Rob Gorski, Author at The Autism Dad Podcast

Helping Men Become Better Versions of Themselves (feat. Dennis Procopio) S4E10

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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June 6, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Autism Dad and Author of “Not Sleeping” (feat. Alan Winnikoff)

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,…

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May 21, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Insanely Affordable Financial Planning for ALL Families (feat. Caleb Frankel of EarlyBird) S4E8

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…

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May 7, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

What to do when you suspect autism (feat. Dr. Emilee Valler) S4E7

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…

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April 23, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Let’s Talk About COVID and the Vaccines (feat. Dr. Webby of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the WHO) S4E7

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…

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April 3, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

The Many Different Paths to Fatherhood (feat. Harma Hartouni) S4E5

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…

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March 12, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Diagnosis Delayed (feat. Dr. Jeff Selman) S4E4

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…

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February 26, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Dad’s Talking Autism and Parenting (feat. Eric Rittenhouse) S4E3

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…

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February 19, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Accessibility for Those with Disabilities (feat. Meegan Winters) S4E2

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…

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February 12, 2021

Podcast / Season 6

Talking to Dads (feat. Sacha Muller) S4E1

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. Sponsors 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…

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February 5, 2021