Finding Mikey - Parenting Our Kiddo With Autism (asd), Sensory Processing Disorder (spd), Adhd, Aspergers

Full Show notes can be found at: https://findingmikeypodcast.com/our-aba-experience-interview-with-carrie-campbell/ Feel free to call us anytime at 469-249-0425 ABA has been a great experience for our family. Our son has Autism Spectrum Disorder and ABA therapy has helped him learn skills and improve his behavior and better his communication skills. The therapist work with him one-on-one and help him to practice the social and emotional skills he is learning in a safe and fun environment. We have seen great progress in our son since starting his therapy sessions and we are very grateful for the help and support of the therapist. We spoke with other parents of autistic kids and learned that they were seeing positive behaviors more often that negative behaviors after just a few therapy sessions! They spoke of bettering social skills and overall better daily living skills. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/findingmikey/message

According to the National Autistic Society, "There is increasing evidence that the Montessori approach is highly effective for children on the autism spectrum." The individualized learning plan and hands-on teaching methods help students with autism learn in ways that are tailored for them. Montessori schools also emphasize social skills and peer interaction, which can be beneficial for children with autism. In addition, the structure and routine of a Montessori classroom can provide a calming environment for children with autism. We are joined by Erin Banks to talk through this teaching method and explore how it can help your kiddo grow! What is Montessori learning and how can it help children on the autism spectrum? How does a Montessori classroom environment differ from a traditional classroom setting for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? What are some of the key benefits of Montessori learning for children with ASD, such as improved communication and social skills, increased focus and con

Call Us at 469-249-0425 Travel can be stressful when you do it alone but add on the pressure of making a trip fun for your child and that’s when the heat is really cranked up! This episode is about traveling with your neurodiverse kiddos. Do you travel already? Ever taken a long flight with your family? How about a cruise? Well, if the thought of those gave you anxiety, this should help. We spend some time with Dawn Barclay, a lifelong traveler, writer and mom of 2 who when they were young she described as “anxious and inflexible”. She has a motherlode of tips for travel and really just makes it all sound easier than expected. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/findingmikey/message

Lego, Unspeakable on YouTube, Mr Beast on YouTube, extreme weather, and rollercoasters; these are all things that Mikey can talk about forever, and it’s awesome, but it can also be annoying, especially when you’re trying to make friends. Today’s topic is about friends, your kiddo’s superpower, and social skills. Tune in to hear us discuss how friendship and socialization has changed since we were kids, and some of the different ways that our children’s social needs can be met. Learn how we have approached helping Mikey to navigate having a friend over through giving him a list of house rules. We introduce you to a number of amazing communities, websites, and resources we have benefitted from, including the Tilt Podcast, Koaster Kids, and Model Me Kids. Heather shares what she has observed through working with special needs kids at church, and how zooming in to your child’s superpower provides an opportunity to teach them the social skills they need to connect with others. The ultimate goal is to enrich our

It can certainly be distressing when you start noticing that your child is experiencing developmental delays. But, on our journey with Mikey, we have discovered that there are services available for early intervention that won’t leave you bankrupt! In this episode, we’re talking all about the Child Find program, which makes the identification, evaluation, and early intervention therapy accessible for children with delayed development in every school district. You’ll find out how Mikey’s challenging preschool experience opened our eyes to Child Find, and how the program is structured, from the evaluation process to the multitude of services offered. We also touch on the telling indicators of developmental delays, eating therapy, and so  much more! Tune in for this informative episode to put your mind at ease and open the door to an affordable, effective solution for your child. Key Points From This Episode: The impulsivity that became apparent when Mikey started preschool. Our

April is Autism Awareness Month, and April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day! Today’s episode is about building community, raising awareness, and sharing resources. We introduce three resources that have been useful to us in terms of building community and learning more about autism. Log in to hear more about how to get involved, find community, and learn from the wealth of wisdom that has been published online. Join us to hear more today. Key Points From This Episode: Today’s topic: building community, raising awareness, and sharing resources. Three different ways you can be a part of the show: leave us a review, call us on thephone, and donate to us via the link on our website. The Autism Community in Action and how it can be used as a resource. How you can get involved in an upcoming online conference offered by TACA. Topics that will be covered at the conference, including therapies, legal planning,research, Spectrum Awakening and more. How to use the Spectrum Awakening website as a free resource

