The Autism Dad

This was a really challenging episode for me to edit for a couple of reasons and I’ll explain in a minute. My guest is Dennis Procopio, founder of Man-Up! Life Coaching, and fellow autism Dad. He’s here as a resource for men and helps them to become the best version of themselves.

This episode didn’t go as planned but that’s okay. The whole point was to highlight what Dennis is doing because whether or not we like to admit it, men need help sometimes.

What ended up happening is that Dennis turned the interview around on me and we sorta dug into my life. It was a rather profound experience for me on a personal level. The struggle with editing this was that I shared a bit more than I have before, at least publically. It made me feel incredibly vulnerable, which is okay, but I wasn’t sure what I was comfortable leaving in. As embarrassing as some of these things were to admit, I left everything in because I feel like I shouldn’t be ashamed and Dennis really helped me to reframe some of these things. My hope is that someone out there benefits from this.

Bottom line is that guys have feelings too. Our feelings matter and we need to become more comfortable talking about them. There’s no shame in being human guys.

About Dennis Procopio:

https://manuplifecoaching.com/

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Additional resources: 

-Exploring healthy meals? Use the Sunbasket Promo Code 

-Why food choices matter when it comes to autism

-The science is in! Healthy food can make you happy

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Mightier. Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information.

This episode is also brought to you by Hero Health. HERO is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home Happy Ladders includes activities that target 150+ essential developmental skills every toddler needs as well as assessments in 4 different developmental areas. There’s also an exclusive community of parents just like you, and professional coaching to ensure success for both you and your toddler. To learn more, get a free trial, and take advantage of an exclusive, limited-time offer for my listeners, visit happyladders.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout to save 50% off the monthly membership. Plus get a free one-on-one session as well as access to the Tantrums and Meltdowns mini-course. This is a limited-time offer so act now.

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Alan Winnikoff. Alan is not only an autism Dad but also the author of the new book called “Not Sleeping”. Learn about Alan’s journey while parenting 2 autistic kids, as well as the inspiration behind his book.

“Not Sleeping” is a fictional story about a married couple raising an autistic daughter.

About the book:

It is said that over 70% of special needs marriages fail. This is the story of one. Not Sleeping depicts a suburban New York couple, Josh and Claudia Sherman, separated though not yet divorced. As they struggle to navigate their way through the painful process of uncoupling, they also must continue to co-manage the difficult demands of their nine-year old autistic daughter. It was Josh who decided to leave the marriage. But, in an unanticipated turn of events, Claudia is the one who quickly finds a new relationship. As the story moves forward, Josh’s Plan B, as he calls it, begins to take shape. It is centered around a possible new job and his own nascent romance. But Plan B also necessitates him to moving to California and leaving his familiar life, and specifically his children, behind. Josh is drawn toward this powerful chance at reinvention but with no guarantees and at what cost?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alan+winnikoff+not+sleeping&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57571256-not-sleeping

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/not-sleeping-alan-winnikoff/1139006069

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Additional resources:

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Mightier. Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

This episode is also brought to you by Hero Health. HERO is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home Happy Ladders includes activities that target 150+ essential developmental skills every toddler needs as well as assessments in 4 different developmental areas. There’s also an exclusive community of parents just like you, and professional coaching to ensure success for both you and your toddler. To learn more, get a free trial, and take advantage of an exclusive, limited-time offer for my listeners, visit happyladders.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout to save 50% off the monthly membership. Plus get a free one-on-one session as well as access to the Tantrums and Meltdowns mini-course. This is a limited-time offer so act now.

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s episode, I speak with Caleb Frankel, COO, and co-founder of the financial technology and gifting platform called EarlyBird. EarlyBird has made saving for your child’s financial future, accessible to everyone. Special needs families are often forgotten when it comes to things like financial planning because we can have unique needs that go unaddressed or the cost of admission is unattainable. EarlyBird has fixed that and now anyone can build a nest egg for their child with only a few dollars a month.

It’s incredibly affordable at only $12/year/child. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends can all contribute to this account for free and even record video memories to mark special milestones. This is such a cool thing and I’ll be getting started on this for my kids very soon. I highly recommend listening to Caleb Frankel and downloading the free app and check into EarlyBird. It’s totally free to start.

Download the EarlyBird app to your android or iOS device by clicking here.

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Additional resources: 

If you need professional advice on financing a new home, visit The Home Loan Expert

Check out additional parenting resources here.

