FraserCast

On today's episode of FraserCast, we do a quick dive into silent discos, an inclusive and sensory-friendly way to get onto the dance floor. We go through a brief history of silent discos and even get into its heightened popularity in recent years. Special thanks to Meristem | Cresset, the presenting sponsor of the 2023 Fraser Gala. We'd also love to thank our 2023 Gala Entertainment Sponsor, the James A. Levine Trust.

This week on FraserCast, we talk with Fraser Mental Health Professional Carrie Sporer on how we can talk to our kids about their autism diagnosis. We also dive into how we can teach our neurotypical children about their classmates and peers who may have autism, disabilities, and different health needs with empathy, kindness, and respect.

Julie McKibbins, Assistant Program Manager of Vocational Rehab and Program Development and Hong Vong, Program Coordinator join FraserCast again to talk more about the life skills that Fraser's Career Planning and Employment program can teach individuals for their lives after leaving a parent or caregiver's home. This week, they dive into how individuals can seek accommodations for their job or classroom, coaching parents to help their children achieve independence, and some success stories within the program.

Philadelphia-based actor, director, and playwright Robert Smythe joins FraserCast again to talk more about his experiences as someone who received an autism diagnosis as an adult. On this extra-long episode of FraserCast, Robert dives deep into navigating a world designed for neurotypical individuals, from disclosing your own autism diagnosis with neurotypical peers to finding workplace accommodations. A couple of other topics we discuss this week include disclosing an autism diagnosis to old friends, dispelling stereotypes and assumptions, and being open about the different levels of supports you may or may not need from others as an individual with autism. We also get some advice on how neurotypical individuals can adjust their environments and ways of thinking to better support their autistic family members, friends, and coworkers. One of his other projects in autism advocacy is his own podcast called A TEAM, where he and co-host Rael Mantesso have extended conversations on being neuro-atypical in a neurotypical world.

If you've been to a Fraser event such as the Fraser Festival for Autism–known in previous years as the Fraser Walk for Autism–you may have seen a little booth full of wool hearts to purchase as trinkets and gifts. These hearts are handcrafted by Laine Ciaramitaro in memory of her cousin Josh, who had committed suicide in 2018. Her project, Hearts for Josh, hopes to raise awareness of depression and mental health challenges, exchange stories and support with the community, and help benefit Fraser's mental health programs. In this week's episode of FraserCast, we speak with Laine and her uncle Bill Olson about Josh's life, her family's relationship with Fraser, and the importance of recognizing and dealing with depression among young adults with autism. Content advisory: This episode of FraserCast features detailed discussions on depression and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Robert Smythe is an actor, director, and playwright in Philadelphia's theater scene. At age 50, Robert received a diagnosis of autism and has since become an advocate for neurodiverse individuals in the community. On this episode of FraserCast, we invite Robert to talk about his experiences as an adult who received a diagnosis later in life, how that has helped him and his family have a greater understanding of his day-to-day journeys, and his approach to being an advocate for people on the autism spectrum.

This week, we welcome Julie McKibbins, Assistant Program Manager of Vocational Rehab and Program Development and Hong Vong, Program Coordinator. Julie and Hong walk through resources for how teenagers, young adults, and their parents and caregivers can prepare for college and vocational education after high school. They walk through a few services offered Fraser's Career Planning and Employment program that can help, resources and programs from the state of Minnesota, and organizational tips for those making the transition in their education.

Much like trips to the dentist, a trip to the salon or barbershop can be a stressful experience for individuals with sensory needs. Gina Gibson, Fraser Sensory Inclusion Specialist, is back on FraserCast to talk about how parents and caregivers can prepare their children for haircuts such as practicing at home. In this episode, we also dive into how local haircut businesses can help make their spaces sensory-friendly and how they can begin with Fraser Sensory Certification.

Trips to the dentist's office are often difficult for everyone. It can be especially difficult for children with sensory needs as they head into an appointment. Gina Gibson, OTR/L, Fraser Sensory Inclusion Specialist, returns to FraserCast to talk about how caregivers can improve the toothbrushing experience for kids and how dental offices can make their spaces more accommodating for children with sensory needs.

¿Sabías que el español es el segundo idioma más hablado en los Estados Unidos de América? A pesar de que es un idioma común, muchas familias que hablan español no tienen la oportunidad de comunicarse con su profesional de salud en su propio idioma nativo. Sin embargo, ese no es el caso aquí en Fraser. Conozca a Kristina Doyle, terapeuta del habla y Dana Fernandez, terapeuta ocupacional, dos terapeutas bilingües, en el departamento de Terapia Pediátrica, que han estado sirviendo a las familias de habla hispana en su propio idioma nativo. Kristina y Dana se hacen cargo del episodio de esta semana por lo que es nuestro primer episodio de FraserCast en español. Escúchalas mientras platican más sobre su disciplina. Did you know that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States of America? Even though it is a common language, many Spanish-speaking families are not able to communicate with their healthcare practitioner in their own native language. However, that is not the case here at Fraser. Meet Kristina Doyle, Speech-Language Pathologist and Dana Fernandez, Occupational Therapist, two bilingual clinicians in the Fraser Pediatric Therapy program who that have been serving Spanish-speaking families in their own native language. Kristina and Dana lead this week’s episode, making it our first FraserCast episode in Spanish! Listen to Kristina and Dana as they tell more about their discipline.

