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Welcome to The Autism Dad podcast, I'm Rob Gorski. This show is inspired by my own personal journey as a single dad raising three autistic kids. It's all about special needs parenting, the challenges that we face every day, and some of the things we have to learn to navigate along the way. This season, we're going to put a major focus on empowering parents. We're going to talk about building a community of support around your family, the importance of self-care, and connecting with the services and resources that are vital when it comes to raising a special needs child. So be sure to check us out at listen.theautismdad.com and subscribe on your favorite podcast listening app. 

Season 5 is officially over and I thought it would be fun to close the season out by revisiting one of my favorite interviews from this season. Sit back and enjoy a great conversation with my friend Kate Swenson. Connect with Kate Swenson: Finding Cooper's Voice Check out Forever Boy About Kate Swenson: Kate is Cooper's mom, the founder of Finding Cooper's Voice, and the author of the new book Forever Boy. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Bened Life Bened Life supports a neuroinclusive community with education and science-backed probiotics that promote mental and physical health. Bened Life prides itself on hiring neurodivergent staff that helps to run multiple facets of their business. Their medical probiotic, Neuralli, featuring the probiotic PS128, has already helped thousands of neurotypical and neurodivergent people worldwide. Learn more by going to benedlife.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout for 20% off your first order. Visit Bened Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode you'll learn what Board of DD is, who SSA's are and what OOD stands for. Autistic kids grow up to be autistic adults and many will need the services and supports that these agencies provide. This is our experience and what we've learned along the way. We've been talking about this on Facebook and I wanted to share what our journey has been so far. Come join the conversation at facebook.com/theautismdad Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Bened Life Bened Life supports a neuroinclusive community with education and science-backed probiotics that promote mental and physical health. Bened Life prides itself on hiring neurodivergent staff that helps to run multiple facets of their business. Their medical probiotic, Neuralli, featuring the probiotic PS128, has already helped thousands of neurotypical and neurodivergent people worldwide. Learn more by going to benedlife.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout for 20% off your first order. Visit Bened Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final episode of season 5, I sit down and speak with Doug Farrago, retired family physician and author, about his book, “Noki.” Noki is about an autistic young man who has the remarkable ability to essentially become any boxer he’s ever seen fight. It’s a brilliant story, a fairly quick read, and I love the representation. Guest Bio: Douglas Farrago is a retired family physician, author of seven books, and loves working with autistic people. Doug authored Noki, a book that blends his love of working with autistic people and his passion for boxing. Website: letnokibox.com Buy the book: Noki Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About William Stanley Special Needs Parenting is one of the most rewarding but difficult journeys a person can embark on. It comes with so many unique challenges that most families just. They never have to worry about or experience. And one of those challenges is financial planning. Whether you're looking to plan for yourself and your child's financial future, special needs parents often have to navigate things like disability, ssi, and other services that are tied to our financial situation. This is where people like William Stanley of Northwestern Mutual can help as someone who has firsthand experience with the unique needs of special needs families. William, a special needs father himself understands the challenges you're facing. It can help you plan for your financial future in a way that makes sense for you and your family. You can contact William today to learn more about how he can help you navigate this tricky landscape by visiting http://williamstanley.nm.com/. William Stanley Northwestern Mutual 516-465-9508 http://williamstanley.nm.com/ Visit William Stanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this brief episode, I share a look back at Season 5 and a glimpse of what I have in store for Season 6. Thank you all for helping to make this podcast such a success. I'm looking forward to continuing to bring you content that is positive, relevant, and educational. Have a fantastic holiday season, and I'll see you in the new year. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Bened Life Bened Life supports a neuroinclusive community with education and science-backed probiotics that promote mental and physical health. Bened Life prides itself on hiring neurodivergent staff that helps to run multiple facets of their business. Their medical probiotic, Neuralli, featuring the probiotic PS128, has already helped thousands of neurotypical and neurodivergent people worldwide. Learn more by going to benedlife.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout for 20% off your first order. Visit Bened Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been such a demand for this topic and I’m really excited to get the ball rolling on potty training. My guest today is Molly Johnson, otherwise known as The Autism Consultant. She’s here to share some potty training tips and tricks. . Guest Bio: Molly is an autism consultant, working with parents to reduce challenging behaviors and teach their child new skills. When working with parents, Molly helps families understand the reason for the barrier and how to move beyond that barrier in a way that meets the child's needs.  Molly has experience working with school-age children and young adults on the spectrum. Through her work as an autism teacher and autism parent consultant, Molly has worked with autistic individuals and their families in a variety of settings, including public schools, a university, a private autism program, and in an online setting.  Molly’s journey as an autism consultant began during her time as an autism classroom teacher when she started a podcast, The Autism Consultant Podcast, addressing how she helped her students move beyond their struggles, improve challenging behavior, and teach new skills.  