Sponsors

Brought to you by EarlyBird. Download the EarlyBird app to your android or iOS device by clicking here.

Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

HERO, by Hero Health, is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve been wanting to do this episode FOREVER and it finally happened. My guest today is Dr. Emilee Valler. She’s a pediatric psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic’s Children’s Center for Autism. Dr. Valler is here to talk about what autism is and what it’s not. We talk about what parents should look for when to be concerned, where to go for help, the diagnostic process, what to expect, early intervention, as well as beneficial therapies, services, and supports that can help you and your child, be successful.

This is such an important conversation and so many parents find themselves in a situation where their child has received a diagnosis and they’re scared, confused, alone, and unsure of what to do.

This episode can help.

Even veteran autism parents can benefit from being reminded of what other families are going through. This is also important because it helps people in general gain a better understanding of what autism is and what our families might be experiencing. Hopefully, something you learn today can make a difference in your life or the life of someone you care about.

So please pay attention and share it with anyone who might benefit.

Guest Info:

You can find the Cleveland Clinic by visiting my.clevelandclinic.org

You can find the Center for Autism by clicking here

You can find Dr. Emilee Valler by clicking here

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Sponsors

Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

HERO by Hero Health is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while. Dr. Richard Webby is on the show today to discuss all things COVID and vaccine-related. Dr. Webby is a Member of the Department of Infectious diseases at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals. This is an incredibly important conversation about the current state of the US in regards to COVID, the new variants, and the vaccine rollout. Dr. Webby educates us on the different COVID vaccines, why they’re so important, and he even addresses many of the concerns that people have in regards to receiving the COVID vaccine and what is safe to do after being vaccinated.

It’s so important to educate yourself so that you can make informed decisions about your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of your family.

Dr. Webby and be found here.

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Mightier. Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

This episode is also brought to you by Hero Health. HERO is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Harma Hartouni. Harma just happens to be an absolutely amazing human being with one of the most inspiring stories, I’ve ever heard. He just released his new book called Getting Back Up: A Story of Resilience, Self-Acceptance and Success. He’s here to talk about his amazing life from growing up in Iran during the war, learning to walk again after surviving a devastating car accident, finally moving back to the States, learning to accept himself, coming out, meeting his partner, creating a real estate business that has generated billions of dollars. building their beautiful family through surrogacy, and the launch of his new book.

Harma and I talk about the different paths people take to fatherhood and how he’s using his experience to help people all across the globe. Lastly, he offers advice on how to be loving, accepting and supportive parents if you suspect your child is gay or have a child who has already come out. This is so important folks.

You can find Harma:

https://www.harmahartouni.com/

Check out his new book on Amazon.

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Sponsors

Datability

Datability is a web app that tracks special education student progress and Individualized Education Plans (IEP) data. The software helps educators and school administrators keep track of each student’s goals, behaviors, and academic performance. The best part is that the results can be shared with the parents and for a transparent look into the progress of their child.

Datability makes tracking and reporting students’ data a breeze allowing teachers to focus on what matters most: educating students.

Find out more: https://iepdata.com/

Use code “theautismdad20” to save 20%

Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home Happy Ladders includes activities that target 150+ essential developmental skills every toddler needs as well as assessments in 4 different developmental areas. There’s also an exclusive community of parents just like you, and professional coaching to ensure success for both you and your toddler. To learn more, get a free trial, and take advantage of an exclusive, limited-time offer for my listeners, visit happyladders.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout to save 50% off the monthly membership. Plus get a free one-on-one session as well as access to the Tantrums and Meltdowns mini-course. This is a limited-time offer so act now.

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Jeff Selman. He’s VP of Clinical Services over at First Children Services. He’s here to talk about how COVID is creating additional delays in kids getting evaluated for autism. This is a huge problem because we know that early intervention is absolutely vital for kids with autism and delays interfere with that. We talk about what is happening and the impact it’s having on kids. We also discuss remote learning and some challenges that we’re not talking about as we prepare to return to in person learning.

There’s lots to learn here and I’d love to get your feedback. Leave a comment on the blog post or hit me up on Twitter.

About Dr. Jeff Selman:

Dr. Jeff Selman is a New York and South Carolina licensed psychologist. He is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level (BCBA-D) and holds current and previous certifications as a school psychologist in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina.

Contact Information:

https://www.firstchildrenservices.com

[email protected]

(888) 966-0745

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Mightier. Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

This episode is also brought to you by Hero Health. HERO is a smart automatic pill dispenser that dramatically improves medication management and compliance. Learn more at theautismdad.com/hero and use code “theautismdad50” to save $50. 

