Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: when your body is a Mercedes living in a Ford pick-up world.

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a common comorbidity for both Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Dysautonomia. It is often described as "being allergic to the universe." But perhaps it is best described as a Mercedes living in a Ford pick-up world.

People with MCAS have bodies that need a lot of extra TLC! Avoidance of triggers is on...

You've got the power! In this week's episode, we talk with Geralyn Spiesz about Epigenetics, Neuroplasticity, Down Syndrome, Autism, and more!

Geralyn Spiesz is an Occupational Therapist, author of Redefining the Reality of Down Syndrome: The Power of an Integrative Mindset, and founder of The Down Syndrome Action Plan Community.

What I hope you take away from this conversation is that thanks to epigenet...

In this week's episode, we talk with Dr. Andrew Maxwell all about Dysautonomia, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and even Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)!

Dr. Maxwell is a Board Certified Pediatric Cardiologist and Pediatrician who takes a particular interest in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Dysautonomia, POTS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and all the many other comorbidities so co...

This week's episode is all about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome! If you have read Fourth Wing, this is what Violet has, and it also happens to be what I and my children have!

We are joined today by Dr. Kaydee Zimmern, a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor health and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I bet you didn't know those two things were so closely related!

This is a great time to have Ehlers-Danlos Syndr...

In this special episode, Freedom Pancakes for Ukraine, we are breaking from our focus on Neurodivergent Healthcare in honor of the holidays!

I am joined by Dr. Janice Cohn, author of The Christmas Menorahs, and Paolo Volpati-Kedra, who features prominently in Freedome Pancakes for Ukraine!

At the end of the episode, I recommend that you make a tradition in your home of reading a new story about someone who was an ...

In No Patient Left Behind, our second episode of Season 4: Neurodivergent Healthcare, I am joined by Angela Gehrt. Angela is an Occupational Therapist working on her capstone project for her doctoral work, and the focus of her research is on improving Neurodivergent Healthcare!

She had some very interesting statistics to share with us such as:

- Autistic life expectancy is reduced by 16-30 years, and Autistics are more likely to die ...

Welcome back to Season 4 of Special Needs Kids Are People Too!  This entire season is going to be focused on Healthcare and Neurodivergent Healthcare specifically!  

There are different ways that we "earn the right to talk" about a particular subject. Sometimes we earn that right by getting a degree in that area of study. Othertimes we read a great deal and self-educate ourselves on a particular topic.

However, we...

In this episode I am excited to share with you all that I wrote a book! It is called Special Needs Kids Are People Too! Seeing the Possibilities Through a Neurodiverse Lens.

In the week since its official release on Amazon, my book has been #1 New Releases in both Parenting Hyperactive Children and Teaching Students with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (ahead of Temple Grandin's new release)!

Special Needs...

In this episode we talk all about Interoception with Whitney Whitten of Sensational Moms!

Whitney is an Occupational Therapist turned Coach who likes to encourage moms to address their own sensory needs, and it all begins with Interoception!

What is Interoception and how can it impact your home?

Join us today and find out!

Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-61

For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Cons...

In this episode we talk about Kids and Electronics: Yes or No?

This is probably one of the biggest topics in parenting circles today whether you homeschool or not, whether your kids have a disability or not. 

And it is not an easy topic to navigate because it is one that most parents haven't experienced, at least not in the same way that their kids are experiencing technology now!

What does the research really...

This is the last episode of our Q&A series -- Q&A: All About Special Needs Homeschooling! We will have a few more episodes before we break for the season, but this will be the last in our Q&A series.

To date, I have never done an episode just on homeschooling! So today I get the opportunity to share with you all about my journey as a homeschooler and what books and resources have influenced me!

Join me today in our episod...

What are the challenges of being a neurodivergent woman? We are taking a break from our Q&A series this week to address this question!

Michelle Markman of ND Coach, Inc is my guest this week, and she works to empower high-masking, high-achieving women, particularly those who have been late-diagnosed or self-diagnosed autistic (or otherwise neurodivergent).

So what are the challenges of being a neurodivergent woman? Well, in some ...

Our next Q&A is all about ACT/SAT Testing Accommodations, a topic of great concern to those with high schoolers.

Today we will be answering important questions like: Which test should my student take? How do I apply for accommodations? What kinds of accommodations could I possibly apply for? Is there anyone who can help with this process?

You can ease your mind about ACT/SAT testing accommodations as I am inc...

Our next Q&A is all about Misophonia, a condition where a person experiences a decreased tolerance for certain sounds. To help us understand more about Misophonia, I have asked Doctor of Audiology Rae Stout to join me!

Dr. Stout is an Autistic Audiologist that has taken a particular interest in using low gain hearing aids to help children not only cope with Misophonia but to hopefully increase their tolerance for certa...

Today is all about Primitive Reflexes! And I invited Sarah Collins of Homeschool OT to help us out as we dive into this topic! 

Sarah is not just a talented OT. She is also a homeschool mom with lived experience with retained primitive reflexes!

What are primitive reflexes? Primitive reflexes are things that our bodies naturally do as babies but that we loose as we develop.

When development gets interrupted, we can...

This Is Why We Homeschool - Part 2! Last week's episode addressed some questions that could all be answered with the sentence: "This is why we homeschool!" This week I want to expound on that idea by explaining the inverse of why we homeschool!

When people ask why we homeschool, what they sometimes really want to know is, "Why don't you go to school?" Very often they are wondering why I might go to that...

This is why we homeschool! We are continuing our Q&A series this week, and all of the questions for today’s episode can all be answered with the sentence: "This is why we homeschool!"

There are so many things that can make life more difficult for those of us with needs that fall outside the average. Sensory processing differences can be especially challenging and even more so during puberty, a time when our sensory sys...

We are continuing our Q&A series this week. All of the questions for today’s episode will focus on how to effectively shoulder the responsibility of advocating for others.

There is no doubt that advocating for others does place a burden on the advocate, no matter how much we love and care about the person we are advocating for.

This burden is doubly challenging for Neurodivergent parents who not only have to navigate the importan...

We are continuing our Q&A series this week. All of the questions for today’s episode will focus on inspiring confidence in our children.

Parents wrote in asking about their struggles with helping their children to not only understand themselves but also accept themselves.

Can we help our children become more confident in themselves? If so, how?

Join me today to find out the answer to these and other questions!

Show Notes:...