During this weeks episode I'm sending a special shout out to all of the parents raising children with special needs.  Autism has been something that over the years has gained a lot of attention.  Its gotten awareness but its time for more acceptance.  This episode has been brought to you by Big Heart  Toys!  This weekend Maison received a pretty cool set of toys from @bighearttoys. They are great for all special needs children. At the push of a button the book begins to talk. It not only reads the story but shares feelings and solutions as well.  The books have both educational and enjoyable benefits. Such as building language skills, increasing behavioral and emotional regulation. The books are meant to be fun and informational for children.  They are easy to use and a great tool to use with you while you are on the go.  Visit their website to learn more and check out their books! www.bighearttoys.com

On this weeks episode Im sitting down with Licensed Therapist Nadia Fiorita. We talked about why parents prioritizing their own wellbeing is so important and  Nadia shared simple things they can start to do when we feel overwhelmed and stressed out.  She gave tips on identifying anxiety in our children and ourselves and how to manage.

It was such a pleasure to sit down and chat with founder of Tasium Worldwide an apparel line dedicated to autistic people. Jose's passion came from being the older sibling to someone with autism. You've gotta hear this....Listen in   Follow him on social media @Tasium.worldwide

Today Im sitting down with Teresa Girolamo, Ph.D., she is an autistic language in autism researcher and assistant professor in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University. As director of the Brain, Environment, and Language Lab, she works with racially and ethnically minoritized autistic individuals with language impairment. This population is underserved in research, hindering our ability to develop supports to meet their needs. Current projects include how social determinants of health plus language ability shape life outcomes and how to better understand strengths in language ability in this population. The long-term goal of this work is to translate this knowledge into community-based supports for individuals to meet their self-identified goals.

Join me today as I chat with amazing tik tok mom @Zulekha WIlliams. She has an amazing platform encouraging Autism moms and providing many resources. 

Welcome back! Thank you for baring with me as we had a winter break. Today we are sitting down to chat with Melanie Oates. @melanieoates_ Mom of two special needs children. It was wonderful to hear her journey and what resources have worked for her.She made a tough decision of placing her daughter in a 24/7 respite care facility.

Today Im chatting with the creator of the platform Nigh Functioning Autism Tiffany aka TJ. She is a 39 year old mom of two who has been diagnosed with Autism. I love her platform because there is nothing like being educated from an adult with Autism. Tiffany adds another layer and that is being Autistic and Black. During this episode  she educates us on sooooo many topics. The puzzle piece, aac devices, meltdowns, speech, special education and so much more! Listen in and leave a review.   Follow her @Nigh.Functioning.Autism

During this episode I'm sitting down with founder of Happiness is Down Syndrome and mom of Jed, Misty Con Snyder. We chat about diagnosis, resources, the beauty of raising a child with special needs.  

Today my special guest is the mom of Ibrahim Hamed and her name is Yasmeen. They are constantly going viral on Tik tok and Instagram for showing the day to day life of her family and son who is now an adult living with Autism and Cerebral Palsy. We sit down for a candid discussion that is sure to encourage parents raising children with special needs.  

Today I'm sitting down to chat with the founder of non profit organization Hearts of Joy International. Hearts of Joy is a non profit that  provides life saving heart surgery to individuals with Down Syndrome. They are dedicated to serving vulnerable children who otherwise would have no access to quality medical care. 50% of children born with Down Syndrome are born with a congenital heart defect that requires surgery to repair before it becomes life threatening. Due to poverty and lack of resources in developing worlds, children are not given access to proper medical care. After traveling to Uganda, East Africa and seeing the need first hand and witnessing how individuals with Down syndrome are disregarded and seen as a burden to society, Lauren was inspired to start a program to help. Hearts of Joy International walks with families through the surgery process, providing resources, support and education to communities, orphanages, caregivers and parents on the inherent dignity and value of the child. Hearts of Joy International serves in the Philippines, India, Mexico, Uganda and right here in the United States. 

Today I'm sitting down with Shae with is Stece's mom. If you don't know who they are you must check them out on Tik Tok where they have millions of followers. Stece is 17 years old , nonverbal and has autism. He is a viral sensation who loves to cook. I talked to mom about the journey as a mom and finding resources and everything needed to take care of her son. let me know what you think and follow them online @shaenstece.

In todays episode I'm sitting down with Michelle Hobgood. She is the Mom of 28 year old Devon who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Autism. Michelle is a home organizer and fitness trainer and she shares her journey with us. Listen in and let me know what you think.

Today Im sitting down to chat with Ashley Haywood. Shes the mom of 6 year old Sadie Rae who is a viral sensation on tik tok and instagram @savingsadierae where she spreads advocacy and joy. Sadie Rae was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome which is  childhood dementia. I wanted to have mom come on and share to bring awareness and also to encourage other parents with special needs even if you don't have the same diagnosis.   If you are looking to join our support circle you can do so by tapping he link. I'll see you there. http://mojsupportcircle.app

On todays episode I'm sitting down to chat with viral sensation Jada Boo @autismbeauty22's mom Danisha. Jada is a 17 year old young woman who is diagnosed with autism. She is shattering the myths around what Autism looks like and bringing awareness and acceptance . Follow her on social media and tap into this episode to let me know what you think.

