Celebrating Austim

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!

In this episode Melanie is going to be sharing some lessons learned from her first virtual IEP meeting.  If you are a teacher or a parent there are tips and strategies for both groups!  Melanie will be sharing what is crucial to have prepared ahead of time, and how to lessen the stress and anxiety for all teams members before and during the meeting.  I hope this episode is helpful as we all try to figure out this new normal of virtual IEP meetings!

In this episode Melanie is sharing how distance learning has been going for her and some of the emotions that have come up over these past couple of weeks.  She is opening up to you all in hopes that if you are feeling how she is feeling then you know you’re not alone. There have been ups and downs and she will be sharing how she has been getting through those feelings.  Please enjoy, and reach out @celebrating_autism_podcast to share your thoughts!  Enjoy!

Today's episode is from the Extraordinary Moms Podcast hosted by my beautiful sister in-law!  Jessica is so talented at connecting with people and that is something that I admire about her.  She has been hosting her podcast for many years and really inspired me to create my own podcast.  She has been such an amazing mentor to me in creating my community.  In this episode we dive into why Autism is my passion and we also touch on next steps for parents who are unsure if their child might be on the Autism Spectrum.  I love this episode and it was such a blast to be apart of Jessica's amazing podcast.  

Today episode is Distance Learning Part 2, with a lot of schools across the country are moving into distance learning until further notice so I wanted to go into detail on a couple of strategies to get your started.  This episode goes into how to set up your environment at home to ensure your student is being productive.  I also touch on this amazing opportunity to encourage your student to be independent and in charge of their own learning.  In addition to this, I am also celebrating all the families who working so hard to partner with their student's teacher on this new learning adventure! Enjoy!

In today's episode we are celebrating my friend Christopher! Christopher has Autism and today we are chatting with his mom Cynthia about their family's journey with Autism.  Cynthia also gives some great advice on what kind of resources are out there for families who have children with Autism, as well as how to be a great advocate for your own child .  I promise you will enjoy this conversation!

In this episode Melanie shares a couple of strategies to make distance learning easier for parents of students with Autism. She talks about the importance of a daily visual schedule and how to add reinforcement into your day to get the most from your child while at the same time keeping it fun and light.  I really hope this is helpful in this time of uncertainty.  Please enjoy!

In today’s episode Melanie will be talking about how to handle chaos and uncertainty around your children.  Melanie shares about her experience at school when she had to tell her students that school will be closed for a few weeks and how that impacted her students.  She will also talk about how to have discussions with your children at home and how to maintain calm energy during chaotic times.  Please enjoy and stay healthy!

In this episode we are going to be focusing on how to provide voice and choice to your students.  Providing choice to your students or children at home can avoid potential power struggles. This is an easy strategy to add to your classroom or home routine.  Melanie also talks about how to incorporate playlists into the classroom and you can find two different examples of playlists under the resources tab on our website.  Please follow the Celebrating Autism Podcast on Instagram and find the link to our website in the bio.  Enjoy this episode and send me a direct message if you have any questions or if you just want to connect!

I am so excited to have our first guest on the podcast! Her name is Sarah Roddy and she is a 4th grade general education teacher.  We talk about inclusion and mainstreaming students with Autism and other specific learning disabilities and the benefits and challenges that come with that.  We also touch on how as teachers we can use technology to allow more voice and choice for our students in the classroom to highlight student’s strengths while at the same time avoiding the power struggle.  Also we share an amazing story celebrating autism highlighting a specific student who has found amazing social success with his peers in Sarah’s class.  Hope you enjoy!

Teaching a new skill takes a lot of practice!  Video modeling is an effective way of teaching new routines and skills because you can show the video as many times as you need until the skill is apart of your routine.   After listening to this episode you will be ready to start making your first of many video models at home or in your classroom with your students.

Going new places or trying new things can be overwhelming!  In this episode, Melanie gives some great tips and tricks on how to make new adventures not so scary.  Take some notes and start getting out there in your community!

Grab your notepad! This episode is a crash course in reinforcement and how to use the token economy in your classroom and at home.  Please visit the resources page for video models and pictures detailing how the use the specific reinforcement strategies described in this episode.  You will not want to miss this episode!

In this episode of the Celebrating Autism Podcast, Melanie will be discussing some tips and tricks that are easy to apply in the classroom and at home in order to create a positive learning environment.  These strategies are fun and engaging for students of all ages and will make a positive impact of how your students or children interact with each other. 

Welcome to the Celebrating Autism Podcast!! In this episode you will get to know about your host Melanie and some of the stories that inspired her to work with people with Autism.  Melanie is a special education teacher and has a masters degree in special education with an emphasis in Autism.  She is passionate about educating the community about people with Autism and celebrating inclusion for all.  Click download now to be inspired to create more inclusion in your community!