Connect with Molly: theautismconsultant.us Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Mightier Mightier is a biofeedback-based video game platform that teaches kids to emotionally self-regulate. This leads to a significant reduction in meltdowns and parental stress. It's backed by science and has helped over 100,000 kids learn to regulate their emotions. For more information, the latest reviews/updates as well as current discount codes, visit theautismdad.com/mightier. Visit Mightier Review Learn more about Goally As parents, it sometimes feels like we are constantly nagging our kids to work on their daily living routines. Things like hygiene and bedtime, and homework can be so challenging. We know our kids need to learn this stuff, especially as they move towards independence, but sometimes there's just not enough time in a day. Parenting is tough. Trying to balance everything when it comes to raising kids is not easy, and sometimes as parents, we could use a little help. Enter Goally. Goally is a digital visual scheduler, AAC talker, token board system, and more all rolled into one easy-to-use app. It's made for unique thinkers like autistic kids and kids with ADHD. Kids together with Goally can conquer daily routines and therapy practice without prompting from mom or dad. This reduces that feeling of nagging your kids, and it also grants your kids some autonomy to sort of manage their own lives. Goally can easily be used on your child's existing device or with Goally's optional and affordable, dedicated device. In my house, we found that the dedicated device seems to work better for my son, so that's what we use. For more information, you can visit getgoally.com. That's g-e-t-g-o-a-l-l-y.com; and use the code “theautismdad” and save 10% off your order. Visit Goally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week my guest is Christina Abernethy from Love Hope & Autism. She's here to talk about her journey as an autism mom, how something called Goally has profoundly benefited her son, and the advocacy work she's doing to make public restrooms more accessible. Mentioned in this episode: Visit getgoally.com and use the code "theautismdad" to save 10% off your order Guest Bio: Christina is a dedicated wife, mother of three, and passionate advocate for people impacted by disabilities. She has coordinated events to fund research, supports and service dogs for families. She has served on local committees, coached an adaptive cheerleading team, and won awards for successful fundraising endeavors including those for “Team Bubba,” honoring her son with autism. She is the founder of Love, Hope & Autism and is proud to be the coordinator for Changing Spaces Pennsylvania, a movement to build accessible restrooms with powered height adjustable adult sized changing tables across communities to promote inclusion. She is working with legislators to pass a bill in Pennsylvania that would require such facilities in hospitals, airports, museums, rest stops, sports arenas and more. She also works as a Family Support and Community Engagement Specialist at Achieving True Self, supporting families like hers. Christina is committed to spreading a message of heightened awareness and acceptance of differences, ultimately inspiring hope. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Mightier Mightier is a biofeedback-based video game platform that teaches kids to emotionally self-regulate. This leads to a significant reduction in meltdowns and parental stress. It's backed by science and has helped over 100,000 kids learn to regulate their emotions. For more information, the latest reviews/updates as well as current discount codes, visit theautismdad.com/mightier. Visit Mightier Review Learn More About Bened Life Bened Life supports a neuroinclusive community with education and science-backed probiotics that promote mental and physical health. Bened Life prides itself on hiring neurodivergent staff that helps to run multiple facets of their business. Their medical probiotic, Neuralli, featuring the probiotic PS128, has already helped thousands of neurotypical and neurodivergent people worldwide. Learn more by going to benedlife.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout for 20% off your first order. Visit Bened Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My 22 year old autistic son Gavin is here today to talk about his very first experience voting. He shares how it went, how he prepared for it, and also has advice for other first time voters with a disability. Link to pt1 Guest Bio: Gavin is 22 years old, diagnosed with autism and several rare genetic conditions. Gavin is very passionate about politics and gaming. He’s currently working on becoming more independent and building a life of his own. Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Mightier Mightier is a biofeedback-based video game platform that teaches kids to emotionally self-regulate. This leads to a significant reduction in meltdowns and parental stress. It's backed by science and has helped over 100,000 kids learn to regulate their emotions. For more information, the latest reviews/updates as well as current discount codes, visit theautismdad.com/mightier. Visit Mightier Review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, I talk with Madeline Cheney from The Rare Life Podcast, where she shares her family's journey raising two amazing kids, one with very rare conditions. We have a conversation about what life is like for her family, some of the challenges they face, and how she's helping other families dealing with similar things. Guest Bio: Madeline Cheney is the host/creator of The Rare Life, a well-loved podcast for parents of children with rare conditions. She finds huge fulfillment in connecting with this community of parents in this way. Her experiences with her medically-complex son Kimball inspired the podcast. Kimball is a Buzz-lightyear loving four-year-old with a rare form of dwarfism and deaf-blindness, among other aspects of his rare syndrome. Madeline and Kimball live in Utah with his dad Juston and big sister Wendy where they enjoy camping as a family. Connect with Madeline on Instagram Listen to The Rare Life Podcast Important Links: My Autism Parenting Support Forum: Click Here Host Bio: Rob Gorski is a single Dad to three amazing autistic boys and Found and CEO of The Autism Dad, LLC. Multiple award-winning blogger, podcaster, content creator, digital marketer, social media influencer, and respected public figure for well over a decade. Connect with Rob Gorski: https://listen.theautismdad.com Mentioned in this episode: Learn More About Bened Life Bened Life supports a neuroinclusive community with education and science-backed probiotics that promote mental and physical health. Bened Life prides itself on hiring neurodivergent staff that helps to run multiple facets of their business. Their medical probiotic, Neuralli, featuring the probiotic PS128, has already helped thousands of neurotypical and neurodivergent people worldwide. Learn more by going to benedlife.com. Use the code "theautismdad" at checkout for 20% off your first order. Visit Bened Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices