Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

Join me today and hear Amber O'Neal Johnston talk about her new book that is coming out in May!!! I absolutely LOVE her message about learning to love who we are and where we come from... and how that opens us up to being able to see what is beautiful in other people!! This is SUCH an important message for our Special Needs Families where children often struggle with appreciating themselves when they are surrounded by people who aren't like them!AND Amber will be joining my Special Needs Membership group for some of our discussion of her new book starting in May!! To join the conversation, sign up here:https://cmplenary.com/product/special-needs-membership/Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-24

Does your child hate math? Is it the subject they struggle with most? Are you searching for the Special Needs Math Curriculum that will solve all of your woes? If you want to see real progress with math, the key is not a curriculum targeting a specific learning disability.. the key is helping your child see the beauty in math and to find a curriculum that teaches the way your child learns best. A curriculum designed for a specific disability isn't going to work because we aren't a diagnosis. We are people, which means we are all unique individuals! Join me, a reformed math-hater, as I share some ideas about how you can adjust your approach to teaching mathematics to help your child start seeing the beauty in math and start loving it!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-23

Join me today as my daughter, Jessica, and I talk about the importance of internet safety, including some of the measures we have put in place over the years to protect them. Spoiler! It has not included software or guardian tech! It has mostly depended on building and maintaining a trusting relationship with our children and using that as a place to build online relationship skills. Like so many things in life, learning to communicate safely online is something that you learn as you go with the support of people who love you most!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-22

Join me for another episode of our series: Profiles in Personhood! Today you will get to meet my son, Austin, and learn a little more about what is important to him!Get ready to laugh along with us as we talk about Hyperlexia, NonVerbal Learning Disability, classic video games, music, and humor! And we get to hear Austin do some of his voice impressions for us!!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-21

My guest today is Madison Holcomb, an Autistic adult whose work focuses on offering an Autistic perspective to families and professionals.Madison was a recent guest speaker at SEXABA, a conference focused on the importance of thinking ahead to the needs of not only the child, but also the adult the child will become! This must include giving thought to sex education.Oftentimes we think of sex education as this "big thing." But in reality, sex education is often just taking ideas experienced in other platonic relationships and generalizing those ideas to a sexual relationship. The problem comes when we allow unhealthy or abusive treatment in platonic relationships that then gets transferred to a more intimate and vulnerable setting. SEXABA is definitely an attention-getting title. Most people do not put the two ideas together: sex education and Applied Behavior Analysis. But the conference explores some very important issues that we rarely talk about. I think one of the reasons we don't talk about gender identities and sexuality within the context of ABA is because when we think of ABA we think of children. But children grow up to be adults. We must be careful to teach our children skills that will continue to serve them and not hamper them in adulthood.See the Show Notes at https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-20 

The Holidays can be a very difficult time for Special Needs Families, and one of the big reasons The Holidays can be so difficult is: traditions. Holiday Traditions are made up by a democracy of the dead. They are not designed to meet the needs of the people in your home today. The were designed for an earlier time. Join me as we discuss ideas for "Marie Kondo-ing" your Holiday Traditions!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-19 

Join me for the inaugural episode of our new series: Profiles in Personhood! Today you will get to meet my daughter Jessica (unedited) and learn a little more about what is important to her!In the episode, we decided that if we were going to create an ad for her it would be: Jessica loves drawing, big hugs, and fandoms – including The Wizard of Oz, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Five Nights at Freddie's. If you want to see more of what Jessica puts out into the world you can find her on YouTube and Amino under the name JoyPaws!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-18 

Often the perspectives of Autistic individuals (or individuals with other types of diagnoses) are not taken into consideration because their perspective is not well known. This time of year there are many holidays that expose us to a perspective that also may not be well known to us. With Thanksgiving being last week, Hanukkah being this week, and Christmas coming in a few weeks, I thought it was a great opportunity to have a conversation about the importance of continuing to participate in the great adventure of learning more about our differences. It is also an opportunity to help our children learn in our global age to not be threatened or dimenished by differences but to rather allow those experiences with differences to enlarge us.Show Notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-17

