Dr. Stephanie and Carrie talk about Carrie's journey in marriage and family navigating Autism. We speak about the limited opportunities that exist for those on the spectrum beyond high school and steps to consider to help your teen and young adult become more independent in life after high school.

Carrie Cariello is the author of What Color Is Monday, How Autism Changed One Family for the Better, and Someone I’m With Has Autism. She lives in Southern New Hampshire with her husband, Joe, and their five children. Carrie is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY Parents, the TODAY Show, Parents.com, Love What Matters, and Grown and Flown. She has been interviewed by NBC Nightly News and has a TEDx talk. She speaks regularly about autism, marriage, and motherhood and writes a weekly blog on her website. One of her essays, “I Know What Causes Autism,” was featured as one of the Huffington Post’s best of 2015, and her piece, “I Know Why He Has Autism,” was named one of the top blog posts of 2017 by the TODAY Show.
  
https://carriecariello.com/

You can access her blog/essays and her Ted Talk.

Today, we discuss a few topics in today's podcast. Dr. Stephanie talks with Jenilee about their family's journey with autism on the mission field. While in church ministry and mission work the three teen girls are diganosed with ASD, ADHD, AuDHD. She realized not only were her kids neurodivergent, but she was in a neurodiverse marriage and family system.

What additional challenges to ministry or being on the mission field may come with a neurodiverse marriage and family?

Are churches or ministry organizations equipped to help neurodiverse marriages and families serving in the ministry/mission field?

About Our Guest:
Rev. Jenilee Goodwin
Professional Life Coach

As a certified professional life coach (ICCI), a certified autism coach (NCDD), and an ordained minister (AG), Jenilee has over 20 years of career ministry experience. Serving in stateside churches and overseas missions, Jenilee brings lived experience, problem-solving skills, compassionate support, and creativity into each coaching session. Jenilee asks hard questions while listening, guiding, and coaching clients in their unique life situations. Jenilee is trained in the Equipping Profile, a personal development coaching tool that helps discover growth points and possible barriers to growth. Through one-on-one and group coaching, Jenilee uses the Equipping Profile, book studies, and even some homework to establish personal development plans, helping clients move forward healthily.

With many in her immediate family on the autism spectrum, Jenilee has a special call and place in her heart for moms of kids on the spectrum and for NT wives going through the difficulties of ND marriages. Even more specifically, I have a passion for these women who are also in full-time ministry or missions. There are very few places to share the full story. In coaching with Jenilee, you can share every single page of the story.

In addition to the above skills, Jenilee loves reading, writing, coffee, going for walks, and watching history documentaries.
You can connect with Jenilee daily on Instagram @jenileerachel or through her website, jenileerachel.com

Dan and the guys talk about AI, Perry's new book FAIK and applications to real life.

Today, Dr. Stephanie interviews Sarah Casburn.

They will chat about:
ABA or not ABA?
What is the controversy about ABA?
Do nutrition and diet impact Autism?
What is sensory enrichment therapy?

Sarah Casburn is a late-diagnosed autistic woman and autistic mom who combines her 20 years of personal and professional experience in a variety of areas, including Early Childhood Education, Autism and Behavioral Science, Sensory Enrichment, Nutrition, and Children’s Ministry, to support families and volunteers in a fresh approach. She is the founder of Crown Family Wellness (Neuroscience & Nutrition for Neurodiversity), which supports children and adults, and a Ministry stream dedicated to supporting church communities all across Canada and the USA.

Find out more at:
https://www.crownfamilywellness.com/about

We continue to discuss the book Dan did not read before publication and what he learned from each chapter when we received our author's copies of Uniquely Us.

Pre-order yours today at https://www.christianneurodiversemarriage.com/uniquelyus

Today, Dr. Stephanie and Carolyn discuss self-concept, self-identity, and self-esteem as key ingredients to building social communication skills. Carolyn's curriculum starts from a neurodiverse-affirming lens that is strengths-based and effective.

