The Coffee Klatch Special Needs Radio

On June 16, Child Protection Services  appeared at the doorstep of Derek Hoare and gave him two choices, voluntarily hand over his 9-year-old autistic daughter, Ayn or they would take her citing “safety” as the reason. Hoare is a single parent, with two other children, one who is 10 and one who is 9 and is also autistic  As Hoare refused to sign over his daughter, CPS took her from her school and, because she was “deemed unsuitable for foster care placed her in a “specialized hospital” for evaluation. Hoare, his daughter’s primary caretaker and her only parental figure since birth, has not yet been able to see or speak to her. Ayn had been playing in her backyard when she went missing. After frantically looking for her without success, her father called 911 Ayn was found two hours later playing in a neighbor’s backyard. “It seemingly was one of those storybook endings,” her dad, Derek Hoare, told LifeSiteNews.com. “She ran from the police car and threw her arms around my neck.” - Derek Hoare  This incident has created international outrage and a plea to bring Ayn home. Since this post there have been many updates as per my phone calls w Derek - Stay tuned    

NAMI The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides support for individuals with mental illness and their friends and family. It is recognized as the preeminent voice on Capitol Hill and in state houses across the country for the millions of Americans living with serious mental illness join Cindy Nelson Executive Resource Specialist and Social Media Relations of NAMI Mass 9pm est on Blog Talk Radio 

  What if everything you were ever told about dieting was WRONG!  What if some extra body fat was actually good for you? Why eating less and exercising more may not work? Learn how to find foods you like that will keep you satisfied and never feel hungry.     Dr Barry Sears creator of The Zone Diet is a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response.  A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids. He holds 13 U.S. Patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.   Weight gain is a big problem for the special needs community both for children and for parents.  Join us as we discuss Toxic Fat -Stress, cortisol, hormones and weight gain- Medication Weight Gain for our children - the impotance of Omega Oils and Antioxidants and MOTIVATION to make the healthy lifestyle change.   

Michael Woods – father of 3 boys with Autism and founder of Relational Crisis Prevention. Relational Crisis Prevention is a person-centered, relationship-focused crisis prevention model that: 1) is for parents of children with special needs, 2) by a parent of children with special needs, and 3) focuses on minimizing crisis behaviors while maintaining and strengthening relationships. Michael has a degree in Conflict Management and is a Crisis Prevention Instructor. 

Solome Tibebu founder of Anxiety in Teens an incredible resource for struggling teens.  When Solome Tibebu, 20, was a teenager, her anxiety was so severe that she didn’t even want to be left home alone when her mother took their dog for a walk. At the age of 15, Solome decided to start an organization to help other teenagers struggling with anxiety. It’s calledAnxietyInTeens. She was motivated to help teens avoid the feeling of hopelessness that she experienced with her own anxiety.

Priscilla Gilman The Anti Romantic Child A Story Of Unexpected Joy With an emotionally resonant combination of memoir and literature, Wordsworth scholar Priscilla Gilman recounts the challenges of raising a son with hyperlexia, a developmental disorder neurologically counterpoint to dyslexia. Gilman explores the complexities of our hopes and expectations for our children and ourselves. Watch video http://bcove.me/ixsbq6c3

  Bad Animals Joel Yanofsky writes of a father's struggle to enter his son's world, the world of autism, using the materials he knows best: self-help books, feel-good memoirs, literary classics from the Bible to Dr. Seuss, old movies, and, yes, shtick. Funny, wrenching, and unfailingly candid, Bad Animals is both an exploration of a baffling condition and a quirky love story told by a gifted writer.