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Eric Rittenhouse. He’s the father of 2 amazing autistic kids and he’s here to talk about his journey as a special needs parent. Eric has a fantastic outlook on life and an inspiring approach to parenting.

I hope you find this conversation about the ups, downs, challenges, and victories of being an autism parent meaningful. It’s so important to share our stories because we’re all connected and we can learn a great deal from each other.

Maybe Eric will inspire others Dads to share their stories as well. 

All my information and relevant links are here

Please support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Mightier. Mightier is an amazing program out of Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s. It uses video games to teach kids to emotionally self-regulate. Visit theautismdad.com/mightier and find out more information, including how to get a free 30-day trial.

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Meegan Winters. She has a background in special education and is the founder of Able Eyes. Able Eyes is a state of the art platform that provides virtual tours for children and adults with disabilities for the purposes of accessibility. Meegan is here to talk about Able Eyes and how it’s helping the community. This is so cool and it’s completely free to use.

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

About Meegan Winters:

Meegan Winters is the CEO/Co-Founder of Able Eyes. Her experience as a special education teacher teaching students with Autism paired with her real-life experiences having a best friend that was a wheelchair user (now an angel) sparked the idea behind what is now a nationwide business helping people of all abilities. 

About Able Eyes:

Able Eyes provides virtual tours of the inside of public spaces such as parks, museums, hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses for the purpose of accessibility. Virtual tours allow customers of all abilities an opportunity to explore beforehand to decrease anxiety, but more importantly, is a tool used by persons with disabilities to explore accessibility beforehand making new experiences more comfortable and easily navigated. 

Meegan Winters Social links: 

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbleEyesForDisabilities 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meegan-winters-5206bb31/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ableeyesfordisabilities/ 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ableeyes

SponsorsMimo:

This episode is brought to you by Mimo. MiMo is a new toy company that features 9 plush characters that each have their own personality. Each character comes as a set including an oversized toy and a smaller sized version that makes for a great travel companion. Each character has a strength, but also a challenge, just like me, just like you, and just like all of our kids! These characters are helping kids feel loved and accepted for exactly who they are and that’s such a positive message. Visit them: mimotoys.com

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home Happy Ladders includes activities that target 150+ essential developmental skills every toddler needs as well as assessments in 4 different developmental areas. There’s also an exclusive community of parents just like you, and professional coaching to ensure success for both you and your toddler. To learn more, get a free trial, and take advantage of an exclusive, limited-time offer for my listeners, visit happyladders.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout to save 50% off the monthly membership. Plus get a free one-on-one session as well as access to the Tantrums and Meltdowns mini-course. This is a limited-time offer so act now.

Visit Happy Ladders

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back!!!! My guest today is Sacha Muller and he’s an autism Dad. Sacha is here to talk to me about his parenting journey and what being a special needs Dad has been like for him thus far. While I didn’t know Sacha prior to this interview, I’ve learned that he’s an awesome Dad and I’m so grateful that he was willing to talk so openly about how he feels. I hope this inspires other Moms and Dads to open up and share their stories.

NoNetz is a Mother and son clothing company, with a particular focus on sensory-friendly and inclusive clothing. Check them out at NoNetz.com

Zenaviv is a family-owned, social enterprise, started by the father of a 19-year-old boy diagnosed with classic autism. Zenaviv helps support autistic artists by representing and marketing their work. It’s an amazing cause and 66% of profits go right back to the artist. Check out their new line of high-end jigsaw puzzles. Learn More at zenaviv.com/puzzles

All my information and relevant links are here

Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad

If you would like to be a guest on the show or sponsor an episode, please click the link below and send me a message. I’d love to talk to you.

CONTACT ME

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mentioned in this episode:

Happy Ladders

Happy Ladders is Parent-Led Early Autism Therapy that empowers you, the parent, to teach your toddler essential developmental skills through play. Studies have shown that the parent-led model is highly effective while eliminating frustration over long wait lists, or the worry about losing precious developmental time. All without the disruption of people coming into your home

Visit Happy Ladders

BrainyAct

BrainyAct® provides tech-enabled, patent-pending therapy programs delivered via gamification for neurological disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, and ADHD. BrainyAct activates the underdeveloped areas of the brain through exercises that strategically target a child’s balance, gravity, gross/fine motor, rhythm and timing, visual motor perception, and memory.

Visit BrainyAct

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices