This week Maria joins us in the studio as she shares her story being a special needs mom, as well as an educator. During her pregnancy she was given some news that started her on her path of motherhood that had lots of twists and turns, including watching her son undergo open heart surgery at 4 months old. Her story is full of bravery and honesty. As an educator she works hard to support the other families that need supports and need to be heard. One of the best supports that she was connected to by medical team during her pregnancy was the Down Syndrome Connection in the Bay Area. If you are can relate to her story and need support visit them at www.dscba.org .
Please leave Maria some loving and supporting comments and let her know that you connect with her story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This weeks episode we are joined by Lexi, Christa's oldest daughter and sibling to Madison. Lexi shares a candid conversation about what life was like for her as a sibling. She shares that being a sibling sometimes feels isolating and alone because many of her peers don't quite understand what life is like growing up with a special needs sister. Although she shares her journey in a positive lite, she is clear to state that it isn't always easy. Please listen along as she shares her journey.
Please leave Lexi some comments and let her know that you connect with her story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This week we have a really incredible guest...Allyson is a special needs mom that really encompasses what it means to give her all. She shares her journey about how she navigated a new marriage, then entering into the global pandemic of covid and then having her first child. When her son was born, she knew something was different because he wasn't content unless he was "moving". Without anything to go on and world that was shut down, she educated herself and helped her son. Not to far into her journey she finds out that her son is Neurodiverse. As a master at masking, her son is a wonderful reminder, that each child with Autism is unique. She is a beautiful, smart, strong and resourceful mom willing to stop at nothing to help children. Please listen along as she shares her journey.
Please leave Allyson some comments and let her know that you connect with her story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This weeks episode features Adam, a special needs dad of 2 amazing and very special boys. Adam and his wife have been there for their boys from day one as they have overcome so much. He shares his story about navigating life with his wife, his boys and how they have all overcome many struggles as a family. From open heart surgeries, stroke survivor, Gestalt language, Autism and so much more their journey has been unique. Adam also shares his own inspirational story about taking control of his selfcare and losing over 100lbs, not once, but twice in the last 12 years. As a leader in his community, he lifts people up and brings them together to create a supportive and friendly group.
Please leave Adam some comments and let him know that you connect with his story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
As special needs parents we sometimes feel like we lose our own identity. We become 24/7 caregivers and that consumes our life, and in many ways it takes away our ability to be who we once were.
This week Carmen shares her advice about not losing yourself, just because you are a special needs parent. Carmen is a special needs mom to 4 and she shares her journey with us, as she navigated being a child with a disabled brother, to navigating the special needs world with a preemie. She also shares how she blended her family and ultimately added 2 more kiddos on the spectrum. She shows us that even though the journey can feel hard at times, look for the blessings. Her family has a magical bond and together everyone helps each other on their path.
Please leave Carmen some encouraging comments and let him know that you connect with her story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This weeks episode you get to meet Nicole!! As a special needs mom to Rayna, she has figured out the key to her success is the support she gets, as well as the support she gives to other special needs parents. She is instrumental in connecting the families and friends around her to local services and support.
Rayna has a rare genetic disorder, Smith Lemli Opotz Syndrome (SLO), and has overcome so many different struggles throughout her life, through the dedication and advocacy of her mom and dad.
Nicole is a true superhero as she continues to not only take care of the needs of her daughter, but also help so many others.
If you would like to learn more about SLO or if you would like to make a donation on Rayna's behalf you can visit:
https://www.smithlemliopitz.org/living-with-slos/
Please leave Nicole some comments and let him know that you connect with her story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This weeks episode features Barrett, a special needs dad of a pretty special young man, Marco. He brings a little perspective into the discussion of what it is like to be a special needs dad. He has navigated many obstacles throughout his journey and has managed to create solutions, when he couldn't find them. He shares a little perspective on marriage, raising his children and even creating a residential home solution for his son Marco. Barrett shows us that even though sometimes it can be hard, we must do what we got to do to make things happen for our children.
Please leave Barrett some comments and let him know that you connect with his story!
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
WEB: www.specialkindofchaos.com
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This episode originally aired in 2022, but due to technical difficulties it is being re-released during the holiday season of 2024. Life Coach Hina Kalhoro shares about the importance of selfcare for our special needs caregivers. Hina is a Certified Life Coach that truly GETS IT! As a special needs mom of a medically complex child she has experienced first hand the challenges our special needs families face and the importance of taking care of yourself so that "burnout" can be minimized or avoided. In this episode she gives some very simple pointers that you can immediately add into your day. Her passion for helping our special needs parents navigate the day to day struggles really comes through, by reminding us not to feel guilty for taking care of ourselves. She has made it her mission to motivate and empower the people that she coaches to reach their full potential in order to be the best version of themselves.....even while juggling the CHAOS that comes with being a special needs caregiver.
Here is how you can reach Hina Kalhorro:
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This episode is part 2 in our Regional Center special guest interviews. This episode was recorded in 2023, but wasn't released due to some unexpected life changes, until 2024.
In this episode we were joined by Gabriel Rogan, Executive Director of North Bay Regional Center, Courtney Singleton, Director of Community Services and Beth Dewitt, Director of Client Services. These three fielded questions from our listeners and didn't shy away from the hard questions.
Some of the questions asked were related to:
Here are some useful info to go along with this episode:
Here are some useful Info:
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
We are extremely excited to release this episode. We originally recorded this in 2023, but didn't get the opportunity to release it due to some unexpected life changes that made us shut down for a little bit. We were also having some minor static issues that we didn't realize had happened until after we had already recorded the episode.
