Most adult supports are chosen via eligible providers on HCBS waiver lists. However, some states have been toying with a new method that offers more flexibility and choice. In this conversation we explore what families have and have not liked about the newly rolled out Self Determination Program and why our family has decided to move away from provider lists and into this new option of funding supports. About the Guest: Sonni Charness, Founder of Guidelight Group Sonni Bendetson Charness brings over a decade of experience serving teens and adults with developmental disabilities and is an ..read more

What does therapy look like and feel like from the perspective of the client? A woman in her 20’s who has been in therapy since infancy shares her experiences and observations of how things changed as she aged and what she feels is important during the teen to adult transition years. About the Guest: Hanna Foley Hannah Foley is the Product & Service Development Intern and an Ambassador at PRC-Saltillo, where she develops training and implementation supports for PRC-Saltillo language systems. She also represents PRC-Saltillo at speaking engagements and other events. Hannah presents at schoo ..read more

Families living in rural and frontier setting may live hours away from the nearest specialist and have a small pool of therapists and providers from which to choose. How can a support system and work force be formed for these families? Links to Mentioned Content: Telehealth and telepractice regulations vary by state. Therapy-focused national associations track these regulations, by state. AOTA State Actions Affecting OT in Response to COVID-19 Virtual School-based Services via Telehealth ASHA Tracking of State Laws and Regulations for Telepractice and Licensure Policy Telepractice ..read more

Doctors tell parents of autistic kids not just to do ABA therapy but a lot of ABA therapy and as early as possible.  Meanwhile, autistic self advocates are loudly saying under no circumstances should ABA be a therapy option. Who is right? About the Guest: Brian Middleton, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA Brian Middleton started Bearded Behaviorist as an effort to make understanding behavior fun and interesting. Dedicated to open-source education, Brian is a founding member of the Open-Source Educational Resources special interest group of ABAI. His social media pages and website are dedicated to dissemina ..read more

Complex needs necessitate a more specialized approach toward therapy. Often the “Big 3” of speech, OT, and PT are not specialized enough to address complex needs. This episode takes a look at how niche therapies fold in the The Big 3 and where trends seem to be headed. About the Guest: Laura Hayes, MS, CCC-SLP Laura Hayes is a speech-language pathologist with over 12 years of augmentative communication experience in both school and medical settings.  Laura has presented locally and at state, national, and international conferences such as the Missouri Speech-Hearing Association, ATIA, and ..read more

If the traditional format of education during the day and therapies in the afternoon are not advancing your objective, you CAN break the mold. Listener turned guest, Jess Fraga is venturing out of the box this year. Rather than slot her twin boys into what is already established with education and therapies she is creatively customizing a day that is focused on how to best meet goals. She shares how her boy’s days are structured, where she found people to help, utilizing resources for funding, and suggested educational materials.   Links to Mentioned Content: Blossom and Root Curri ..read more

Adulthood often comes with a narrowing of therapeutic options that unfortunately are becoming even more thinned out due to recent policy. In this episode we pick up from a line of thought introduced in episode 150 regarding supports that affirm Neurodiversity and how value is ascribed to disability communities. Ableist lines of thinking are having a catastrophic impact on support services for the most vulnerable. These impacts in policy will be very hard to reverse once implemented and many advocates are unaware that the advocacy movements they are supporting may actually be ableist at the cor ..read more

What does it look like to support self injurious behavior in a way that is affirming to the individuals neurotype? Are the approaches being suggested in the neurodivergent affirming therapeutic practices movement just wishful thinking or are they game changers for the many looking for help in this area? We conclude with a conversation about what self determination truly looks like when considering independent living outcomes and goals. We highly suggest listening to this episode with a copy of the document created by OT's for Neurodiversity. You can download it for free here. Without the downl ..read more

New methods of therapy are beginning to take hold that emphasize neurodivergent affirming practices. What does this even mean and how does it expand or change the scope of traditional therapeutic focus? This is the first of two episodes on the topic. About the Guest: Jacklyn Googins, MSOT Jacklyn (she/her) graduated from UNC Chapel Hill’s Master’s of Occupational Therapy program in August 2021. Jacklyn is the co-founder of OTs for neurodiversity, a paradigm-shift in social media advocacy platform and the co-founder of B3 Coffee, a nonprofit that provides social and vocational opportunities for ..read more

From the start, referrals and advice and options abound. How do we make smart decisions and put boundaries around therapy so as to choose the best option and know when it’s time to bail.   About the Guest Kimberly Richey is a former librarian, researcher, massage therapist and Rolfer with over 20 years of experience. She is also on a unique parenting journey with her son, Eli, who has disabilities. Kimberly’s goal is to support other parents navigating and advocating for their children with disabilities. She loves a good podcast and ginger kombucha! You can find her @uniqueparentingjourne ..read more