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Practical tips and evidence-based guidance to make life easier for you and your severely autistic loved ones.
44 Episodes
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In this episode, Mike Carr speaks with Diana Danu, a mother from Romania, about her journey raising her son Gabi, who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Diana describes the challenges families face in Romania, where limited services, inconsistent data, and a shortage of trained professionals often require parents to coordinate care on their own. She shares how the urgency to help led her family to pursue preschool and therapy quickly, but they later realized that progress depends not jus...
Supporting individuals with autism and complex needs requires more than exceptional staff members. While finding dedicated caregivers is valuable, challenges such as staff turnover, scheduling limitations, illness, and burnout create inevitable gaps. The solution lies not in building large teams alone, but in establishing adaptable, flexible systems that support both the child and their care network. Effective support encompasses ongoing communication among staff, leadership, parents, teacher...
In this episode, the Round Rock ISD team emphasizes that successful transition for young adults with autism requires individualized, out-of-the-box approaches tailored to each student’s interests and strengths, including small motivators and safe spaces for self-regulation. Parents are encouraged to gradually teach life skills such as personal care, household tasks, and vocational responsibilities, while also introducing community-based activities in a structured, supportive way. Collaboratio...
Autism Labs: Transition Programming in Round Rock School District This episode features representatives from Round Rock School District, one of the larger school districts in the greater Austin, Texas area. The discussion centers on transition programming for students with autism and developmental disabilities, led by Patti Cole, a transition teacher, and Will Renfro, the transition coordinator for the district. Round Rock's transition program currently serves over 70 students at different su...
In this episode, Mike Carr shares why he remains optimistic about the future for his severely autistic son despite the many challenges parents face, including the loss of school-based supports after age 21, difficulty accessing adult services, navigating benefits like SSI and special needs trusts, establishing legal guardianship, and planning for long-term care. He highlights reasons for hope: greater awareness of severe autism, stronger parent-led advocacy through organizations like the NCSA...
In this podcast, Mike Carr shares five key lessons he’s learned raising a child with complex special needs. He emphasizes the importance of humility, encouraging parents to ask for help rather than guessing or improvising, and warns against feigning ignorance, which can lead to disconnection from daily therapy and routines. Consistency is highlighted as critical, with parents advised to mirror the language, tone, and approaches of teachers and therapists to reduce behavior challenges. Mike al...
Mike Carr and Joel Wood discuss building residential and support options for adults with profound autism, saying staffing - motivated, caring people over credentials- is the biggest challenge. They recommend partnering with universities, using visual communication and careful observation (behavior is communication), starting small with day programs or informal gatherings, and having clear plans for leadership, ownership, funding, and staffing. Tech and AI can help with research, training, and...
Joel and Martha are planning a meaningful future for their 20-year-old son William, nonverbal but highly intelligent (spells to communicate), with autism and apraxia, body-control issues, and elopement—because typical programs don’t engage people like him. They want purposeful work, social connection, graduated independence, community engagement, and flexible days mixing vocational, recreational, and social activities in environments that assume competence; major barriers are staffing, behavi...
In this episode of Autism Labs discussion between Mike Carr, Allie Langan, and Sharon Holloway regarding respite care programs for parents of severely autistic adults. The key points from the transcript include: - Getting individuals with autism and other disabilities out into the community is important, as it helps educate the community and can lead to community members becoming supporters of the program. - Respite care programs can provide much-needed breaks for parents, allowing the...
In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr, Sharon Holloway, and Allie Langan discuss the importance of respite care and life skills programs for autistic and neurodivergent young adults, emphasizing early, consistent, and individualized support to bridge gaps between home, school, and community settings. They highlight how tailored programs, physical activity, and structured social interactions help manage behavior and foster independence, while acknowledging the challenges parents face in fi...
