Helping Kids Thrive

Guest: Kristina Fuentes, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist

Having a breakdown in communication with your child can certainly get frustrating, for both the parent and the child. Communication should never be underestimated as just an exchange of words, because it is so much more.

In today's episode, Kristina, a pediatric speech language pathologist, reveals ten effective yet engaging ways to influence your child's language development and help give more opportunities to build communication skills. Her tips focus on ways to enhance communication through routines and activities that you are already doing, so that it doesn't feel like another thing to try to get done in your day.

To all the parents who have children struggling with speech and language skills, or are frustrated at communicating with their kids, we see you and we hope this episode provides you with tools to use with your children to make gains in this area of development.

Episode Highlights:

• How words help children enhance their speech
• Some routines you can do at home daily to improve communication
• How questions immensely improve thinking abilities
• Modeling as a powerful tool in language acquisition
• Using non-verbal cues in making meaning
• How to be an awesome listener to your kids

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Guest: Stacey Lotshaw Special Education Teacher at Stride

Many parents are unaware of how to access educational services that are appropriate for their disabled children's needs. Even more challenging is to find remote learning options for disabled children. In this episode with Stacey Lotshaw, we are going to discuss exactly just that.

As a special education teacher at Stride Inc, formerly known as K12, Inc., Stacey Lotshaw has had years of experience working with children requiring special education services. She shares with us how she ended up at Stride and what the company offers to children with special needs, not just in the school set-up, but at home as well.

Make sure to listen and make remote learning an option for your special needs children who require academic support. Be more involved than ever in your kids' education through Stride!

Episode Highlights:

• Stacey's journey to becoming a special education teacher
• What Stride is and what it offers
• How remote learning environment work for disabled children
• Providing modified regular curriculum in special education
• Online evaluation process for disabled children
• Online teletherapy services
• Expectations from remote learning
• Deciding if remote learning is for you

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Stride Learning Website | www.stridelearning.com

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Guest: Jesse Ferrell, MHS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist

It's undeniable in this day and age that gadgets and screen technology have become a staple in many family households, often used by parents to help entertain their kids. But with the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of virtual learning over the past two years, many parents understandably feel anxious about their kid's use of screen time and may struggle with finding that perfect balance.

Jesse Ferrell, Speech Language Pathologist and mother, joins Nicole for a much-needed conversation about screen time in the household and the impacts of excessive screen time on our kids. Jesse will also shares realistic strategies parents can make use of to set healthy boundaries around screen time while also incorporating other ways to encourage active learning and development with their kids.

Everything is best in moderation - including screen time. So tune in as we tackle how families can be more mindful of their screen time while also making the most of it!

Episode Highlights:

• Effects of excessive screen time and its official recommendations
• How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed screen time
• Active screen time vs. passive screen time
• Recommendations to keep screen time in check
• What parents can do to make the most of screen time
• Jesse's advice for parents about their kid's screen time

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Episode 048: Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Guest: Kelly McGuinness, LCSW, CEIS, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Bullying is a stressful and traumatic event for our children to go through in places like school. But when you throw in the internet and its anonymity, this turns our children into relentless targets of bullying. No child ever deserves to be bullied, especially in the safety of their own homes, and yet about 40% of children have experienced cyberbullying at some point, with 30% experiencing it on multiple occasions.

Kelly McGuinness, a licensed clinical social worker, joins Nicole as we discuss how parents can combat cyberbullying and intervene supportively and immediately when we suspect our kids to be victims of cyberbullying. Additionally, we discuss what parents can do to empower them to be confident and speak up for themselves and for other kids who have been victimized.

As our kids enter the world of social media and the internet, it is our responsibility to open up honest conversations about cyberbullying with them and the importance of using the power of our words to help and be kind to others. Make sure to listen in on this really important episode!

Episode Highlights:

• An overview of cyberbullying
• Behavioral signs of cyberbullying
• Statistics around cyberbullying and its pervasiveness
• Tips for parents to talk about cyberbullying with their kids
• Why it's important for parents to engage with their kids on social media

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Scholastic Anti-Bullying and Harassment Prevention Resources
• Stopbullying.gov

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Guest: Rachel Heinz, Special Needs Parent + Disability Advocate

While it can be challenging to navigate parenthood as a special needs parent, it doesn't mean you have to do it alone. When we get involved together as a community and begin to support one another, we can create more opportunities for awareness and inclusion not just in our homes and schools, but in society as a whole.

In this episode, Nicole is joined by Rachel Heinz, a special needs parent and passionate disability advocate. Combined with her professional background in nonprofit fundraising and development, and her love for her son with special needs, Rachel is building advocacies that step outside of the box to provide resources and tools that help our families and communities support people with disabilities in the best way possible.

If you want to help foster positive change, join Nicole and Rachel as they discuss how we can get passionate and involved in advocating for children with special needs with creativity and intention.