Did you know that this week is Dwarfism Awareness Month??  Meet Eden! @edenolivia.com_ She’s 6 years old and she was diagnosed with Achondroplasia which is the most common form of dwarfism at 5 months. There are over 400 types of dwarfism. On today's episode of The Moments of Joy Podcast I’m sitting down with Little Eden’s mom and her name is Missy. Will you listen in to be educated with me and join in to support this amazing community! Community, would you join me in dropping your green hearts below to show your support! Because even though many of us may have different diagnosis you’d be surprised to hear how much we as parents still have in common. I’m excited about this episode   

Today I'm joined by Kaelynn Partlow, one of the stars of the Netflix Series Love on the Spectrum (U.S).  Kaelynn is a therapist who at the age of 10 was diagnosed with Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Adhd. Listen in to the incredible chat and let me know what you think.    Be sure to connect with Kaelynn on all of her social platforms:https://linktr.ee/kaelynn_vp   Join our support circle : https://support-circle.mn.co/share/ETNtdrqN7JEfaqX-

One thing that I know well, is resources, and another is finding and growing community. So we're gonna get into that. My therapist, she said, Camille, I'm impressed with you. She said, You are so resourceful, and you have the gift of problem solving. And I said, Wow, I've never thought about that. And so I realized that maybe some people may not know when I'm going to share. So I'm going to just start sharing resources. If you are a parent, and you have a child, and you think there may be some delays, I spoke about this on a previous podcast, but there is something called early intervention. And that is a program that exists all throughout the United States. It's called something different in every state, I know up north where I'm from, it's called Birth to Three. Down here in Texas, it's called something different, but every state has it. And what early intervention is, is a list of it's a place of resources for your child, they can have speech therapy, sometimes occupational therapy, different things to work with them to get them on the level that they should be on developmentally, before there's ever a diagnosis. And many children who receive birth for three services don't even need have a need for a diagnosis after not because of the early intervention, just because they may have never had a disability, they just might have needed someone to work with them along the way. And so you can find out who that is in your area by using Google or 211. Google, and 211 are my favorite resources. Very simple to access to one one, you pick up your phone in the United States and Canada, and you dial 211 It's a UNICEF number, but it is going to put you in touch with someone who can give you the resources you need around your area. So say you're looking for respite, respite care in your area, and you have no idea how to get started, how to find someone that can help you with your child or your adult. You find respite. Respite is relief for the caregiver. So it's a short period of time of rest or release relief for the caregiver. This means say you have a teenager or a 19 or 20 year old, you're not able to leave your child with anyone or your adult with anyone you are their primary caregiver. But you have to go on a trip for work. Now what? 

 Every Monday, my social media networks, I've been very consistent about talking about mental health. And my stories, I have made it a mission. To make it mental health Mondays, I share articles, I share tips, I share different things that help parents raising children with disabilities. I know what I experienced, and I'll talk about that a little bit. Raising a child with a disability, it is beautiful. Our children are amazing. But because many of us have different diagnose diagnosis, the load is heavier from for some people than others. Nonetheless, study show. There are numerous studies that I've read one particular I was reading today, I normally read studies from different colleges around the United States. But today this morning, I was even reading one from the UK. And they all say that parents raising children with disabilities experience depressive symptoms and anxiety higher than parents raising children, typical children. This article was interesting to me because it also pointed out, they experienced reduced income, reduced employment, distress, and they have a significantly higher odds of being diagnosed have a mental health problem than other parents. I found it very alarming as I started reading, because myself I experienced anxiety. I can't say that it was all attributed to being a parent of a child with a disability because I have trauma. We all at some point or another. Well, a lot of us have gone through some level of trauma in our lives. And as I began to go to therapy, I realized that this was just adding more pressure to life. But it was also you know, bringing up trauma that I actually needed to do with and dig into. And so, nonetheless, here we are with mental health Monday, and I give tips every Monday. So I want to start with some ways that you can prioritize your mental health.   Looking for a community? Join us In the Support Circle:https://support-circle.mn.co/share/ETNtdrqN7JEfaqX-?utm_source=manual

I know many of you may have just found the podcast or maybe this may even be your first time listening to any episode. But this is actually year four of the podcast, something new and interesting is happening right now. It's a rebrand. And so when I started the podcast, I was geared towards one group of women, we pivoted into being for mothers. And now I am pivoting again, to be a podcast that is suited for my community online. In 2021, December of 2021, I went viral for a post, encouraging parents raising children with disabilities. And what that did was it brought a floodgate of parents from all around the world, to my platform. And so now I am giving my community what they need. And that is a podcast. So here we are. And so if this is your first time, welcome, I call my listeners MVPs.   I really want to talk about family. This is one of the biggest topics, one of the biggest pain points for all of us that we talked about. And I think it comes from both sides. I hear from family members who have children with any diagnosis, and they say, How can I get my family to come to a place of acceptance, support and understanding for my child who has a child with a disability and for my family? And then I have the other side? Who are family members and they say how can I get my family member to you know, maybe see a diagnosis, how can I get my family member to receive more support? How can I be there for my family member? So I want to speak to each side of that and and first let's go to the side of the family member who's seeking to support the individual who is a parent raising a child with a disability. I think as I was thinking about this earlier, one of the best things that you can do is asked that family member How can I support you?   Be sure to connect with us on instagram and if your looking for community join our Support Circle! https://support-circle.mn.co/share/ETNtdrqN7JEfaqX-?utm_source=manual

Brand New Trailer! We have rebranded the show to feed the needs of our ever growing community of parents raising children with disabilities.