In this episode of the Celebrating Autism Podcast we are chatting with David Rivera from Mentoring Autistic Minds!  David shares all about his nonprofit organization that he started and dives into his own challenges growing up that lead him to where is he today.  David is a remarkable young man and this is an episode you will not want to miss!  Enjoy!

In this episode Melanie interviews guest Meera from Super Speech Solutions based out of Houston, Texas.  Meera explains the difference between speech, language, and pragmatic skills and gives so many tips and strategies for parents, caregivers, or teachers working with children with Autism at home or in school.  You will need a notepad for this episode because it is full of amazing information!!

Teachers all around the country are reminded that this week marks one full year of teaching virtually from home.  What better way to celebrate than to have Fiona from Adulting Made Easy on the podcast this week!  Fiona has been teaching transition (ages 18-22) for 6 years while managing and creating her successful blog, teachers pay teachers account, and social media pages.  She really does it all, and her resources are life changing if you are a transition teacher or a parent at home working on all things life skills.  Please follow her on Instagram @spedadulting and go check out her teachers pay teachers page by searching Adulting Made Easy AKA Sped Adulting.  You will not want to miss this episode! Enjoy!

Happy New Year!  In this episode Melanie is breaking down how she has consistently maintained 100% student attendance on zoom during virtual learning.  Melanie is also sharing virtual tips and tricks that have been successful and some new ideas that she is taking into 2021.   Enjoy!

Check out part 2 of Melanie's interview with Tracey MacDonald from Autism Speaks.  If you haven't listened to part 1 yet, go back and give it a listen!  In this episode Tracey explains how Autism Speaks came to be and she goes into great detail about all of the amazing resources they provide.  Tracey is not only a fantastic mom to her son Griffin, but she also does amazing work for Autism Speaks and is dedicated to helping families get the resources they need to be successful.  Listen to this episode to find out everything you can access at autismspeaks.org, you will not want to miss it!

In this episode Melanie is sharing a fun, heartfelt interview with Tracey MacDonald.  Tracey is a wonderful mom to her son Griffin and in this episode she will be sharing moments of celebration, challenges they are still working to overcome, and some funny stories that will make you laugh!  Tracey's perspective as a mother is truly inspiring and I hope you all enjoy hearing her story.

In today's episode, Melanie talks all about how to talk to your child about Autism.  Melanie will be sharing a story of a family she has worked with and their experience with telling their child about having Autism.  This is an amazing story that you will not want to miss.  Melanie also gives some tips and tricks for parents and teachers about how to talk about Autism in an easy, casual way.  Enjoy!!

In this episode Melanie is sharing all of the new and exciting things that have been happening.  Melanie discusses her new job, future episode ideas, and the weird world of starting a new job virtually during Covid-19.  Enjoy!

Today, Melanie is going to cover part 2 of trauma informed approaches, and why is it important to educate ourselves about the impacts of trauma on our students.  If you haven't listened to Part 1 of this series about trauma informed approaches, it is recommended that you go back and listen to that episode before enjoying Part 2.  Melanie is also going to be covering more about compassion fatigue and what we can do to avoid it.  Enjoy!

In this episode Melanie is going to be talking about trauma and how it impacts a student’s behavior at school.  She is going to be talking about how trauma affects the brain and how educators can be more aware and informed about how trauma impacts students.   You will really love this episode and it will give you a perspective that you might never have considered.  Enjoy!