Rob Gorski, Author at The Autism Dad Podcast

Stories from an IEP Meeting (feat. Dennis Procopio) S4E20

IEP or individualized education plan are oftentimes considered a four-letter word in the autism and special needs community. In this episode, I briefly explain what an IEP is and why they're important, before hearing from my guest today. Dennis Procopio is back and this time he's sharing stories from the recent IEP meeting for his son. Sometimes it's helpful to listen to people's real-life experiences because there's much that can be learned. Dennis talks about how he used his experience as a life coach to better navigate what can be a very emotionally charged, and contentious situation. Check out his story and let me know if you'd like to share yours. ☺ I have learned so much from my conversations with Dennis and he’s helping me become a better version…

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December 4, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Making Interactions Between First Responders and Autistic People Safer (feat Janeé Harteau) S4E19

How many special needs parents worry about their child having interactions with first responders (police/EMS) and being misunderstood, or worse, seriously injured. The answer is far too many. Far too many parents worry about their autistic kids having encounters with police, EMS, or other first responders, that don't go well. My guest this week is Janeé Harteau, President and CEO of Vital Aware Services. She has over 30 years of law enforcement experience and is very aware of the potential safety issues that can arise due to police or EMS misunderstanding the behaviors of our loved ones with disabilities. The Vitals app automatically provides police, EMS, and other first responders with information on how to better help or interact with our autistic loved ones. Vitals is saving lives and we…

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November 20, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Helping Special Needs Kids Make Friends (feat. Emily Bruce from PeerKnect) S4E18

My guest today is Emily Bruce. Mother, as well as, Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst (BCBA, LBA) in the State of Tennessee with an M.S., in Psychology. She’s also the CEO and Founder of Determinism, LLC, and the creator of PeerKnect. Emily has seen firsthand the struggles special needs families face when trying to find playdates and other social activities for our kids. I cannot stress how important this is for our kids. I speak with Emily about the PeerKnect app. She shares how it works, how they protect your privacy and the many usage cases for this android and iOS. Most importantly, we talk about how PeerKnect is helping special needs kids make friends and engage in social activities. Please listen, share, and check out the PeerKnect app…

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November 12, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

When your child is seriously injured at school (Feat. Dennis Procopio) S4E17

Slight format change beginning today because I’m moving to a different server. My good friend Dennis Procopio is here today. Dennis is the founder of Man-UP! Life Coaching (MULC) and has been on the show a few times to talk about various topics. Dennis is also a special needs Dad and he’s here today to share a situation he recently had to deal with in regards to his son being seriously injured while at school. This could happen to anyone but it can be more complicated when it comes to our special needs kiddos. There are a lot of emotions parents experience when something like this happens. Dennis talks about how he navigated this difficult and scary situation. He also dives into his experience as a life coach to help…

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October 30, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

The Truth About Vaccines (Feat. Heather Brandt, Ph.D, St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center) S4E16

My guest today is Heather Brandt, Ph.D. Heather is the Director, HPV Cancer Prevention Program, Co-associate Director for Outreach, St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, Member, Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Vaccines are a hot topic once again because of COVID. There is so much misinformation floating around about vaccines and Heather is the perfect guest to answer the tough questions surrounding the safety and efficacy of vaccines. We also talk about the importance of the HPV vaccine and how it protects our kids from numerous different HPV related cancers in the future. This is so important, so please pay attention, and share this with your family and friends. Vaccine related information and resources: The CDC vaccination information for parents is excellent. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html If…

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September 30, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Relationships and Communication (Feat. Dennis Procopio of MAN-UP! Life Coaching) S4E15

My good friend and male life coach, Dennis Procopio is back. Dennis is the man behind MAN-UP! Life Coaching and over the last decade, he's helped hundreds and hundreds of guys get unstuck and become better versions of themselves. He's here today to discuss how men and women communicate, experience emotions, and approach relationships in different ways. This will not only help the guys out there but also their partners who are trying to better understand them. As someone who's recently re-entered the world of dating after over 20 years, I can definitely use the insight and advice. I know there are so many guys out there struggling to navigate some of these things and we're here to help. I have learned so much from my conversations with Dennis and…

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September 25, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Autism, Language Arts, and Women in Film (Feat. Corrie Duryee) S4E14

My guest today is Corrie Duryee. Corrie is an autism mom, an amazing human being, and a filmmaker. Corrie is here to talk about her latest film, Language Arts, as well as women and representation in film. The topic of equality is really important and we're going to talk about some of the many obstacles that women face in the film industry. Corrie is an absolute pleasure to speak with and you can't help but smile when listening to her. About Corrie: "Corrie has had a long and prosperous career in the arts. It was her relationship with Madeleine L'Engle that led the former playwright and stage director into the world of film. L'Engle (well-known writer of works such as A Wrinkle in Time and the Austin Family series), Cornelia's Godmother and…

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September 19, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Why are men so hard on themselves? (Feat. Dennis Procopio) S4E13

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…

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September 10, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

The Working Mom Blueprint (feat. Dr. Whitney Casares) S4E12

All my information and relevant links are here Support this podcast: venmo.com/theautismdad My guest today is Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, FAAP, pediatrician, special needs Mom, and author of The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting without Losing Yourself (American Academy of Pediatrics; May 11, 2021). We’re having a very important discussion about finding a balance between work, kids, relationships, home, and yourself. We’re also going to talk about burnout and the importance of self-care. Stick around because this is a really important episode. Buy her book: The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting without Losing Yourself (American Academy of Pediatrics; May 11, 2021). Check out her website: https://modernmommydoc.com/ Sponsors The presenting sponsor of this episode of The Autism Dad Podcast is Afluencer. Afluencer was created to help influencers and merchants find each other. If you’re someone who’s looking to…

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September 2, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Help with Meltdowns and Emotional Outbursts (Feat. Angela Gotz and Jessie Ragnio) S4E11

I get so many questions about Mightier and today I’m talking to Angela Gotz, a Mom to 2 autistic kiddos, who’s been using Mightier for a couple of years. I talk about her life and experience as an autism parent and how Mightier has impacted their lives. Then I speak with Jessie Ragnio, the Associate Clinical Director at MIghiter. We talk about the science behind Mightier and why it works so well. This is a great resource for anyone interested in trying Mightier out in their home. About Mightier: Mightier is a video game platform based on the science of biofeedback. It’s tested and proven by Harvard Medical and Boston Children’s Hospital to help kids learn to emotionally self-regulate. In other words, kids learn to recognize and manage their emotions…

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June 25, 2021