ABA has been under fire from Autistic adults because the bodies that govern the field of ABA are not living up to their sacred responsibility to protect children from unethical treatment. So what do we do with ABA? Do we advocate that every child receive ABA? Or do we say ABA is evil and should be banned? Or...is there a more nuanced approach? I believe there is!! Join me today as we dive into what the REAL root issue is and how the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason can help address that issue!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-16

Real inclusion is all about connection! It's not about having everyone in the classroom doing the exact same work. It's about helping everyone find the way that they can connect with the topic of the day best!In this episode, I talk about how I manage this in my online classes where I teach Woodworking and Family Yoga through The Charlotte Mason Co-op.But really, it just comes down to treating kids with respect as persons (just like you) and "minding your own mat" to allow children to work where they are at.Join me as we talk about providing "wiggle room" so kids can connect in a way that is valuable to them!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-15

It's tough being a teenager, period! There are so many changes to go through, and if you add sensory processing issues to that, it can be even more difficult! Join me today as we talk about how we can show up as the adults and support our children through these changes!!Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-14

Join me today as we talk about LOVE on the Spectrum! I will be sharing me and my daughter's perspective on the first season of the TV show, "Love on the Spectrum," and then I will be sharing some of the things that I have learned along the way about dating and relationships from an Autistic perspective! Show Notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-13 

I am a HUGE fan of the Teal Pumpkin Project! In fact, not only do we have a Teal Pumpkin sign in our yard, but I am also a Neighborhood Captain, which means I encourage others in my neighborhood to consider participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project! The Teal Pumpkin Project is a great way of making sure that children with allergies feel supported on Halloween, but it is also a great way of identifying homes in your area that support accepting children just the way they are! See the Show Notes here: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-12

I have had the privilege of knowing some pretty fantastic teachers!! But for all of us who are part of an IEP team – whether we are a teacher, parent, administrator, advocate, etc. – it is essential that we make certain that each child's IEP does what it was intended to do: guarantee children that we are prepared to provide them the support they need to grow and learn!! Let's start taking IEP writing seriously and not just selecting from drop down menus... because Special Needs Kids are People Too!! And if you need help, reach out! There are so many adults willing to consult and share their experiences!!Show notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-11

Words are Power: The Importance of Examining the Language We Use Have you ever wondered why I titled my podcast "Special Needs Kids are People Too" when there is a push to stop using terms like "Special Needs"? There is a reason!! Find out in this episode!Show notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-10

Who gets to decide which people have value and which don't? Who gets to decide what kinds of diversity are acceptable and what kinds aren't? What would happen to our creativity and ingenuity as a society if we prevent the existence of certain types of diversity? What happens to our well-being as a society when we choose to exclude people in our lives who are different from us? What happens in our families and our social groups when we choose to exclude members who make different choices? Join me as we wrestle with some of the questions that have tried men's souls throughout the ages.Let's collectively step up – and step into – the gap left by our differences!Show notes at:https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-9#specialneedskidsarepeopletoo #neurodiversity #diversity #autism #downsyndrome #livelongandprosper 

Are diagnoses harmful or helpful? The answer is they can be both! Join me this week as we discuss how, like so many topics in life, the answer is often both "yes" and "no!"Show Notes at: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-8

I had the opportunity to talk this week with Amber O'Neal Johnston from Heritage Mom - Homeschooling Children With Mirrors and Windows about diversity and neurodiversity!! This is a topic that is very important to me, and I love Amber's story and her message! We need mirrors in our lives to reflect what is beautiful about who we are, but we also need windows into the lives of others who are different from ourselves! Learning to love and appreciate our own culture – whether that is a neurodiverse culture, a racial culture, or a religious culture – opens us up to being in a mental state where we can love and accept others in a healthy way!But it also takes courage to face not only our deepest fears and insecurities but also the courage to "not just drink milk with others." I have recently been reading and been inspired by John F Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage. In Robert Kennedy's Forward discussing his brother's wisdom in the face of the Cuban Missle Crisis, he quotes Bonar Law: "There is no such thing as inevitable war. If war comes it will be from failure of human wisdom." May we raise the next generation to grow not just in stature but also in wisdom! Check out the show notes here:https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-7