This week, we meet with Jordan Brandt, Fraser Mental Health Professional and Anti-Racism Committee Lead and Nancy Baldrica, Fraser Chief Marketing and Development Officer about the steps Fraser is taking to becoming an anti-racist organization and meet the needs of Fraser's BIPOC staff and community. In addition to outlining the goals of the initiative, Jordan and Nancy also dive into the unique disparities that BIPOC and non-English speaking clients face in receiving mental health services and how Fraser is trying to address this challenge. Learn more about Fraser's diversity commitment here.

Organizations like Fraser serve an increasingly multicultural community, providing crucial early intervention services to more and more diverse families. This week, we spoke with Fraser staff Kristina Doyle, Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist and Dana Fernandez, Occupational Therapist, about how Fraser and other organizations can best meet the needs of bilingual families and and children. We go into the process of language development and acquisition in children in multilingual homes as well as the signs a child may need early intervention services.

Holidays and family gatherings can be overwhelming for individuals with autism and special needs due to large crowds of people, eating new foods away from the comfort of home, and an abundance of other stimuli in an unfamiliar environment. Gina Gibson, OTR/L, Fraser Sensory Inclusion Specialist, is here to offer tips on how to make the holidays and cultural gatherings more inclusive to children and family members with sensory needs. With the COVID-19 pandemic still present, Gina also provides extra advice on making virtual family gatherings more accommodating and as well as tips for when large in-person gatherings can resume. Whether it's finding a sensory-friendly Halloween costume or easing your family member into trying new foods, you'll be sure to learn a thing or two about how to create an inclusive holiday environment in this episode of FraserCast Click here to view and read this episode's transcript. Our sponsor for this episode is U.S. Bank, who is also our presenting sponsor for this year's Fraser Annual Benefit. Join us for a magical night on Saturday, October 24 for a virtual benefit helping families and individuals with autism, special needs, and mental health challenges. Learn more at www.fraser.org/benefit. Thanks for supporting the podcast!

Through a collaboration of several state agencies, the Minnesota Department of Human Services put together a valuable website for parents and caregivers who have children with autism: the Minnesota Autism Resource Portal. This resource helps families and individuals with autism throughout their lifespan, and was created with the needs and concerns of Minnesota families at the forefront. This week, we sit down with Minnesota DHS staff Nicole Berning and Kim Hicks to learn more about how this came to be and how families can make use of this portal. Our sponsor for this episode is U.S. Bank, who is also our presenting sponsor for this year's Fraser Annual Benefit. Join us for a magical night on Saturday, October 24 for a virtual benefit helping families and individuals with autism, special needs, and mental health challenges. Learn more at www.fraser.org/benefit. Thanks for supporting the podcast!

Early intervention services aim to help children birth to age 3, focusing on areas such as physical skills and social skills. Such services have also been in higher demand as awareness increases. Sarah Elrashidi, Fraser Assistant Director of Preschool Center-based Day Treatment walks us through the kinds of early intervention services there are at Fraser, why the demand continues to increase, and how such services have been adapting to telehealth during the pandemic.

Pat Pulice, Fraser VP of Integrated Healthcare joins FraserCast again, this time to discuss Whole Person Healthcare. This week, we walk through the many different factors affecting several different dimensions of our health beyond physical and mental health including Adverse Childhood Experiences, anxiety, financial or emotional stress, and access to services. If you'd like to learn more about the bigger picture about our health and mindful activities, tune in to this week's episode to learn more or contact the Fraser Hope Line.

In the spirit of Fathers Day, we spoke with Fraser father and board member, Randy Pattee. Randy's son Emmett was diagnosed with autism. As Emmett grew, so did his needs. This week, Randy walks us through his experiences of parenting a child with special needs as well as navigating group homes and services at Fraser. Our sponsor for this episode is Fox Rothschild LLP. Thanks for supporting the podcast!

In this week's episode of FraserCast, we meet with Abby Vavra, Fraser Public Policy and Compliance Counsel. Abby provides updates to Fraser programming and provides insight into how Fraser and other nonprofits work with the legislature to represent individuals with special needs in public policy.

This week, we meet with Aric Jensen, Director of Mental Health at Fraser, to learn more about how parents can manage mental health challenges and stress in themselves as well as children in their care. As we continue to social distance and remain in our homes during this stressful times, Aric also shares a few coping tips as well as some Fraser community resources such as the Fraser Hope Line. This episode is sponsored by UCare. Thanks for sponsoring the podcast!

Claire Hysell, Clinical Services Manager at Fraser, walks us through early childhood development, school screening processes for additional support, and how kids can express their mental health needs and challenges at an age when they may not have the language to describe them. We also discuss how stress such as the ongoing COVID-19 quarantine can affect a child as well as how children are far more resilient than we may think. This episode is sponsored by UCare. Thanks for sponsoring the podcast!