March 2026 – Let's Plant Houses

LPH50: Ron van Til on Turning Autism Parenting Challenges Into Wiggle Seat Innovation

By Wendy Ernzen | March 30, 2026

What happens when a father turns his family’s biggest daily struggle into a solution that helps other kids learn?

In this autism parenting podcast episode of Let’s Find Houses, host Wendy Ernzen sits down with Ron van Til, a dad raising a daughter with profound autism and a son on the autism spectrum. Ron shares his family’s journey through early diagnosis, ABA therapy, speech and OT, sleep deprivation, home safety modifications, and the constant worry about the future that so many autism families quietly carry.

That lived experience led Ron and his wife to create the Wiggle Seat, a sensory chair designed to help children with autism sit at the table while still getting the movement their bodies need. Born out of mealtime challenges at home, the Wiggle Seat is now used in ABA clinics, therapy centers, and special education classrooms to help kids stay seated, regulated, and included during learning and connection. This episode blends real-life autism parenting, fear, hope, and innovation, showing how one family’s story is helping children sit, learn, and belong at school and at home.

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LPH49: Clay Boatright talks autism parenting, faith and why happiness is a choice

By Wendy Ernzen | March 20, 2026

What happens when life hands you a diagnosis you never expected, and you still choose hope?

In this profound autism parenting conversation, host Wendy Ernzen sits down with Clay Boatright to talk about raising twin daughters with intellectual and developmental disabilities and profound autism. Clay shares how early developmental delays led to an Easterseals assessment, why diagnoses mainly matter for getting services, and what it feels like as the gap grows between traditional development and a more unique path.

The episode also explores disability advocacy, group home placement, and why respite care and community support matter so much for families. Clay talks openly about how faith helped him manage stress, why he believes happiness is a choice, and how life changed when his daughters found a supportive home and day program so he could focus on being their dad. He also shares insights from his book, God’s Plan, Our Circus, and and the mindset he hopes encourages other parents and caregivers on the disability journey.

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LPH48: Franke James on Presuming Competence, Disability Rights, and Freeing Teresa

By Wendy Ernzen | March 4, 2026

What if the biggest fight your family ever faced was simply proving that your sister with Down syndrome should have the life she wants?

In this episode of Let’s Plant Houses, host Wendy Ernzen talks with Franke James about Down syndrome, disability advocacy, and how real disability rights can start at home. Frankie shares the powerful story of her sister Teresa, a joyful artist and author with Down syndrome, and how their family learned early to include her fully, build her strengths, and expect more from the world around her.

You’ll hear what went wrong when her siblings tried to place Teresa in long-term care, even though Franke was willing to give her the life she wanted and deserved. Hear about how Franke and her husband fought back using a capacity assessment, power of attorney, and supported decision making so Teresa could choose where and how she lives, the foundation of Franke’s award-winning book Freeing Teresa. Franke also gives us a sneak peek of the sequel Escape to Lotus Land, the next chapter in Teresa’s beautiful life. This conversation is for parents, siblings, and professionals in the IDD community who want hope, practical insight, and a reminder to presume competence.

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