As an autism parent, your time and energy are focused on the chaos you and your child are faced with. When you are simply trying to get through the next minute, the last thing to cross your mind is thinking about planning for a Special Needs Trust, Guardianship, and Power of Attorney.

Michael Pereira joins me this week to shine a light for this underserved community. As a father who lives through this reality as well, he has made it his mission to help families get through the everyday challenges and plan for the future they need.

You can access Michael's blog, the book for the neurotypical siblings, a template of a letter of intent that gives all the information needed on your child if anyone needs to look after your child in case of emergencies, and even budget sheets at www.theautismvoyage.com

For more information on services you can have access to, contact Michael by email.

There is no such thing as bad emotions. There is only a bad way to handle these emotions.

This week, Danielle walks us through 8 BIG emotions that will often overwhelm us when our child is experiencing them. In this episode, she reveals the positive sides of these "BAD" emotions, the shadow side of them when they are not handled properly, the physical signs that your child will have that reveals the emotion, and the hidden need behind these emotions.

Anger, fear, resentment, regret, jealousy, sadness, shame, and guilt are on the menu today! You can save this episode to go back to each emotion, as needed. You can also check out the Teacher's Corner playlist on the Being Connected e-Learning Inc. YouTube channel for shorter videos on the individual emotions. The videos will be uploaded within one week of the time this episode aired.

You can visit www.beingconnected.ca for more physical signs and hidden needs of the most common emotions in children (including the good ones!). You will find them in the "Learning" tab.

Dr. Sonali Dasgupta, founder of STEMonsters, joins me this week to talk about the changes our education systems need, how to prepare the new generations for a STEM-driven future, and the platform she created to help parents, educators, and students to find their passion for true learning.

Sonali's world class programs help bridge the gap between quality education and career, giving students the skills needed to thrive in their field of choice.

To learn more about STEMonsters' programs and the annual STEMXplore Symposium, visit www.stemonsters.com.

You can also reached Dr. Sonali Dasgupta on LinkedIn under her name or under STEMonsters, or by email at sonali@stemonsters.com

Richa Rehan is a physiotherapist who quickly realized, from her clients' questions and concerns, that there was a need to open up safe conversations about pelvic health.

With her book: "Things Every Girl Should Know About Her Body", she is shedding light on the outdated information and taboos around changes girls and women go through. This book is a great tool to help parents who do not know when and how to start the conversation with their daughters.

From age-appropriate terms for the body parts to setting the example to promote body positivity, Richa covers everything and more!

Be sure to follow Richa on IG (thepelvicexperts) for information on her upcoming book on menopause and digital platform on pelvic health for girls.

You can also visit www.richarehan.com to get access to her book and services.

Any autism parent will relate to that one movie clip or song verse that gets played over and over again until you feel like you are going to snap! Or your child repeating the same word a million times!

In this episode, Danielle puts a spin on this "disturbing" behaviour and breaks down how gestalts can be used not only to determine how your child is feeling and what could trigger meltdowns, but how they can be used as tools to help your child learn and development their language skills.

Gestalt language processors speak a beautiful and complex language that analytical language processors misinterpret as a lack of language skills. It is time to change that misconception.

A fierce advocate of the fact that children speak 100 languages where only one is spoken, when Danielle mentions developing language skills, she includes body language, sighs, grunts, gestures, and so much more, enabling parents and teachers can help all children, even if they are non-verbal.

As a collaboration with Podcasthon, where podcasters worldwide are dedicating their episodes to raise awareness for various Charities and Organizations, it is a privilege to showcase Ottawa's own Youville Centre. To see all participating podcasters and their episodes, visit www.podcasthon.org

This week's episode features Karen O'Meara, Communications and Program Assistant, and Natasha McBrearty, Clinical Supervisor, from The Youville Centre, an organization dedicated to inspiring, educating, and nurturing young mothers and their children to utilize their strengths and to achieve their goals.

From the realities of being a young mother, to the programs and childcare services the Youville Centre provides to help the community, this episode sheds light on the support and resources our young mothers truly need.

• Financial donations can be made anytime on our Canada Helps page linked on our website; www.youville centre.org, and for this specific Podcasthon Event, we have a unique Canada Helps donation link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/129310

Here is more information about The Youville Centre:

• Follow us on Facebook Youville Centre Ottawa
• Follow us on X (Twitter) @YouvilleCentre
• We’re on Instagram HumansOfYouville
• Connect on LinkedIn Youville Centre Ottawa
• Intake Information: Email: intake@youvillecentre.org Call: 613-231-5150 x121 or Text: 613-864-6611 or online enrollment info here
• General Inquiries: Email: info@youvillecentre.org
• Join our email list: https://www.youvillecentre.org/stay-in-touch/
• Read our Annual Report: https://www.youvillecentre.org/about-us/annual-report-and-funding-model/

Michael Davis brings up a very important topic of how we can help our children protect themselves in the online world.

Giving us tips on how to start the awkward conversations about social media behaviours, to the role schools play in the matter, Michael walks us through simple steps that brings the human back into the tech space.

For more information on Michael's groundbreaking school programs (ages 6 to 10), visit www.mindfulbytes.io

You can also follow him on LinkedIn under his name and his company, Merek Security Solutions.

Don't miss Michael's thought-provoking TEDx Talk on Cyber Happiness on YT with link here: Cyber Happiness: Mindfulness as a Service | Michael Davis | TEDxABQ

Author Kevin Blaize joins me joins me this week, taking us into his world of creative writing and how he shares his passion for the industry to the youth. Kevin's unique angle on the industry introduces students to the benefits of being a creator as oppose to a consumer while giving them the opportunity to meet an actual author who is living it every day.

From protecting our work, to taking our book into a multi-billion dollar industry, Kevin shows us how to present this unlimited world to our inspiring writers and artists.

Be sure to get your copy of Kevin's books at www.dogsofthewild.com

You can follow Kevin on FB @dogsofthewild, on IG @dogsofthewildseries. For more information on Kevin's work or to book him as a speaker for your next event, you can contact him directly at authorkevinblaize@gmail.com