Carolyn Long is an SLP and the creator of the Social Optics curriculum.
https://mysocialoptics.com/

Bio:
Carolyn Long, MCD, CCC-SLP, has worked in school districts, private practice, and healthcare for 23 years. She is passionate about using nonverbal and verbal communication to create and navigate social relationships.
She developed Social Optics, a neurodiverse-affirming social communication curriculum, in 2015 and the software in 2022. She believes in the inclusion of student voices in the development of interventions that lead to better outcomes based on engagement, research, and data. She lives in Montana with her husband and 2
amazing teenage daughters. She enjoys fly fishing, horseback riding, and watching others plow snow.

Dr. Holmes discusses promoting safety and independence for young adults on the autism spectrum.

Brody and Julie are OTRs with Springbrook Behavioral Health. They walk you through the skills needed for young adults on the spectrum to live as independently as possible, whether outside of the home or if they need to remain at home. Helping your young adult achieve autonomy, competence, and relatedness is key to a fulfilling life and mental health!

As mentioned: https://nflyte.com
NFlyte

Bios:
Brody is a graduate of Evangel University, where he obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. From there, Brody attended Cox College, where he received his Master's in Occupational Therapy. Since becoming an Occupational Therapy practitioner, he has provided OT services in the fields of Home Healthcare, Inpatient Rehabilitation, and Behavioral Health. Brody currently works at Springbrook Behavioral Health, where he provides Occupational Therapy services to individuals 5-21 years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and occurring mental health diagnoses.

Julie is a graduate of D’Youville University, where she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Human Occupation and minored in psychology. From there, she continued her education at D’Youville University, where she received her Master's in Occupational Therapy. Since becoming an Occupational Therapy practitioner, she has provided OT services in school-based pediatric inpatient/outpatient behavioral health and chemical dependency. Her main focus has been behavioral health, which she has been
in for nine years. Julie currently works at Springbrook Behavioral Health, where she provides Occupational Therapy services to individuals 5-21 years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and co-occurring mental health diagnoses. She is also the clinical unit director for our adolescents, who are more independent.

Julie is passionate about helping individuals with higher support needs, as her 7-year-old son has Autism.

Join Dr. Stephanie Holmes podcasting from the 2023 Converge Autism Conference with conference speaker Dr. Richard Boles. Dr. Boles joins her for an in-depth discussion about how energy metabolism, when not working right, can lead to many disorders, including Autism.

About Dr. Boles
Dr. Richard G. Boles is a medical geneticist and a pediatrician who specializes in mitochondrial medicine, functional disease (including cyclic vomiting syndrome, other atypical forms of migraine, and chronic fatigue syndrome), and autism spectrum disorders. His expertise stems from decades of both clinical work and research at a major academic center, as well as from his most recent experience in cutting-edge biotechnology and genomics. He uses an innovative and integrative approach in both diagnosis and treatment to best serve his patients. Dr. Boles leads the NeuroGenomics program at NeurAbilities. Patients, physicians, and other healthcare providers can consult with Dr. Boles directly about reanalyzing previously done genetic testing results, advice for managing neurometabolic disorders, or obtain guidance on choosing and interpreting genetic testing. Neurogenomics can help to unravel the biological causes and contributions for many diseases and disorders, as well as provide vital information for changing clinical management, including:

• Mitochondrial Disease and Dysfunction

• Autistic Spectrum Disorders

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Intellectual Disabilities

• Chronic Pain, Fatigue, and Headache Disorders

• Epilepsy/Seizures

• Unexplained and Undiagnosed Disorders

And Much More

https://neurabilities.com/our-team/staff-bio-richard-boles-md/

https://www.neuroneeds.com/

https://neurabilities.com/our-team/staff-bio-richard-boles-md/

https://cnnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NeuroGenomics-Boles-2018-web.pdf

Disclaimer:
When we have guests on the ASR podcast, they are recognized for their expertise in autism as advocates, self-advocates, clinicians, parents, or other professionals in the field. They may or may not be part of the faith community; having a guest on the broader topic of autism does not reflect complete agreement with the guest, just as many guests may disagree with our faith perspective. Guests are chosen by topic for the chosen podcast discussion and are not necessarily in full agreement with all beliefs of the chosen guest(s).