Positive Activity". She can be reached at [email protected]

Lori went down what she refers to as the "Outside the Box" path to help her son Craig who was diagnosed with autism, and sought out Biomedical Intervention. The Biomed Doctor asked if she had read "Underestimated" yet, but the book had been sitting on her shelf. So she read the book and says that Jamie Handley from the book was just like her son. So she took him to see a Spelling practitioner and he spelled to communicate. The practitioner read a story, then asked a question about something that was not in the story. Lori was shocked when Craig knew the answer. That's when she began to realize how much he really knew. Listen to the full episode to hear more.

Jen has worked within the system in New Jersey in group homes, day programs and as a Support Coordinator. That's when she found out how bad the system is and decided to do something about it. She started a Evermore Lifestyle Solutions, a program for adults with Special Needs which has expanded to 4 locations. She also created Golden Heart Advocacy to help families navigate the system. She can be reached via these websites: https://evermorelifestylesolutions.com/ https://www.goldenheartadvocacy.com/