What helps a person with Down syndrome feel truly included? On Let’s Plant Houses, we talk with mother DeeAnn Uhlarik and her daughter Emily about Ellie, DeeAnn’s youngest daughter and Emily’s younger sister, who has Down syndrome. From childhood leukemia to adult employment, they share how sibling support, a supportive family, and a caring community …
How do you plan for your child’s future when you know you won’t always be there? Special needs financial planning, ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, and government benefits can feel overwhelming, but getting started can protect your loved one’s future. I talked with Mary McDirmid, CEO of All Needs Planning, certified special needs consultant, co-author …
What happens when an autism diagnosis finally explains years of behaviors, challenges, and differences? Trauma therapist and mom Danniel Worthen Cullumber shares her family’s experience with late autism diagnosis, neurodivergence, masking, and parenting. Drawing from more than 15 years as a clinician and her own experience raising neurodivergent children, Danniel brings both a professional and …
What does life really look like when you’re raising a child with severe autism and lifelong support needs? Author and full-time caregiver Tracy Envernizzi shares her family’s journey with profound autism, caregiver burnout, respite care, and planning for the future. After more than 15 years of caring for her daughter, Tracy knows the challenges, fears, …
How can storytelling help families feel less alone? In this episode, Cari Noga shares her family’s autism journey, from her son Owen’s diagnosis to navigating special education, caregiving, respite care, and advocacy while finding purpose through storytelling. She explains how parenting a child with autism changed the way she sees the world and inspired her …
Could embracing your child’s strengths change everything? In this episode, Kari Baker shares her family’s autism journey, from the early days of searching for answers to embracing autism parenting, ADHD, and faith with hope and purpose. She explains how letting go of the need to “fix” her son opened the door to seeing the incredible …
Could trusting your instincts change your child’s future? In this episode, Cassie Enea shares her family’s autism journey, from noticing early developmental regression to fighting for the autism services, IEP support, and specialized school placement her daughter needed. Her story is a powerful reminder that parents are often their child’s strongest advocate. Cassie opens up …
What if the strongest caregiver is the one who asks for support? In this episode, Jessica Patay shares her family’s journey with Prader-Willi syndrome, caregiving, disability parenting, and caregiver support. She opens up about raising her son Ryan, building food security into everyday life, and creating hope for families through the nonprofit We Are Brave Together. …
Could autism be more than a behavioral condition? This is what Dr. Eric Weiss is challenging with this work. Dr. Weiss spent decades as a surgeon and is the father to a son diagnosed with autism at age two. After years of trying every therapy he could find, a 2019 Duke University study on umbilical …
What happens when a mom of two autistic sons becomes the resource she never had? Linda Galarreta is raising three boys, two of whom are on the autism spectrum, and she has learned to navigate a system that rarely hands parents a map. From her son’s early speech regression and diagnosis at age two, to …