If you are a special needs caregiver who has ever felt completely alone in this journey, this episode is for you. Host Jenny Olson sits down with Rob Gorski, known online as The Autism Dad, who has been raising three sons with autism largely on his own for over a decade. Rob is also a blogger, podcaster, and soon to be published author who has been sharing his honest caregiving story online for almost 20 years. This is a real, raw, and hopeful conversation about what adult autism caregiving actually looks like from the inside.

Rob opens up about what it was like to go from a two parent household to solo parenting three neurodivergent kids overnight, and how he found a way to keep going even when it felt impossible. He and Jenny talk about what it means to stop apologizing for your child's autism in public, how to handle rude comments and stares as your special needs child grows into an adult, and why the judgment gets harder as they get bigger but no less important to push through.

This episode also gets into some really encouraging territory. Rob shares that his oldest son Gavin, who was told he might never live independently, is now working, saving money, and moving toward his own place. His youngest son Emmett, who was non speaking until age four, is finishing high school while also completing his second year of college full time. Rob's message to every caregiver is clear: never let anyone put your child in a box and never underestimate what they are capable of.

Jenny and Rob also dig into caregiver burnout, self care, and what it means to finally find your village, whether that is a partner, a neighbor, a Facebook group, or another special needs parent at a basketball game. Rob also gives a sneak peek at his upcoming book, coming out December 2026, which is designed to help newly diagnosed families feel supported, hopeful, and less alone from day one.

Find Rob Gorski and preorder his book online at theautismdad.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/theautismdad 

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and follow the podcast so you never miss a new episode and take a moment to leave a review. It helps other special needs caregivers and disability families find this community when they need it most. You are doing an amazing job. Keep going. Follow the podcast on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/adult.special.needs.caregiving/

If your child with special needs is getting close to 18, this episode is a must listen. Host Jenny Olson breaks down five things every special needs caregiver, parent, and carer should know and do before their child transitions into adulthood. From case management programs to Medicaid waivers to guardianship, these are the real steps that Jenny wishes she had known about sooner in her own journey with her son Ben, who has autism and an intellectual disability.

In this episode you will learn about finding a case management agency in your area, like Developmental Pathways in Colorado, and why connecting with one early can open doors to funding, resources, and support you didn't even know existed. Jenny also covers special needs trusts and why setting one up early can protect your child's access to vital benefits like SSI and Medicaid down the road.

Jenny walks through the difference between guardianship and power of attorney in a clear and easy to understand way, and explains why starting that process around age 17 can save you a lot of stress. She also talks about what adult day services, therapies, and job training programs can look like after high school ends, and how to start figuring out what the right fit might be for your child.

And then there are the waivers. Jenny gets into the DD waiver, the SLS waiver, SSI, SSDI, and Medicaid, including why some of these waitlists are so long that you need to get on them years before your child turns 18. She also shares how these programs are all connected and why the order you apply for them actually matters.

This episode is packed with practical information for caregivers and disability families who are navigating the special needs transition to adulthood and trying to figure out where to even start.

If this episode was helpful, please subscribe (by clicking the "+" to follow on Apple podcast, for example) so you never miss a new episode and take a moment to leave a review. It helps other special needs caregivers and disability families find this community when they need it most. You are doing an amazing job. Keep going. Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/adult.special.needs.caregiving/

Finding support as a special needs caregiver can feel impossible, especially when you're in the middle of the transition from childhood to adulthood and feel like you're figuring it all out alone. In this episode of Adult Special Needs Caregiving, host Jenny Olson shares six practical and real ways that caregivers, parents, and disability families can find help, build community, and support one another along the way.

Jenny covers how to find and use local special needs Facebook groups and in person community groups, why asking questions out loud is one of the best things you can do as a carer, and how following the right podcasts and social media accounts can make you feel way less alone. She also talks about the power of connecting with other special needs parents you meet out in the community, whether that is at school events, the park, church, or even just out running errands.

This episode also gets into the more personal side of caregiving. Jenny shares honest stories about calling a friend in tears, swapping tips with other parents at school activities, and why even small acts of kindness toward others in the special needs community can make a big difference. She also encourages caregivers who feel ready to share their own story online in an honest and intentional way, because your experience just might be exactly what another caregiver needs to hear.

If you are a parent, family member, or carer navigating adult disability care and looking for your people, this episode is a great place to start.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe so you never miss a new episode and take a moment to leave a review. It helps other special needs caregivers and disability families find this community when they need it most. You are doing an amazing job. Keep going.

Follow the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adult.special.needs.caregiving/

In this episode, Jenny and Laura talk about what apraxia really is, why so many children go undiagnosed or get the wrong therapy, and how to find an SLP who actually specializes in it. Laura shares the three stages of parent advocacy she has seen in her years of working with special needs families, from the initial diagnosis all the way through to becoming a confident and informed advocate for your child. She also opens up about her own journey of missing the signs in her daughter at first, even as a trained speech pathologist, and how that experience shaped her into the specialist and advocate she is today.

Jenny and Laura also get real about the emotional side of caregiving. They talk about the grief that comes in waves as your special needs child grows up, the milestones that hit differently, and what it feels like when your child ages out of school and the support system disappears. They also dig into what the post high school transition looks like, including day programs, Medicaid waivers, SSI, and the waitlists that families need to know about way earlier than they think.

Whether your child is young and newly diagnosed or a teenager heading toward adulthood, this conversation is full of honest advice, practical resources, and real talk from two moms who are living this caregiving life every single day.

If this episode was helpful, please subscribe so you never miss a new episode and take a moment to leave a review. It helps other special needs caregivers, disability families, and carers find this community when they need it most. You are doing an amazing job. Keep going.

Guest Laura Smith: Author, Speaker, SLP, Apraxia Advocate Speech Therapy Practice: A Mile High Speech Therapy (website currently down, but up again soon) IG: https://www.instagram.com/SLPMommyofApraxia/ FB: Laura- SLP Mommy of Apraxia 

Mentions: Apraxia Foundation: apraxiafoundation.org

childapraxiatreatment.org

Follow the podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/adult.special.needs.caregiving/

If you're a parent or carer of an adult with special needs, the transition from childhood to adulthood can feel like stepping off a cliff. The IEPs end, the school support disappears, and suddenly you're on your own trying to figure out disability services, Medicaid waivers, SSI, guardianship, and so much more. You are not alone, and this episode is a great place to start.

In this first episode of Adult Special Needs Caregiving, host Jenny Olson shares her personal caregiving journey with her son Benjamin, who was diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities at age six. Jenny walks you through the early signs, the long road to an official diagnosis, the years of therapies and IEPs, and what life looks like now as Ben transitions out of high school into adulthood. From ABA therapy to pursuing full guardianship to figuring out post-school programs, Jenny opens up about the real challenges special needs families face and why she felt called to create this caregiver community.

This episode is for every parent who has ever felt lost trying to navigate the adult disability care system, cried in their car after a hard day, or wondered if anyone else truly understands what this life is like. Jenny gets it because she is living it right alongside you.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe so you never miss a new episode, and take a minute to leave a review. It helps other special needs caregivers and disability families find this community when they need it most. You are doing an amazing job. Keep going. Follow us on IG.