I am planting my flag on the side of ABA Reform with this episode. It's the release of our highlights reel from our ABAI symposium, Toward Applied Behavior Analysis Reform: What It Means to "Do No Harm."  Generally speaking, people don't go into a service profession hoping to hurt other people, but we do need to constantly be checking ourselves. When we look back over the long history of medicine, we can point to countless instances where harm was done out of ignorance because we don't know what we don't know. But this does not excuse us from the responsibility of constantly challenging our previously held assumptions to see if they hold up under scrutiny. We have to start a conversation between the professional community, and the only people who can tell us how we might be causing unintentional harm: Autistic Adults. This episode includes 5 different speakers from the Symposium titled Toward Applied Behavior Analysis Reform: What It Means to "Do No Harm"  at the ABAI 2021 Convention. @ 4:10 - 16:00 Intro w/ Madison Holcomb (Camp Encourage) "A Too-Short, Very Incomplete Introduction to Masking: The Practice, Effectiveness, Costs and Ethics of Performing Neurotypicality"@ 16:00 - 22:15 Rosie Rossi (BIOS ABA Consultants, LLC) "Checking Blind Spots: Navigating Neurotypical Standards of Social Skills as it Relates to Neurodivergent Clients"@ 22:15 - 32:45 Katie Murray (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, BIOS ABA Consultants)"Current BCBA Training: What Did I Just Learn?"@ 34:03 - 48:00 Amy Bodkin (Amy Bodkin Consulting LLC)"Towards a More Ethical and Developmental Approach to Applied Behavior Analysis"@ 48:00 - 59:54 Jamine Layne Dettmering (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, BIOS ABA, National Louis University)You can download the entire symposium audio recording as well as a PDF of each participant's slides here: amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-6To help further reform in this field, I have created a course for professionals titled "Towards a More Ethical and Developmental Approach to Applied Behavior Analysis." The course provides up to 12 CEU Credits including 3 Ethics CEUs. Amy Bodkin Consulting LLC is an authorized BACB ACE Provider. Click here for more info. Educate yourself and others. Share this episode and help us work together to bring about longer, happier lives for Autistics! As Maya Angelou said, "Do the best you can until you know better, Then when you know better, do better." ABAI 2021 Convention Symposium detail page#autismacceptance #abareform #specialneedskidsarepeopletoo 

This podcast is all about healing trauma through yoga and how it was helpful in my healing journey. I also discuss common misconceptions about yoga, it's history, and it's underlying philosophy and connection to world religions and philosophies.For show notes and resources, go to:https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-5

In this episode I discuss the specific ways we can support children to help them  process trauma and move forward in a positive direction. 1) We have to reduce pressure and provide positive support. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs gives us a great map on how to do this. All we have to do is identify where we are and what we need to take the next step up the hierarchy! 2) We also need to give kids options for processing trauma. As most children do not have the advanced language skills to discuss abstract feelings and internal reactions to events, options that involve the arts and movement are best such as yoga, martial arts, art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, etc.For show notes and resources, go to: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-4 

Episode 3 discusses the 2020-2021 school year, what trauma is, how trauma can impact us, and why it is so important to address and heal trauma. For show notes, go to:https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-3

I did not receive my Autism diagnosis until my children were being diagnosed, and it took me a while to be ready to receive those diagnoses. When we did finally receive those diagnoses, we had a lot of challenges to work through—from finding the right supports for my youngest, who was also Hyperlexic, to addressing the health challenges that resulted from chronic masking and unaddressed mental health issues.For resources mentioned in this episode, please go to:https://amybodkin.com/episode-2-club-299-my-autism-diagnosis/

Welcome to the first episode of Special Needs Kids are People Too! My core mission is that every special needs child should be seen as a person, not a diagnosis – because a special needs kid is just like any other child, just more so! So today I will be talking about my Autistic childhood and how it might help you see behavior in a new light.Often, people think that the behavior of Autistics is weird or unusual, but it isn't really if you understand how to read the behavior. In this episode, I share some snapshots from my childhood of how different behaviors may have looked unusual to those around me but actually all had very logical reasons.You can find out more about my advocacy work at AmyBodkin.com. And remember, Special Needs Kids are People Too!