Medicine can be effective in the treatment of emotional and behavioral challenges but finding the right agent and especially the right dose can be tricky and time consuming.

Recognizing that a new diagnosis or co occurring condition exists in addition to an already existing autism diagnosis can be tricky. Our guest is one of few doctors in the country specializing in identifying and treating cooccurring conditions in autistic patients. She shares insight on identifying and treating cooccruing conditions as well as advice for parents should things escalate to a crisis situation.

Scatolia and coprophagia, also known as fecal smearing and fecal ingesting are among the least researched areas within the circle of complicated behaviors. Our expert guest shares reasons and solutions for this often unspoken and isolating behavior.

While one segment of the disability community continues the hard work of bringing about needed change and celebrates victories along the way, there is another segment with more significant and debilitating disabilities being aggressively silenced. Because policy and research are driven by awarenesses, the silencing of this segment of the disability community has come at the great cost of diminishing programs and supports for those who need them most.

A family was in crisis. Windows were getting kicked out of moving vehicles. Injuries were mounting on both parent and child. Dislocated shoulders, eye damage from head butts, teeth knocked out from head banging. All experts said treatment was needed ASAP. The problem? There was no where to go.

Hyperphagia is a common characteristic of Prader Willi Syndrome and is an extreme, unsatisfied, drive to consume food to the point of being life threatening. This episode discusses the best ways to provide food security for those with hyperphagia.

Being autistic can be really hard. Especially when societal norms are working against nuerodiverse acceptance and the common traits associated with autism. This episode looks at how to move beyond the stigma of masking, negativity, obsessions and motivation to use them as advocacy tools for a more neurodiverse culture.

Vocal stimming is among the hardest stimulation to dissect and support, especially when the person is non verbal and unable to communicate the function of the vocal stim. In this episode we look at the behavior through a medical, behavior, and sensory lens with new strategies for each.

Neglecting to teach sexual boundaries can have devastating consequences. In this episode we discuss the importance of understanding consent and teaching it at a very young age starting with simple displays of affection such as hugs. We learn how to teach public vs private spaces and public vs private behaviors as well as sensory replacements for inappropriate public self touching.

Self injury, aggression, elopement, scripting, and other behaviors can be complicated to support and move beyond. We hear how one family, with 2 autistic men in their 20’s, learned to shift focus from what the behavior is to why it exists to how to best provide successful support strategies.

Ask any financial planner common mistakes they see and patterns will probably emerge. What mishaps are happening with special needs financial planning and how to we ensure we are not making them.

Our guest shares assets to consider when financial planning for a loved one with disabilities. We learn what assets work best in short planning versus long term planning, how to ask for “free money” from our employer, taxation of investments, and some new rulings that could have significant impacts on Special Needs Trusts drafted prior to December of 2019.

Assets often are passed from one generation to the next so coordination of financial planning is necessary, especially when a family member with disabilities is in the mix. This episode teaches us how to sync plans across multiple generations to maximize assets as well as what to focus on for each generation.

The estimated lifelong cost of living with a disability is $3 - $4 million dollars. This episode uncovers 35 financial and caregiver support considerations.

SSI and SSDI are widely used government benefits. Our guest has 35+ years with the Social Security Administration and shares tips and tricks of the application process and what to do should the application be denied.

With proper documentation, many expenses qualify as medical deductions. Likewise, Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts have unique taxation rules. This episode is two in one with the first half covering how to get documentation necessary to cover medical deductions not commonly considered. The second half of the show discusses the taxation of Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts as well as the taxation of SSI and SSDI payments.

ABLE accounts are fairly new on the scene and are unique in their tax benefits, ease of set up, and the financial freedom they offer individuals with disabilities. Our guest this week addresses ABLE account myths, informs us what homework needs to be done prior to opening an ABLE account, how ABLE accounts can and can not be used, and how they offer freedom unlike any other financial planning tool.

Drafting a Special Needs Trust is only the foundation of sound planning. On that foundation are additional documents and steps to take. In this episode we discuss two. First the memorandum of intent which gives direction on wishes and day to day care. Second, the importance of funding the trust via titling.

The Trustee of a Special Needs Trust has an incredible amount power over the distribution of funds for the individual with disabilities. Not only must they act in the best interests of the beneficiary with special needs but the trustee’s job must be done flawlessly because mistakes could result in the loss of benefits for the person with disabilities. In this episode we learn how to choose and train the trustee of our special needs trusts.

Special needs trusts are one of the first things mentioned when beginning to plan financially for a family member with special needs. In this episode we learn why special needs trusts are such powerful tools and the difference between 1st, 3rd, and pooled trusts. We also learn a management strategy that works well for most families, what to look for when choosing a pooled trust, and suggested next steps after the completion of creating the trust.

There are many terms and a lot of intimidating lingo with special needs financial planning. In this episode we have some fun learning key terms and what they mean.