In this episode, Inga Ogas shares her journey as a special needs parent, focusing on her experiences with her autistic son and the decision to homeschool him.

She discusses the challenges and triumphs of navigating theeducation system, the importance of communication, and the strategies she employs to foster independence and resilience in her child, and to help him to move from being non-verbal to speaking.

Inga emphasizes the need for patience, understanding, andself-care for parents, while also providing valuable insights for other parents in similar situations.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating the Special Needs Education System

06:05 The Impact of Schooling on Learning

10:54 Finding Independence in Learning

15:01 Balancing Self-Contained and Mainstream Classes

18:26 Navigating Learning Challenges

19:25 Resilience in the Face of Failure

20:38 Fostering Independence and Routine

22:50 Innovative Teaching Approaches

24:13 Maintaining Motivation and Energy

27:19 Self-Care for Caregivers

29:30 Overcoming Parental Struggles

30:53 Understanding Autism and Diagnosis

33:15 Sibling Relationships and Dynamics

34:37 Navigating Parenting Challenges

36:01 The Benefits of Homeschooling

37:57 Exploring Nature and Socialization

39:39 Understanding Animal Interactions

40:50 Future Planning for Education

42:41 Balancing Family and Relationship Time

46:10 Advice for Special Needs Parents

About the podcast guest:

Inga Ogas is the mom to two children, the younger ofwhom is autistic. Inga worked with him at home to support him to learn to speak and, during the pandemic, her family made the decision to shift to homeschooling, in order to give him more support in familiar circumstances, and to allow her to give personal encouragement and assistance when needed.

Inga strongly believes in the power parents have to supporttheir children’s development by observing them, adapting approaches to support and teach them, and simply loving and accepting them. She encourages other parents and celebrates others’ journeys through Our Autism Journeys, her YouTube Podcast, which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/@OurAutismJourneysPodcast

You can connect with Inga on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/inga.ogas/

About the podcast host:

Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon is a speaker, coach, special needs parent, podcaster, author, and strategy lecturer. She runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she aims to help special needs parents feel valued, connected, and supported. Please subscribe, and send in your requests about topics you'd like the podcast to address.

Get your free copy of Marcia’s Trigger Mapping Worksheethere, to help you recognize patterns that lead to your child’s meltdowns, and develop approaches that could calm the storm: https://marcianb.com/free-trigger-mapping-worksheet-org/

Join the Special Needs Parent Space (her free community,including many supportive resources) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/specialneedsparentspace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