Give us a call at 469-249-0425 Getting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for your child can be intimidating. Luckily there are supports you can draw on that can help you through this process. On the show today we take a look at how to start the IEP process and share what we learned from going through the journey ourselves. One of the key things we learned about IEPs is that you can start the process without a diagnosis. So, if the lack of a diagnosis has been holding you back, we encourage you to get started as soon as you can! Another crucial element of this undertaking is feeling empowered, supported, and prepared. Hear how you can utilize the resources your school district has to offer and why getting in touch with advocates in your area can be so beneficial. We also take a look at the need for a Full Individual Evaluation (FIE), which is integral to constructing an IEP for your kiddo, and how to start that process. Tuning in you'll hear a breakdown of the timeline you can expect, as well as details o

As most of you know, our son Mikey has high functioning autism as well as ADHD. We put him on a good supplement routine, a whole foods diet, and tried out many different kinds of therapies, and saw a lot of improvement in him. However, he was still struggling. Although we were always very intentional about putting him on natural remedies, we decided to see how he would respond to more conventional medications leading up to his third year of school. In this episode, we discuss the self-contained autism classroom that Mikey was in for his first few years of school, the difficulty he had engaging in a classroom environment, and the apprehension we felt about medications. You’ll also hear about the almost 180-degree switch in Mikey’s behavior after going on the meds and how he was able to start participating in school to the extent that his IEP (Individual Education Plan) was amended for full inclusion from grade three! We speak about the difference this made to ours and Mikey’s lives and how grateful we are that

Family game time is an inexpensive and valuable way to spend quality time. For us, family game time used to be a very challenging experience because our very determined Mikey couldn't handle losing! Most people don't like losing but Mikey's tantrums were off the charts (as you'll hear today)! We realized that we were going to have to teach Mikey the  skill of losing without having an emotional breakdown, and this episode is all about what that  journey has looked like for us. Everything changed when Mikey began seeing an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist, and although there are still certain situations he struggles with, we can now enjoy family game time relatively stress free!  Key Points From This Episode:  Things Mikey struggled with when he was in preschool. How Mikey used to react to situations when he was losing. The emotional revaluation tool that helped 5-year-old Mikey better understand his feelings. Examples of times when Mikey has publicly exploded because he was losing a game. Expla

Today on the show we are very happy to welcome young actor Major Dodson, to chat with us about his recent role in the feature film, Tyson's Run. As someone on the spectrum, the task of playing an autistic teenager in a film was a meaningful one to Major, and we get to hear all about how he prepared for the role, why he wanted to take this opportunity, and the lessons he learned while on set. The film focuses on a boy who has to overcome some serious challenges within his family, and Major is kind enough to share some of the points of relatability that were present in the role. He also underlines how seriously he took the job of representation in film. The conversation covers Major's young career, the point when he became interested in working in the movie industry, and the first experiences he had of acting on stage. So, to hear another wonderful story about a path that is bound to equal amounts of similarities and contrasts to many others out there, listen in with us today on the Finding Mikey Podc

There is a lot of new coming in 2018! Updates amor the road trips, how to deal in the car, in the snow, at theme parks, and in the car... did we mention the car? Also, 2 cool announcements at the end of the show!

On today’s episode, I have a very special interview with Dr Ed Carlton. He is our doctor. Heather goes to him for chiropractic care. Mikey goes to him for neurofeedback training and I just started and have had two sessions with him of my own for neurofeedback training. He treats children and adults to improve their performance and relieve symptoms from brain based disorders. He's a certified neurofeedback provider and he's a member of the International Society of Neurofeedback and Research. He graduated from the Texas Chiropractor College and is also a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He's the author of the book “The Answer: the Book for Anyone with A.D.D., A.D.H.D., Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Epilepsy, P.T.S.D. or Traumatic Brain Injury” and you can get that for free by going to www.findingmikey.com/theanswer. Today we learn about neurofeedback training, that a brain map measures the electricity generated by the brain and the treatment that follows afte