This episode is something that we are looking forward to sharing because it covers so many of the frequently asked questions about how to get Regional Center services for your child. Deanna and Guadalupe were great at giving us all the info needed to be able to share with our listeners. Some of the questions covered:
Here are some useful Info:
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A COMMENT ~ We love connecting with you!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
Have you ever thought about all that goes into being a special needs parent? All those little things we do when we have our little ones with us, that no one even knows we are doing? There is SO much that goes on inside a special needs parents brain....NO WONDER we are tired at the end of the day. Today's episode is a reminder why it is ok for us to step away and take care of ourselves. It is a reminder about why we need to continue look for little moments to recharge our batteries.....and a reminder to be kind to ourselves.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together. 2020 was tough, but imagine going through all of the struggles of 2020 with Covid, quarantine, isolation, special needs impacts....AND losing a loved one. Miriam not only loses 1 loved one but 2! She lost her dad and her brother within a week to Covid-19. Miriam graciously shares her personal story of how she has dealt with loss and grief in a pandemic, while also helping her special needs son. She is a true inspiration and gives beautiful pointers with strategies that have worked for her, her son and possibly could help you, should you ever find yourself dealing with the unexpected loss of a loved one.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This week's episode we talk about the importance of communication in all of the relationships we have built in our special needs lives...and how important it is to building, keeping and repairing trust. Being a special needs parent is hard, we are continuously in a state of "fight mode" and turning that off can be impossible. The keys to success have continuously been tied to good communication about our children. Often our children can't communicate all of their thoughts or needs, so we as parents NEED the people in our children's lives to be a voice for them.
Special Kind of Chaos is A Podcast about all things Special Needs. We have found that together we can make anything happen. We are here for you if you need help getting started, just reach out to us in our Facebook Group or through our Instagram (links below). Our goal as always, is to be authentic and real as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct, which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos they are going to stir up.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions...just follow the message option on Anchor.fm to leave a message.
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
This episode Christa is FULL of questions! As we enter into the world of "Adults with Special Needs", we find ourselves full of questions with no real direction. Questions about education, IHSS, Medical, Vocational Jobs, Reginal Center and Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)...WHO has the answers? As you follow our journey from youth into adult hood, you quickly realize, it is like walking blindly through the dark. We are real parents navigating the messy and often CHAOTIC special needs world without much guidance. We have found that together we can make anything happen.....AND we bring you along with us. Our podcast is REAL, these are real conversations that are unscripted. Our goal as always, is to be authentic as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct, which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos they are going to stir up.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
This weeks episode we interview Isaac Dailey, the Executive Pastor at Valley Church in Vacaville, California. He shares his passion for special needs children and the Champions Club special needs ministry. As Executive Pastor he oversees Valley’s staff and administrative functions. He is an impactful and strategic thinker and leader, as well as, a gifted communicator with a heart for ministry training and discipleship. Isaac sits on the board for Champions Club worldwide, and he serves as the West Coast Regional Director for Champions Club. He and his wife Liz love the local church, time spent with family and friends, and raising their two boys. As you will hear in this episode, Isaac has a true passion for our special needs children and sharing his ministry in a truly meaningful way.
Champions Club is a special needs ministry serving kids, teens and adults with special needs and the medically fragile. They welcome ALL individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and other diagnoses and medical conditions.
Special Kind of Chaos is A Podcast about all things Special Needs. We have found that together we can make anything happen. We are here for you if you need help getting started, just reach out to us in our Facebook Group or through our Instagram (links below). Our goal as always, is to be authentic and real as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct, which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos they are going to stir up.
Champions Club Info:
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
We ended our Season a little abruptly, but as special needs parents we know that flexibility is the key to success! Summer brings beautiful adventures, cherished family time and absolute and utter chaos that we would never change. Join us every Friday this season, as we share resources from our community. One of our main goals to share things happening with "regular people" so that YOU, our listeners, can become empowered to start your own programs, support groups and resources. We have found that together we can make anything happen. We are here for you if you need help getting started, just reach out to us in our Facebook Group or through our Instagram (links below). Our goal as always, is to be authentic and real as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct, which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos they are going to stir up.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
We have all be there....In public, when all hell breaks loose and the volcano erupts. You are not alone. In these moments we have to look for the beautiful angels that offer to help. In this episode we talk about some of our experiences navigating the public....some of the good and some of the not so good moments. We are reminded to Be KIND People, because you never know what someone else is going through. Our goal as always, is to be authentic and real as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct, which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos they are going to stir up.
Here is how you can reach us:
LEAVE US A MESSAGE ~ tell us about your parent support solutions!
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.
A Special Kind of Chaos – A Podcast about all things Special Needs.
This episode we talk about what to do if your baby isn't reaching the normal schedule of baby milestones! If you have thought "my baby hasn't rolled over yet" or "the little girl next door is already talking" or even something like "shouldn't she be walking by now"...or any other thought along those lines, you NEED to listen to this episode. Your child may need early intervention services.
You may have had a family member or friend raise the question or maybe your own intuition is raising the questions~ In this episode we talk about some of our own experiences, as well as, what to do if you suspect something isn't quite right. What are your first steps? We answer the questions you might not event know you had. This podcast is unscripted, our goal is to be authentic and real as we discuss the twists and turns of our special needs journey. We are vocal, real, honest and hardly ever politically correct.....and sometimes funny....which in turn means...you never know what kind of Chaos we are going to stir up.
Early Intervention Resources:
Here is how you can reach us:
Through sharing our candid experiences we hope to bring awareness, share resources and services while ultimately lifting each other up as we navigate our special needs journey together.