Views From Both Sides of the Table: Special Needs| Parenting| Education

In this episode I interview Elisheva Schwartz, a dyslexia researcher, mother, wife , intelligence re- define -er and podcast host. She’s on a mission to decode the dyslexic mind, and empower the dyslexic community to fully understand both the strengths and the difficulties of the processing style. Elisheva shares her journey as a student with Dyslexia, what it meant for her then and what it means for her now that has led her to culminate in her live online community course for parents of dyslexic students on Dyslexia and Self Esteem, titled “ How To Build Your Child’s Self Esteem, Even If The School Is Tearing It Down”.   Connect with Elisheva Schwartz http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/  Connect with Tracy Sherriff www.tracysherriff.com Resources and Links Elisheva is also offering a FREE webinar on the 7th, 14th and 21st of August. This webinar is on topics related to her new online course in September on dyslexia and self-esteem for middle school children called, “How To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem, Even If The School Is Tearing It Down”. This course will offer tons of valuable information and support for parents who feel overwhelmed and want guidance on boosting their children's self-esteem.  Check out more and how to sign up for the webinar- see link: https://elishevaschwartz.lpages.co/webinar2017/ Course Home: How to Build Your Child's Self-esteem http://the-dyslexia-quest.teachable.com/p/how-to-build-your-child-s-self-esteem-even-when-the-school-is-tearing-it-down Elisheva Schwartz website: http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/  Listen to the podcast on: iTunes | Stitcher Radio  The Episode Archive : http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/series/episode-archieve/ http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/podcast/why-kids-with-ld-adhd-hate-school-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-with-dr-jerome-schultz/ Check out @thedyslexiaquest on Instagram for more about the podcast or reach out to us on Facebook!​​

When you're a parent of a child with special needs there is no option for you to be sitting on the sidelines. If you aren't already familiar with advocacy, you will be forced to step outside of your comfort zone as you try to navigate the complex education system. In today's solo episode I take a deeper look at advocacy and the principles of advocacy I apply in my day to day interactions. "Advocacy isn't about getting what you WANT, it's about getting what your child NEEDS." "Advocacy is about communication - the right communication with the right person at the right time." "Advocacy is driven by a vision of the future." Connect with Tracy www,tracysherriff.com References www.tracysherriff.com/learn-with-me EP05 What's Your Parent Advocacy Style?    

In this episode: Planning vacations can be exciting but super stressful for families with young children.  However, for families of children with special needs there is often so much more to consider and the planning can be overwhelming.  Today I talk with Katherine Resch, a travel consultant working as an independent contractor through Happily Ever After Travel. Katherine specializes in vacations to family destinations, including (but not limited to) Disney destinations (Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Lines, Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawai'i, and Adventures by Disney), Universal Resort Orlando, all-inclusive vacations (such as Sandals and Beaches Resorts), and cruises. Katherine's expertise is in planning a personalized vacation experience for each family. She has personal experience in traveling with her daughter, who is legally blind, and also has various speech and physical delays. She has also planned several vacations for families who have members with special needs. Katherine is passionate about making every vacation special, because the time we spend with our loved ones is precious. When booking a vacation with Katherine, she plans every detail of the vacation at no additional cost and today she shares her tips to make increase your chances of a "stress free" vacation whether you hire a consultant or even do it all yourself. 2:02 Katherine introduces herself and tells us who she is, what she does and why it's important. 3:50 Katherine tells us about her daughter with special needs and what she's learned that helps her support other families of children with special needs in the travel industry. 17:30 What types of questions Katherine asks when she first meets a family who needs support planning a vacation with their special needs child. 22:47 Disability Access Service (DAS) - What is it and why is it important? 33:59 Katherine shares tips on flying with your special needs child. 41:18 The importance of flexibility on your vacation. 49:38 How to use someone like Katherine (a Disney expert) to plan your next Disney vacation.   Connect with Katherine Facebook - Katherine at Happily Ever After   Connect with Tracy Website - tracysherriff.com

