Turn Autism Around

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are; getting a diagnosis of autism can be tough on the whole family, not to mention the struggle of finding the right help. Melissa Leahy joins me today to talk about her unique challenges as a military family who was stationed overseas when they received a diagnosis for their then 2.5-year-old Mattis. She has excellent insight on tricare coverage and services available on military bases. Melissa also shares her incredible success with my online courses and how she found an in-home BCBA that fit right in!

Over the last month, I participated in a challenge titled: The 25 Days of Autism. This was inspired by Kate for Finding Cooper’s Voice and Autism Adventures with Alyssa. I had such a great time going through pictures and talking about what was going on in our lives or Lucas’s diagnosis or progress. Head on over to my website or Facebook so you can see all the pictures I am talking about in this episode.

Are you wondering how you can shift your parenting strategies to a more positive approach? Victoria Boone’s book Positive Parenting for Autism discusses psychology and ABA-based strategies for building desired behaviors and eliminating problem behaviors. In this episode, we are discussing extinction versus punishment, the benefit of differential reinforcement, and the controversy of ABA.

Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets for Helping Kids on the Spectrum, is Dr. Temple Grandin and Dr. Debra Moore’s newest book. We are discussing these mindsets and some autism hot topics such as medication for autism and the controversy of ABA. The interesting information they share from their book, are empowering tools that can helpfully develop the full potential in any child.

No therapy is better than bad therapy. Today, BCBA Tameika Meadows, author, and creator of the blog I Love ABA joins me to share her important factors in finding a good ABA provider. We break down the differences between good ABA and bad ABA, highlight some big red flags, and dig into parent resources.

Positive reinforcement is the key to changing behavior in humans and animals alike. Amy Sutherland, author of What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage, shares how she uses the training skills she learned with animals to improve behavior in her personal life in many ways. This interview is full of interesting information on how we use reinforcement to encourage behavior every day, whether we are working with a child with autism or a cougar.

COVID isolation kept us inside our house, but did it make our world quieter? If you’re seeing a speech delay in your toddler, they may have been affected by the lack of exposure due to the lockdown. Rachel Smith, Program Director of Turn Autism Around and mom to Two-year-old Everett, is sharing how she blames covid for her son’s speech delays and how she turned it around. We also give tips on picking the right daycare, reversing activity aversions, and how you can be the best therapist for your child!

FIT Learning Center is a worldwide program founded by Dr. Kimberly Berens. The focus of her center is rooted in using behavior science for direct instruction and precision teaching for rapid growth in students with learning challenges, disabilities, and delays. We are discussing how she emulates importance in order of teaching, utilizes virtual teaching, and teaches students on varying levels to improve past their best in a regular school setting.

Autism affects a diverse array of children and families, whether it be cultural, religious, racial, or language differences. Does diversity in the autism field reflect and accept these individual preferences? Dr. Fumi Horner, Japanese native and doctoral level BCBA, shares her perspective on diversity and its place in the world of autism.

Hyperlexia is an intellectual disability in which a child is hyper-fixated and obsessed with letters, words, and reading but has low language functionality. Early signs of Hyperlexia can be linked with early signs of Autism. Today I answer questions about identifying the symptoms and signs of Hyperlexia and how to teach children with Hyperlexia and Autism. I share stories of children with Hyperlexia I have worked with first-hand, and more tips and resources on the topic.