Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey

May 09 2024 183 ep. 14

Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey Podcast artwork

This podcast comes to you from a very tired and eternally hopefully autism mom of an adult son with profound needs. My intention is to bring together caregivers of special needs children and those who may want to gain a better understanding of our challenges and triumphs. Through the sharing of our stories and experience, I hope to build a larger, more inclusive community of support. Living the Sky Life offers a personal connection from someone who walks daily in caregiver shoes.

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S5: Episode 182 - Through his new book, this autism dad shares practical advice & hopes to be a voice for other fathers who may be struggling.

May 09 2024 41 mins

A devoted family man, Harry Psaros has been happily married to his wife Michelle for 24 years and is a proud father of two sons, Costa “Gus” and Maximos “Max.” With a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as minors in physics and philosophy, Harry has a strong educational foundation. Further expanding his expertise,

S5: Episode 181 - Preparing but not stressing for adulthood & never losing hope that our kids will determine their own incredible future

Apr 04 2024 69 mins

Jo-Ann Turning also known as “Mrs. Bacon” is one half of the married, blogging couple from Bacon and Juice Boxes: Our Life with Autism. She's mom to Eric (age 19 on the autism spectrum) and Anna Kate (age 22, recent college graduate who is now working in NYC.) When her son, Eric, was first diagnosed with autism 18 years ago, she couldn’t say the word “autism” without cry

S5: Episode 180 - Uncovering GI issues with a nonverbal teen and beginning to plan for adulthood

Mar 21 2024 88 mins

Kentucky mom & former ICU nurse, Rachel Moldoveanu shares her experience navigating through the world of Autism with her almost 15-year-old son Frankie while also parenting her two neurotypical daughters, Livi age 16 and Ellie age 6. Rachel's love of Diet Coke, Jesus and Kentucky basketball get her through the tough days! You can reach out to Rachel on FB: @Rachel Moldoveanu Rache

S5: Episode 179 - Keeping hope alive... and the power of 'yet'

Mar 14 2024 27 mins

On this solo episode, I outline our 20 year journey to uncovering and resolving Skyler's GI issues. It finally feels like we are making significant progress! Through his smiles, laughter and decreased frustration (and subsequent hitting), it appears Skyler is becoming less uncomfortable in his own body! I provide a more detailed account of our experiences in my book 'Welcome to My

S5: Episode 178 - Turning those labeled as "low functioning" into higher functioning individuals through a successful life & job skills training program

Mar 07 2024 73 mins

Mike Stuart is a 74 year old retired educator who lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He and his wife Harriet and their 32 year old autistic son, Aaron, moved from Florida 16 months ago to be closer to their daughter and her family. In 2015, Mike created a life and job skills program for the more significantly-challenged autistic and other developmentally-disabled individuals c

S5: Episode 177 - The importance of improving GI health to eliminate additional neurological effects caused by IBD/Crohn's/ Colitis

Feb 22 2024 65 mins

Josh Dech is an ex-paramedic and Holistic Nutritionist, specializing in Crohn’s and Colitis, and other related gut issues. It was the successes his clients have had with complex digestive diseases, previously thought to be impossible to fix, that got him connected to some of the world’s most renowned doctors. Since then, he’s been recruited to the Priority Health Academy as a

S5: Episode 176 - Diving deep into the methods of toilet training

Feb 08 2024 59 mins

Dr. Mary Barbera “fell” into the autism world in 1999 when her first-born son, Lucas was diagnosed with autism. Since then, Mary transformed from a confused and overwhelmed parent to a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and best-selling author. After earning a PhD, Mary launched her first online course in early 2015 and later built additional courses and a membership program to h

S5: Episode 175 - Chatting with an OG of the Spelling Method for Communication and why it's important to always presume competence

Feb 01 2024 71 mins

Dawnmarie Gaivin is the Founder & Executive Director at Spellers Center San Diego, located in Oceanside, CA. Before her career moved into the world of nonspeaking autism, Dawnmarie worked for over 11 years as a trauma & transplant RN. In 2005 her first son regressed and was diagnosed with autism. A year later, her second son followed the same path. Today her eldest, Evan (20) is a

S5: Episode 174 - Sharing a love of the outdoors & spending quality time with each other has created an unbreakable bond between these sisters

Jan 25 2024 34 mins

Claire Thomas is 15-years-old and has a 12-year-old sister named Leah, who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. Claire enjoys spending time outside whether it's hunting with her dad or fulfilling her passion for photography by capturing the beauty around her. When she's not doing either of those hobbies, Claire is quite busy in high school as a member of the swim team. Accordin

S5: Episode 173 - Appreciating her brother for his authenticity, ability to find enjoyment in the little things and naivety to negativity in the world

Jan 18 2024 35 mins

Chelsea Waxler lives in Columbus, Indiana with her fiancé, Chris. She is the older sister to brother, Braxton who is 20-years-old and on the autism spectrum. After being able to witness firsthand the success her brother has had with his therapies, she found herself being drawn to autism therapy and wanted to provide high quality services to families in her own community. As a Boar