Are you struggling with balancing an inflexible job with parenting a child with special needs?  Today's guest, Jen Turrell, was quickly forced to find alternatives ways to reinvent herself after her two daughters were diagnosed with autism. Jen shares a little bit about her family story and how she quickly realized that becoming an entrepreneur was exactly what she needed to add some flexibility and stability to her life and finances.   Now Jen is a financial personal trainer who supports female entrepreneurs and self-employed women take control of their money, so it doesn’t control them. Breaking through complex financial stress, she helps automate cashflow systems for both work and home. Jen is also a dedicated Mom to her two girls who face the world with a few extra challenges.  She is a musician, an author, and a part-time pilot. To hear some of Jen's conversations with her favorite people check out her podcast on iTunes "Financial Fluency: Speaking the Language of Money." In this episode: 2:10 Jen introduces herself and how becoming a special needs mom influenced her decision to leave traditional employment 5:30 What women give up when they leave the workforce, even when it's necessary. 7:30 Jen talks about her family... from her high risk pregnancy through to understanding her daughter's complex health care needs 11:00 Her daughter's artistic talent and her morning routine 13:28 A diagnosis of Autism and Eosinophilic esophagitis for her oldest and a second diagnosis of Autism for her youngest  16:05 Jen talks about coping through the challenging times following her daughter's diagnosis 20:23 Jen talks about grief and the expectations following her children's diagnosis 25:00 Why Jen decided to take shoe tying off the IEP 30:39 Jen talks about the importance of the iPad and what her daughter can do with it 34:11 Jen's venture into business and her start-up to create an Autism program 38:00 Insurance - the exclusion policy for Autism and the cost of healthcare when you have a child with complex medical needs 42:30 Jen's book - Help My Child Has Autism  46:30 Jen's decision to focus a little more on herself 49:20 Jen's More - What's she is doing now with supporting women with Financial Fluency 55:00 Jen talks about irregular income and automation   Connect with Jen http://jenturrell.com/   References: Podcast: Financial Fluency Podcast: All the Stuff I Am Intelligent Help My Child Has Autism (Jen's Book) Ramit Sethi - I Will Teach You To Be Rich   Connect with Tracy www.tracysherriff.com      

Life can throw you curve balls and today's guest shares with us her family's journey in the world of special needs and how it's change her life.  Sue Bassett believes everything happens for a reason and decided early on to turn her obstacles into opportunities.  Listen to find out how Sue views change as she shares her story and provides tips on how to get through challenging times. In this episode: 2:45 - Meet Sue 7:57 - Sue talks about her journey with her daughter 10:34 - Open Heart Surgery, Angioplasty, 1500 needles, 32 blood transfusions, 400 tests and x-rays, 25 holidays in hospital and still smiling and laughing 13:38 - Life's hiccups and real talk about how she gets through 16:15 - Why she chooses to be "real" on social media 17:36 - Mother's intuition and her son's journey with being gifted, having a non-verbal learning disability and ADD 23:25 Sue talks about her decision to found Opening Hearts 30:19 How Sue has become a motivational speaker - Positively Sue 32:11 Sue talks about CHANGE - Choose Having Abundance New Growth Experiences   Connect with Sue www.positivelysue.com www.openinghearts.ca   Connect with Tracy www.palsnetwork.ca p.a.l.s@palsnetwork.ca www.tracysherriff.com  

