By Your Side Autism Podcast

Dr. Grandin’s passion is in full force as she clearly defines what parents and kids need to be doing and how to prepare for the next stage of their lives. Her philosophy of “mentors are attracted to talent” offers as a great reminder of getting kids “doing” things that fit their ability.

Brain Katz and Matthew Zaffos are both BCBAs. They cover ABA  topics such as, parent training and early intervention, and explain how they are passionate that these are the keys to a child’s success.  We also go in detail on the definition of common ABA terms - antecedents, prompts, reinforcers  - to help parents understand what they mean and how best to use them.

Natalie Halm and Susan Theis both are speech pathologists at BY YOUR SIDE. Both work at the Burr Office and have, at times, teamed together to give presentations. Susan and Natalie talk about the importance and the distinction of ST in conjunction with ABA while talking about ST best practices.

We start with the difficult topic of bullying, in this second part of our interview with Andrew Blaha, a nineteen year old on the autism spectrum. Andrew also discusses how help at school literally changed his life from anger to one of knowledge.  And he talks about the dangers of too much screen times for kids on the spectrum, even though Andrew himself thinks the internet is a wonderful tool.

Andrew Blaha is a 19 year-old on the spectrum. He offers insight through - what he calls - his lens. From changing how he thought he was stupid, to how he thinks parents should discipline. Andrew offers amazing insight on what is going through the mind of a child on the spectrum.

What does a treatment plan look like? Why family training is crucial to ABA therapy and fighting the perception parents might have that it means they are “bad parents”. Find out the difference between Focused and Comprehensive ABA therapy.

Improvisation is performing without a script and Nick Johne, Second City teacher, has been teaching people on the spectrum an improv class with people for over two years.  Find out how basic rules of improv can lead to useful life skills, like the importance of "yes...and".

Samantha is the Sr manager of OT at BYS. She holds a Masters of Occupational Therapy from The Ohio State University. Sam talks about areas of therapy most people don’t know OT’s can do. She gives tips and ideas about everyday household items that can be turned into OT activities; she also explains why motion is the building block to learning, and she starts off with an important tip for success.

What should parents bring? What does a parent do if they don’t like what they hear? Can IEPs be amended? Caitlin Dalton is a certified special education teacher who has her Master's in ABA. Having been on both sides of an IEP meeting, she gives an inside look to what teachers are thinking, and tips on how to avoid potential battles with the school making sure everyone is on the same page.  Helpful advice for anyone involved in the IEP process.

Julie has recently been on both sides of her understanding of ABA therapy.  The before, where her son didn’t start yet and she was researching if it was the right fit.  And the after, seeing firsthand what ABA can do.  Julie walks us through the good and bad of what she heard and ultimately the positive results she sees in her son.

Ginny is a Senior Manager of ABA Therapy at BYS.  She’s a licensed clinical social worker and board certified behavior analyst. Ginny defines the ABC’s of Applied Behavior Analysis. What it means, how it’s performed, and how it’s a team effort as parent training, supervision, and assessment are all part of the ABA plan.

An emotional, and sometimes poignant interview, with three of BY YOUR SIDE’s ABA Therapist, each who have a younger brother with autism. Alex, Lizzie, and Natalija give their insight to being in a profession that hits close to home.

Preparation is your friend. Katurri walks us through an example of dealing with a situation where you go to the grocery store and your child is not ready to come out of the car.  What started as an interview that was going to cover many topics, ended up  with Katurri going into specific detail on how to handle difficult behaviors when it comes to a child needing guidance going places.

BYS’s Marketing and Community outreach team of Thom Trimingham, Nimra Irfan and Kimberly Childs discuss working for an autism business and how surprises of what they’ve witnessed has shaped the way they market the business, including what they saw of what therapist can do with bubbles, and the calming effect it has with kids on the spectrum.

Sandie Beierwaltes has been teaching elementary school for 29 years at St John Brebeuf in Niles IL.  Sandie and her husband Dave have three children, their youngest Michael, who is now age 16, is on the spectrum.  In this touching and insightful interview, Sandie shares the high and low times of their sixteen year journey.

What are parents and doctors quick to dismiss? How do we define conversation and communication when dealing with autism?  In episode number eight, we have the pleasure to talk with Karen Kabaki-Sisto, M.S., CCC-SLP.  She has been helping children with autism all over the world for 20 years. She is the creator of “I Can Have Conversations With You!™”, an interactive iPad program that enhances social skills and language abilities.

Sarah is a licensed and board certified occupational therapist.  Since graduating from Saint Ambrose University she has worked with children in outpatient clinics and schools. Sarah is one of our therapists who works both the school and clinic.   Since Sarah works in the schools, I started the conversation asking her perspective on what therapy looks like in a school setting and what techniques she uses in that environment.

Cindy has a 14 year old daughter who has been dealing with seizures her whole life. Cindy talks about a very scary moment in the middle of the night where her daughter was having an episode, and a touching insight when her other daughter wrote a paper for school about her sister seizures, a feeling Cindy never knew until she reading the assignment.

We spend the full podcast discussing why it’s sometimes difficult for a child with autism to transition from one place to another and tips on how those transitions can be made easier.  The conversation moves into the topic of chance, which can have its own set of challenges.

Eunice has become the parent that we send other parents to talk to if they have questions about having a child with autism.  She tells us of her low points and how community involvement has been one of the best moves she’s made.