The Coffee Klatch Special Needs Radio

Host Marianne Russo Guest Amalia Starr I Have Autism…What’ll I Do Without You, Mom? How to Prepare for When Your Special Needs Child Outlives You  In Starr’s latest book, “I Have Autism…What’ll I Do Without You, Mom?” she writes all about this subject matter and includes a separate in depth section on “How to Achieve Independence.”  The more independent our children are, the better it will be for them now and after their parents are gone. Yes, talking about one’s mortality is never an easy or pleasant topic, but with our special needs children it may be the single most important thing a parent can do. Starr discovered that when parents address this issue head on they feel a tremendous relief. No reason to put this off anymore, Starr’s book will take you hand in hand as she shares how she achieved this goal and how you can too. Are you concerned about your child’s future?  Then you have come to the right place. Amalia Starr has been a pioneer and trailblazer on the autism and special needs path for the past forty years.  

Guest Bonnie Schinagle - Special Education Attorney Part 2 The IDEA FAPE - Free Appropriate Public Education LRE - Least Restrictive Environment What if my child isn’t failing but is unable to learn or attend class due to behaviors? What are different classifications for children and teens with mental illness or behavioral issues? Do I have to use an attorney to get my child classified?  What rights attach to someone who has been classified? What if my child has been classified and I don’t think that problems are being solved? The District offered my child a seat in a program and I’ve heard things about it that I don’t like and feel it will worsen her behaviors, do I have to accept it? How can parents enroll their child in a private school that best accommodates their child at district expense?  Is an IEP a legal contract?

Guest Dr. Edward McCabe - Senior Vice President and Medical Director the March of Dimes Foundation   State Health Officials Urged to Get Ready Now for Zika in US. At the “Zika Summit” on Friday, experts prodded some 300 state and local officials gathered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters to make Zika response plans now. “This is an opportunity to get ahead of the curve,” he told the summit’s attendees. Topics of discussion What is Zika Virus? What other ways is it spread besides mosquito bites? What is different about the Zika carrying mosquitos? Where is it most prominent and where is it expected to spread? What are the symptoms? What are the risks to pregnant women? What types of birth defects are we now seeing? We now know it is not just the first trimester of pregnancy that are a concern for birth defects, what do pregnant women need to know? How is Zika being transmitted through sexual activity? Why are pregnant women being asked to obstain from sex during pregnancy? Why women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant should not travel unless an "absolute emergency"? How do we protect ourselves? What type of insect repellent can be used on pregnant women? Emergency funding and plans to stop the spread here in the United States

Do you have a child with behavioral issues? How do you get the right accommodations and appropriate placement under special education law? Part 1 Committee Meetings – The Process 504  IEP IDEA Classification How is classification determined? What is the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP and why it’s important to know. My child is very bright and does well academically but cannot learn due to behavioral/neurobiological issues so the school will not classify him? Part 2 The IDEA FAPE – Free Appropriate Public Education LRE – Least Restrictive Environment What if my child isn’t failing but is unable to learn or attend class due to behaviors? What are different classifications for children and teens with mental illness or behavioral issues? Do I have to use an attorney to get my child classified? What rights attach to someone who has been classified? What if my child has been classified and I don’t think that problems are being solved? The District offered my child a seat in a program and I’ve heard things about it that I don’t like and feel it will worsen her behaviors, do I have to accept it? How can parents enroll their child in a private school that best accommodates their child at district expense? Is an IEP a legal contract?    

Host - Marianne Russo Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind?  In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next.  Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others’ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight.

In this episode, Joel and Rob continue their discussion on the emotions dads go through when recieving an autism diagnosis for thier child. 

Host Dr. Marla Deibler - Mind Matters   Guest:  Dr. Anne Marie Albano   The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is naturally fraught with excitement as well as anxiety. Responsibility increases for the adolescent, on matters of personal care, finances, managing their social relationships, romance, and working on their goals for entering college or the workforce.  Eventually, they must launch into adulthood being fully independent from their parents. For adolescents with anxiety and related mental health conditions, the launch is often postponed, and indefinitely, as each developmental task associated with emerging adulthood seems insurmountable to the youth, and to his or her parents. Dr. Albano will discuss the process of this transition to adulthood and what signs to look for of anxiety, and make recommendations for parents and youth in now to manage anxiety, move forward into challenging situations, and to engage resources found on campus, in the community, and within one's self to make a healthy transition into adulthood.  