Do you need your own parent-teen whisperer? My guest today is Monica Boeru, a Certified Life Coach and a Parent Educator. As a Parent Educator, Monica's mission is to help parents navigate the pre-adolescent and adolescent years with less tension and a deeper connection between parents and their children. Her conscious and mindful approach to parenting does not focus on the child. In fact, she believes that children are NOT the ones that need to be disciplined or controlled. Instead, she turns the spotlight on parents and takes them on a beautiful journey of self-reflection and healing so they can become highly attuned parents. She brings old world wisdom and marries it with a modern and practical approach to create an environment in which both parent and child are in tune with each other. On social media, she’s known as The Parent-Teen Whisperer and runs a successful private practice.  In this episode you will find out about: 2:20 Who Monica is? 4:37 Why getting real with her past influenced her decision to do what she does. 7:12 When you see, you can't unsee. 8:46 Why it's important for parents to understand their parenting style. 10:34 How many parenting styles are there? 14:50 Who are Monica's client? 18:08 How fear influences our parenting choices. 21:39 How she helps parents with self discovery to achieve their goals. 24:40 The well intentioned parent support we seek and give that's not always helpful. 28:33 Feminine energy and how important it is to tune into it. 34:03 Kids crave 3 things... can you see me, can you hear me, can you validate me. Can you let me know I matter to you. 36:57 Triggers - and how they get in the way of our awareness and it gets us stuck 40:32 Monica's work with couples who are parenting together. 44:40 How to connect with Monica.   Connect with Monica www.monicaboeru.com  Facebook Group The Parent-Teen Whisperer   Connect with Tracy www.tracysherriff.com

What kind of advocate are you?  In today's episode, I talk a little bit more about my journey as a parent to two children with unique learning differences. Along the way I have become a "go to" person for supporting other parents to navigate the education system.  Find out why and what I've observed along the way that leads me to believe their are three distinct types of parent advocates. Which one are you? In this episode: 1:28 My why and my journey 4:45 Advocacy is about staying on top of things... 5:56 Why I chose the title of this podcast 6:44 Feelings are universal among parents 7:45 How I grew my confidence as a parent advocate 8:12 I became a "go to" expert 11:03 Real talk about parent advocacy styles 11:58 Parents are having different experiences when advocating for their child.            Why is that? 12:25 Truthtime - you don't want to miss this 13:36 The ostrich  14:18 The optimist  15:35 The avenger  18:56 There's probably a bit of ourselves in all of these styles   Connect with Tracy tracy@tracysherriff.com www.tracysherriff.com BLOG POST: What type of advocate are you?  

Being a student with a learning disability can bring about a lot of confusion when you don't understand yourself.  Join me in this episode where we talk with Casey Foote, Technology Consultant, as she talks about her childhood as a student with a learning disability and ADHD, and how she came to understand herself.  Casey is a lifelong learner and shares with us some additional tips on being an adult with a learning disability in the post secondary education system.  In this episode we talk about accommodations, self-advocacy and self-knowledge as keys to success for all students young and old.   In this episode, you will find out about: 4:11 Casey talks about the impact tech had in her decision to become a technology consultant. 5:10 Casey’s story 7:06 Casey meets Todd Cunningham and talks about how the meeting she was dragged to changed everything 8:18 How tech changed her ability to succeed 10:50 Casey talks about LearnStyle, the emphasis on technology as a tool in schools and bring your own device as part of 21st century learning 13:21 Casey as a young student. 15:45 Casey’s advice on how to support kids who learn differently. 20:37 Casey’s decision to do a degree in social work and what influenced her ability to feel she could succeed. 23:19 The stigma about accommodations for learning differences and pathways for success. 25:07 Real talk about accessing accommodations in post secondary education. 29:17 The importance of self-advocacy skills, particularly in post secondary education. 40:41 How Casey’s mom dragged her to see Todd and DJ Cunningham speak and the lightbulb moment she had as a result. 43:09 Casey’s current journey as a university student and what unfortunately derailed her – TEMPORARILY. 45:21 – Casey’s IMPORTANT TIP for future post secondary education students with learning disabilities.   Connect with Casey kcfoote10@gmail.com http://www.learnstyle.com/team/casey-foote/   Connect with Tracy tracy@tracysherriff.com www.tracysherriff.com   Join us in the Empowered Parents of Special Kids Facebook Group