Mike Royce Executive Producer and writer of Men Of A Certain Age and Everyone Loves Raymond is our guest.  Men Of A Certain Age is a fantastic series on TNT starring Ray Romano Scott Bakula Andre Braugher and Brian White to name of few in this outstanding cast.  This comedic drama has taken on a storyline dealing with the subject of teen anxiety and panic disorder.  It is written and portrayed so well and with such insight into parental confusion and teen avoidance that I just had to have him on. Equally intriguing is the obsessive compulsive tendencies of the father (Ray Ramano) and the effect that it has on the relationships in his life. This show is far from gloom and doom, it is one of the funniest, smartest and compelling TV Series you will find. If you have not seen this show you are missing out . It is hilarious - heart warming - contemporary and one of the best shows on television.  Who knew men of that certain age could be so cool!

  Mayor Of The West Side is an oustanding film about the complex coming of age of Mark Puddington, a teenager with multiple developmental disabilities and local celebrity in his New York City neighborhood. Filmmaker Judd Ehrlich and Margaret Puddington, Mark's mother, are our guests.  This film shows the bittersweet journey of a families struggles and triumphs dealing with a devastating disorder.  The emotions are intense and the fears of Margeret Puddington of what will happen to her adult son when she is gone will tear at the heart of every parent. This Emmy-nominated documentary is airing on PBS stations nationwide and is now available on DVD

  Save $5 off of the DVD if you buy it while the interview is going on.  Go to:  http://store.cinemalibrestore.com/lovinglamppostsdvd.html  and enter the code KLATCH at checkout.   Dana Commandatore founder of Rethinking Autism makes her debut on The Coffee Klatch with guest Todd Drezner who has recently directed his first documentary film, "Loving Lamposts - Living Autistic" This incredible film won Best Feature Documentary award at the 2011 Peace On Earth Festival. Todd  is also a writer for the Huffington Post writing about Autism in a whole new light.  Todd is the father of an autistic son and is changing the way the world looks at this baffling disorder. 

Eileen Miller  author of The Girl Who Spoke in Pictures and Behind The Pictures The stories of non verbal communication through art returns.  An amazing story of communication and emergence.  To listen to her first interview click here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thecoffeeklatch/2010/08/26/susan-inman--author-of-after-her-brain-broke-helpi

You all know him as Buck Nation the Multi-Platinum Music Producer, he is also an Aspergerian autism educator and advocate. Michael joins us to discuss another of his most significant accomplishments, Founder and CEO of The Aid For Autistic Children Foundation created to reduce the financial burden on poverty stricken and disenfranchised families and caretakers coping with autism, through debt forgiveness, so attention and resources can be focused on creating a proper living and learning environment for their autistic loved one. Incredible man.

  Mike Domitrz Founder & Executive Director of The DATE SAFE Project Inc. joins us to discuss keeping our teens safe in a sexual world.  Mike provides real solutions to touch conversations for parents, schools and educators. How to build a relationship of open communication and the BIGGEST mistake parents make when talking to their teens about sex. 

  Dr Sandy Gluckman joins us to discuss he Inflamation Connection to anxiety disorders in children and teens and how to TAKE CHARGE in advocating for your child's treatments. From Dr Gluckmans website: The degree of stress-related problems in children is reaching epidemic proportions.   Children are experiencing stress.  This is a reality.  Stress triggers conditions such as underachievment, low motivation, inattention, meltdowns, to anxiety, bullying, depression, OCD, ADHD, autism, eczema, asthma, allergies, and more.  So what do we do when this happens?We  describe these symptoms to the doctor, who then diagnoses the ‘disorder’,  gives the child a label and then treats the ‘disorder’ with medication.  The symptoms may go away or decrease but we have not identified and treated what caused the stress-related symptoms in the first place. You may be surprised to know that the child’s learning, behavior or healthy issues are most often caused by something unhealthy that is happening in the child’s body, that has remained hidden and untreated. My quest is to update and change the way that parents and teachers think about, and deal with, stress and stress-related symptoms in children by showing them how to identify, treat and remove the root cause of children’s learning, behavior and health challenges.

"TALKING TEENAGE" Dr's Barbara R. Greenberg, & Jennifer A. Powell-Lunder You know them and love them as authors of "Teenage As A Second Language - A Parents Guide To Becoming Bilingual"