Today we are going to dive into the topic of using sensory tools for treatment. We only really became aware of the concept of a sensory gym after getting involved with Mikey’s Occupational Therapy sessions. There are more than just your five senses; there are other senses called proprioceptive and vestibular sense as well. In his sessions we learned what those sense are and how they can help regulate Mikey by getting those senses back in balance. When Mikey started doing Occupational Therapy, he was three and half years old. He was not diagnosed with autism at this point, only early onset ADHD and sensory processing disorder. He also had low muscle tone in his core and in his wrists. In occupational therapy they had him do agility courses to work on his core muscles in a fun way, and way that a kid would enjoy! Stay tuned as we go into more detail about creating your own sensory room and the purpose of each piece of equipment for your child. All this and more inside today’s episode.

Today’s show is the Anniversary Show and the podcast has been a great way for us to share our journey. We’ve been asking for all of you in the audience to provide some feedback and we’ve gotten it in so many different ways. One area we hadn't paid attention to in quite a long while has been on our actual reviews page. So we’re giving some shoutouts today. It’s the anniversary of Mikey’s diagnosis. There is a lot to go through and you’ve been with us for the most part, the highs and the lows, but we figured it would be a good opportunity for us to just wrap it all up. We are talking about what this year has been like, what we have done, what the observations have been and surprisingly, Heather has pages of notes. We are celebrating the wins today, so join in with us as we go through it all with you!

On today’s episode we welcome Collins Foster. She is a friend of a co-worker of mine and has almost 20 years of experience in the higher education system in Georgia. She has worked with both the technical college system and the university system of Georgia. Although her background is in marketing and alumni relations, in the past few years she has realized her true passion. Which is advocating for and with a group of non-speaking students with autism in the Atlanta Metro area who really want to graduate from college with a degree. Collins is currently working for her Masters in Social Work and when she gets her license, will be transitioning into the disability services arena within higher education. She lives outside Atlanta, has a husband named Chris and 8 year old daughter named Emerson. Today we hear Collins journey, learn more about the non-verbal communication methods that are revolutionizing higher ed for autism students and the growing opportunities for students with autism who want to be accepted int

We spent fourth of July in Washington DC and we definitely learnt some lessons and I’ll share them with you. Firstly, get there on the 3rd of July, they do a concert dress rehearsal and it’s must less people than the main show. Second, skip the parade, there’s no personal space at all but definitely plan to be out by the Washington Memorial to watch the fireworks at night. If you’re ever in DC let us know and we’ll give you some more tips.

We are diving into the topic of doing fundamental lab testing for your child with autism. After making our big family move and enrolling Mikey in a new public school, we also took on another new adventure. We took Mikey to see a Medical Academy Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) Doctor.

Sometimes they are fine, most times she "Can't even" deal with him :) Here is a special episode with Mike and Grace, and she has a list of tips to share with other kids who have siblings with autism. It all started with a conversation that Grace had with a lady at the car wash, who asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Grace answered by saying that she wanted to help people with special needs, specifically autism. So she decided to come on the podcast to share some of the top tips that she has personally related with, having a sibling with autism. These 10 tips are all centered around patience, and shows that if you can be patient and understand how to make your sibling comfortable, then interactions and daily life will be a lot smoother.

Today’s podcast is all about the first few weeks of school. Since our move to Virginia we have had quite a few changes taking place. We have been able to enjoy the first day of school three times this year, with Mikey in particular. As he left Terra Vista Elementary School and we transitioned him over to Empower School, which was full on, full fledged, deep ABA therapy 7 hours a day. He’d get two therapists and very dedicated coverage. We loved it and he was benefitting very well. The timing was right for Mikey to transition over to a traditional school.

It's not the easiest thing to do, even with neurotypical kids but taking across-country trip CAN be done! The Pesh Family moved from Texas to Virginia and we'll share our experience. Mikey, being on the Autism Spectrum and having Sensory Processing Disorder was a super trooper!