EP03 Bouncing Forward: The Power of Resilience in Life, Parenting and Serving Others In today's episode, I talk to Brian King, coach and mentor for parents and educators on strategies to motivate and communicate better with members of the Asperger's and ADHD communities. Brian has quite a back story, starting from his own childhood struggles with health and disability, to now, as a parent of 3 boys with ADHD and Asperger's. Brian's demonstrates tremendous resilience despite his ongoing struggles.  I wanted to find out more about what makes Brian see the positive in all of his experiences and how it helps him support families who are walking a similar journey. In this episode you will find out about: 3:55 Why Brian has had to learn to be resourceful in life 10:55 Life challenges and how and why he encourages people to talk about them 13:03 His truth about vulnerability 14:42 "Life does happen in the moment" - How Brian supports his clients with that philosophy 15:52 Brian talks about his boys and their individuality 17:00 Learning to be resourceful is key 17:28 "It's our strengths we ultimately leverage in society." 19:17 Brian talks about his health and why he's committed to a resilient mindset. 20:30 Brian tells us about his challenging childhood. 23:07 Brain talks about his books. 30:06 How to work with Brian. Connect with Brian brianraymondking.com/ Connect with Tracy www.palsnetwork.ca Resources and Links www.brian-r-king-academy.thinkific.com/courses/adhd www.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/thanks-for-being-you/id1193217272?mt=2 www.amazon.com/Strategies-Building-Successful-Relationships-Spectrum/dp/1849058563/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 www.amazon.com/Thank-You-Sammy-Brian-King/dp/1421890259/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8  

EP02 The Journey to Diagnosis with Merideth Bisiker Whether your child has a diagnosis of some form of special need or you're on your own family journey to diagnosis, you will find this podcast relatable, uplifting and empowering. In today's show, I interview Merideth Bisiker, mother and business strategist, as she shares about her story about her daughters recent diagnosis of Autism and ADHD. Merideth shares how important open communication and taking proactive action have been in her ability to successfully navigate the education system. In this episode you will find out about: 5:35 Merideth shares how intuition played a role in her journey to find out more about her daughter. 9:10 Who was the first person to approach Merideth about their concerns about her daughter and how she reacted. 13:55 The importance of open conversation. 17:56 How despite challenges with living in a small community on Vancouver Island, Meridith has felt successful navigating the systems and services that the family needed. 23:54 The reasons Merideth is quite comfortable talking about her daughter’s diagnosis even though it is very new. 27:02 Georgia’s self-awareness around her challenges and Merideth’s reaction to being asked if her daughter knows about her diagnosis. 32:33 Merideth talks about her extended family and their reactions to the diagnosis. 38:01 Why Meredith suggests we all watch the movie The Big Short. 40:20 Merideth talks about her upcoming project inspired by the Expansion Project called The Awaken Conference, alongside of her co-organizer Natasha Botbijl. 45:33 Reference to Welcome to Holland Poem   Connect with Merideth via her website at www.meridethbisiker.com Connect with Tracy via her website at www.palsnetwork.ca Join us in the Empowered Parents of Special Kids Facebook Group

EP01 Welcome to Views From Both Sides of the Table Tracy Sherriff invites parents, educators, politicians, or anyone who is doing remarkable things for children and students with special needs to the show. A parent of children with unique learning differences and an educator in the field of special needs, Tracy has had the privilege of being on both sides of the table. Tracy and her guests talk openly about advocacy, collaboration and partnership, within the medical and education systems, and the challenges and successes related to parenting these remarkable kids. In today's episode, Tracy Sherriff explains her why for creating this podcast. Find out what to expect and when, as she invites you to begin the journey of exploring perspectives from both sides of the table. Connect with Tracy via her website www.tracysherriff.com Facebook Group - Empowered Parents of Special Kids Learn with Tracy www.tracysherriff.com/learn-with-me