Episode Highlights:

• Rachel's personal and professional background
• Rachel's person-centered plan for her son with Down Syndrome
• The Changing the Face of Beauty nonprofit and MSU's Bear POWER program
• Advice for special needs parents who want to start advocating in a new way
• Why community and relationship-building matters

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Changing the Face of Beauty
• Missouri State Bear POWER

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Guest: Lauren Lowery, Special Needs Parent & Life Coach

Traveling with the family can be equal parts exciting and stressful thanks to all the planning and preparation involved. But when you add in a child with special needs, it can become all the more challenging.

In this episode, Nicole is joined by returning guest, Lauren Lowery. As a mother with tons of experience traveling with her kids who both have special needs, she shares her insights and practical solutions to help make planning family trips easier for any parent in a similar situation.

Make sure to listen in and learn more about how you can ensure your child's needs are met while on the road and have a family vacation that everyone can enjoy to the fullest!

If you found this helpful for your journey as a parent, check out our other episodes here!

Episode Highlights:

• Lauren's background in traveling with her son
• Lauren's prep system for trips and flying
• How Lauren and her family travel on location
• What Lauren looks for in terms of accessibility
• How Lauren handles feeding her son anytime, anywhere

Connect with Lauren:

• Website | lowerylifecoaching.com
• Instagram | @lauren_nia_lowery

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Travel Bottle Cleaning Kit
• TSA Cares
• Flysafe Harness
• Uber WAV

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Guest: Dr. Robert Jason Grant, Ed.D, Creator of AutPlay Therapy

You may have heard about play therapy before and all of the ways it can benefit a child's mental health, but is play therapy still a good choice if your child is neurodivergent or disabled?

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole talks with Dr. Robert Jason Grant, Ed.D, a licensed mental health professional, registered play therapy supervisor, and the creator of AutPlay Therapy, an integrative family play therapy approach. Dr. Grant has worked with neurodivergent children for the majority of his career and is an accomplished author, speaker, and trainer on neurodiversity affirming practices in play therapy. During this episode, they discuss considerations for neurodivergent children participating in play therapy, terminology around neurodivergency, and tips for parents who are navigating a new diagnosis with their child.

Episode Highlights

• Intro to Dr. Grant and AutPlay Therapy
• Considerations for neurodivergent children in play therapy
• Why should a family consider pursuing play therapy for their child?
• Terminology surrounding the neurodivergence movement
• Neurodiversity affirming tips for parents (regardless of need/severity of child's disability)
• Tips for parents navigating a new diagnosis for their child

Resources Mentioned During This Episode

• AutPlay Therapy
• Autistic Self Advocacy Network
• Start Here: A Guide for Parents of Autistic Kids
• Children's Book: Some Brains By Nelly Thomas
• Children's Book: Congratulations, You're Autistic! By Katie I Bassiri

To connect with Dr. Robert Jason Grant: LinkedIn

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Guest: Liz Yoder, CFP, Director of Financial Planning

As our children with disabilities grow into adulthood, there are a lot of questions that come up about how to help them achieve their highest levels of independence. Considerations such as health insurance, income, employment, social networks, etc. come into families' minds as they think about how to best plan for the future of their child.

During this episode, Nicole is joined by Liz Yoder, CFP, a certified financial planner & the Director of Financial Planning at Planning Across the Spectrum. Liz is passionate about helping individuals and families with disabilities plan for the future.

Episode Highlights:

• Big considerations for families: Healthcare/health insurance, income, employment
• Planning Across the Spectrum support for families
• Timeline for financial considerations
• Common questions from families about their children's transition into adulthood

To learn more about Planning Across the Spectrum visit their website.

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Guests: Gena Mann & Carissa Tozzi, Co-Founders of Wolf+Friends

Connecting with a community is important as a parent. Finding a community that gets it as a parent of a child who has a disability or delay can be challenging.

During this episode, Nicole chats with Gena Mann & Carissa Tozzi, co-founders of Wolf+Friends, an online community for caregivers of children with special needs designed to connect parents + experts who "get it." They talk all about the importance of connecting with others walking a similar journey to you AND an exciting annoucement concerning Wolf+Friends and Huddle Up (previously DotCom Therapy). You won't want to miss this episode to learn more about how you can get involved and connect with others who get it.

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Guest: Morgan Johnson, MS, LCSW

Anxiety is likely something that you can relate to. We all have feelings of stress and anxiety from time to time. But when does anxiety become something that we need to get help for? And how do we identify anxiety in our children who may or may not have the words to let us know that anxiety, stress, or worry is what they're feeling?

In this episode of Helping Kids Thrive, Nicole sits down with Morgan Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker, to discuss all things anxiety including how to help identify anxious behavior in your child and what to do to help.

Epsiode Highlights:

• The difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder
• Anxiety symptoms in children vs. adults
• Anxiety in different settings (home vs. school)
• Overview of different anxiety disorders
• How to seek help for your child
• Supporting your anxious child

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