Dr. Dilip Karnik, a pioneering pediatric neurologist with over four decades of experience, joined Autism Labs to introduce POD Health, a free, AI-powered digital platform designed to revolutionize autism care for families worldwide. Standing for Parent of Determination, POD Health centralizes medical, therapy, and educational records into a single smartphone app, making it easier for parents to coordinate care and access trusted resources. The platform features Open Mind Search, an AI engine ...
Mike Carr and Ann Hart discuss housing and independence for adults with autism, stressing that options depend on each person’s support needs. They note SSLCs have improved, recommend visiting programs and evaluating staff, and suggest starting early (short stays, camps, new caregivers) to build independence. They also mention that some states have more flexible waivers or housing models (relocation can help) and point families to Texas resources—Autism Society, Texas Parent to Parent, and loc...
In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr and guest Ann Hart explore the complex landscape of housing options for adults with autism and other significant support needs. They emphasize the importance of preparing early—especially getting on Medicaid waiver waiting lists that can stretch up to 20 years—and developing daily living and communication skills to increase future independence and placement options. Ann explains how Medicaid waivers like Texas’ HCS program provide essential funding fo...
In this episode, Mike Carr discusses how the right technology—paired with strong support—can transform life for families of children with special needs. He highlights tools like the Kindle Scribe for caregiver productivity, and AI home assistants like Alexa Plus and Google Gemini, which offer safety through smart cameras and real-time alerts. Amazon’s upcoming “Search Party” feature may even help locate missing individuals. Mike also introduces OpenAI’s Sora 2, a text-to-video tool that creat...
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that ranges from full independence to requiring 24/7 care, as with Mike and Kay’s son Michael. Research has disproven the myth that vaccines cause autism; while acetaminophen use in pregnancy has shown weak associations, experts point to underlying illness as the real risk, and it remains medically recommended. Treatments like leucovorin help only a small subset, though folic acid sometimes calms Michael. After 35 years, Mike stresses that pro...
Adding structure to daily routines helps reduce stress, build independence, and prepare individuals with autism for respite or residential care. Unstructured time can lead to boredom and problem behaviors, but visual supports like Picto Selector, TouchChat, and apps such as ChoiceWorks, First Then Visual Schedule HD, Visual Schedule Planner by Good Karma or Lil Planner: Visual Schedule create predictability and choice. These tools turn downtime into skill-building, support decision-making, an...
Mike Carr shares his family’s experience raising their 35-year-old son, Michael, who is profoundly autistic, mostly nonverbal, and lives with seizures and pica. He asks the urgent question of who will care for children like Michael when parents can’t, and outlines essentials for a true residential “forever home”: near one-to-one staffing, awake overnight staff, communication-first over restraint, medical readiness, transparent data, community and work opportunities, and a culture of dignity a...
Respite care often fails adults with profound autism or multiple IDDs, who need 1:1 support, medical readiness, and structure. At J13 Community in Austin, respite looks different: no one is expelled for behavior, belonging is guaranteed, and programs build on each person’s strengths with dignity and safety. Starting with day programs—climbing gyms, parks, equine therapy—participants gradually transition to overnight stays. Success relies on skilled staff, safe homes, reliable transportation, ...
This episode examines housing options for adults with autism and IDD, noting that 86% still live at home or in group settings, raising concerns about long-term care. Drawing on his family’s experience with a profoundly autistic 35-year-old son, the host reviews five East Coast facilities—Thrive Red Bank (NJ), Melmark Community (MA), Oak Tree Farms (SC), Haven Jakes Place (FL), and Patuxent Commons (MD). Features include sensory-friendly design, private bathrooms, vocational training, intergen...
Transitioning to adulthood for people with profound autism often feels like falling off a cliff once school services end. In this episode, Mike Carr shares his wake-up call and the need for early planning, especially with Texas’ 20-year Medicaid waiver waitlist. He stresses teaching daily living skills—like hygiene, dressing, and laundry—and calls for day programs that offer real community integration. Mike highlights Austin’s recreational and vocational options, from sensory-friendly parks t...
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