Hosts Joel Manzer and Rob Gorski Two part series In part one of this two part series, Rob and Joel discuss the emotions felt when first getting an autism diagnosis

School Stuggles with host Dr. Richard Selznick Michael Hart, Ph.D. is a child psychologist with 25 years of experience in teacher training, clinical psychology and the diagnostic assessment of a full range of learning differences, including dyslexia as well as attention problems (AD/HD). He is the founder/owner of www.drmichaelhart.com and is currently providing webinars, online courses and onsite presentations/training regarding the proper educational care of our dyslexic students.   Dr. Hart has been creating and presenting curricula for professional training and development for many years.  In the recent past, he served as an instructor/facilitator for a Masters-level educational psychology course focused on cognitive learning theory and behavioral management.  In that role, he taught advanced course materials in psychology to educators and administrators and received average instructor performance ratings of 97 out of 100 for six straight quarters.   Prior to his current role, Dr. Hart served as a clinical psychologist, educational administrator and expert witness for learning disabled students in various settings including pediatric inpatient psychiatry, outpatient psychiatry, private practice and K-12 school settings. During his practice, he administered the full spectrum of psychological tests, behavioral assessment tools, affective inventories, projective tests, academic achievement tests and behavioral interviews.  His experience spans from infants to adults and he has conducted approximately 1000 evaluations.   Michael enjoys mentoring other professionals and is intensely focused on supporting teachers, specialists and parents as they become better informed and more experienced in the effective treatment of our dyslexic students.

Host Dr. Marla Deibler  Being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but every family faces challenges that can be frustrating and overwhelming. For more than twenty-five years, internationally renowned clinical psychologist Thomas W. Phelan's 1-2-3 Magic has helped millions of parents, teachers, and caregivers raise independent, emotionally intelligent children and build happier, healthier families?all through an easy-to-understand program that you'll swear "works like magic." 1-2-3 Magic helps you discipline and set limits for your children by breaking down the complex task of parenting into straightforward steps. The 1-2-3 Magic program offers parents, pediatricians, mental health professionals, grandparents, teachers and even babysitters a simple and gentle-but-firm approach to managing the behavior of 2 to 12-year-olds, whether they are average kids or special-needs children. 1-2-3 Magic books sales have crossed the 1,500,000 mark, the number of foreign translations has passed twenty, and the 1-2-3 Magic book has consistently been the #1 child-discipline book on Amazon. Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. has worked with children, adults and families for over 35 years. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Illinois Psychological Association. In addition to writing and producing, Dr. Phelan maintains an active schedule of international lectures, and is a frequent guest on radio and television. His articles appear in numerous regional and national publications.   

Marianne Russo Public Relations

Hosts Joel Manzer and Rob Gorski give the dads perspective on raising a child with autism.    Todays topic - Finding and building support systems for families of children with autism 

Hosts Joel Manzer and Rob Gorsky kick off - Life With Autism - The Dads Perspective! Most shows and parenting blogs are directed to the "moms" of children with autism, what about the dads?  The Coffee Klatch is bringing an incredible show to the network bringing two dads together to give the dads perspective and interact with amazing autism dads on the show and on simultaneous upcoming Tweetchats. Joel is the creator and lead editor of Autisable and a respected advocate in the autism community, Rob is a single dad of three boys on the spectrum, together Joel and Rob will bring some reality, support and much needed laughs to their fellow dads. Join Joel and Rob as they discuss the challenges of dealing with sensory issues in their children.

Host Dr. Marla Deibler - Premiere of Mind Matters Renae M. Reinardy, Psy.D. received her doctorate at Argosy University, Washington, D.C. She is the Director of the Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change. Dr. Reinardy specializes in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, hoarding disorder, and related conditions. She has been an adjunct professor at the doctoral level and has presented numerous times at national conferences and at local meetings and trainings. She is also the Program Developer of Courage Critters, on on-line and plush animal system.  Dr. Reinardy has been interviewed on Good Morning America, North Dakota Today and the Joy Behar Show. She has also had her treatment techniques featured on Dateline NBC and A&E’s Hoarders.   The Courage Critters program is a tool that parents, caregivers, teachers, doctors and children can use as a guide to decrease common childhood fears and body focused repetitive behaviors. If every child knew these skills it would be of great benefit to our children's mental and physical health. The Courage Critter provides the child with comfort while the website offers a fun, and informative program. The Critter is a high quality plush toy that arrives with a password allowing the child membership into the Courage Club. This will give children access to all pages on the website. There are many stuffed animals available on the market, but none serve the same function as Courage Critters. Children often hold a beloved stuffed animal close to them in difficult situations, but only the Courage Critter has the training to stand up to fear bullies and body focused behaviors! This is a unique system for issues that impact most children and their families.   

Dr Pratik Mukhrjee and Dr. Elysa Marco on their Breakthrough study of biological basis for sensory processing disorders in kids In a groundbreaking new study from UC San Francisco, researchers have found that children affected with SPD have quantifiable differences in brain structure, for the first time showing a biological basis for the disease that sets it apart from other neurodevelopmental disorders. One of the reasons SPD has been overlooked until now is that it often occurs in children who also have ADHD or autism, and the disorders have not been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychiatrists and psychologists. "Until now, SPD hasn't had a known biological underpinning," said senior author Pratik Mukherjee, MD,