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Autism Labs
Autism Labs Community
39 episodes
1 day ago
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...
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Parenting
Kids & Family,
Business,
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All content for Autism Labs is the property of Autism Labs Community and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
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...
Show more...
Parenting
Kids & Family,
Business,
Non-Profit
Episodes (20/39)
Autism Labs
5 Autism Parenting Tips from a Dad’s Honest Experience
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...
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1 day ago
11 minutes

Autism Labs
Finding Autism Residential Care: Tips For Parents & Families
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...
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1 week ago
18 minutes

Autism Labs
Residential Care for Autism: What We're Learning About Creating Programs That Actually Work
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...
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2 weeks ago
20 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Respite Care: What We've Learned Building a Program for Adults with Severe Autism
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...
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3 weeks ago
23 minutes

Autism Labs
Respite Care for Autism: A Parent's Guide to Life Skills Training and Support Programs
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...
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4 weeks ago
24 minutes

Autism Labs
Revolutionary Autism Resources for Parents: Dr. Karnik's POD Health App
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 ...
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1 month ago
29 minutes

Autism Labs
Supported Living for Adults with Autism: A Parent's Guide to Housing Options (Part II)
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...
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1 month ago
19 minutes

Autism Labs
Supported Living for Adults with Autism: A Parent's Guide to Housing Options
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...
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2 months ago
26 minutes

Autism Labs
AI and Assistive Tech Transforming Autism Care at Home
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...
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2 months ago
13 minutes

Autism Labs
Vaccines, Tylenol, Leucovorin & Autism: What Parents Need to Know About Common Concerns
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...
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2 months ago
12 minutes

Autism Labs
The Importance of Structure at Home: Essential Tools We Recommend
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...
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3 months ago
10 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Assisted Living: Finding Quality Care For Adults
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...
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3 months ago
10 minutes

Autism Labs
Finding Real Respite Care for Autism: What We Learned Building J13
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, ...
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3 months ago
11 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Transition to Adulthood: Finding Life After School Ends
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...
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4 months ago
11 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Transition to Adulthood: Finding Life After School Ends
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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4 months ago
15 minutes

Autism Labs
The Secret to Stronger Teams and Programs
This third episode in the series on transitioning to adulthood explores the role of a “fail safe” culture in autism transition programs—creating psychological safety by normalizing small, low-risk failures as learning opportunities. Mike recounts a bowling outing where a participant became aggressive, prompting a blame-free review that revealed environmental triggers and delayed return of the participant’s iPad. Instead of punishment, the program focused on transparency with parents, better t...
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4 months ago
8 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Transition Programs That Truly Understand
When profoundly autistic individuals age out of the school system at 22, many families are left without support or options. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares how he and his wife faced this challenge with their nonverbal son, who has seizures and aggressive behaviors. After being told their son was "unemployable" and turned away by programs, they created J13—a program for adults with severe autism and complex needs. J13 offers structured outings, peer connections, and trained st...
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4 months ago
6 minutes

Autism Labs
From Panic to Planning: Adult Autism Life Skills that Work
In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr begins a series on transitioning to adulthood for those with profound autism, sharing research-based strategies and personal stories from raising his 35-year-old son, Michael. He stresses early planning—starting at age 14 with the IEP—and teaches independent living skills like hygiene, dressing, and communication using tools like visual aids, adaptive clothing, and the TouchChat app. Mike also tackles employment challenges, showing how combining work ...
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5 months ago
14 minutes

Autism Labs
The Power of Fun: Joyful Experiences for Adults with IDD
In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr highlights the vital role of fun for those with profound autism. Sharing his son Michael’s love for boating, he shows how joyful, sensory-rich activities can foster deep connection—even for nonverbal individuals. Despite challenges, Mike stresses the value of creating joyful moments. Through his nonprofit John 13 and the R2R program, he champions experiences that prioritize joy, bonding, and meaningful connection.
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5 months ago
5 minutes

Autism Labs
Autism Respite Care: A Family's Breakthrough Journey
In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares a milestone: he and his wife are traveling to Italy while their profoundly autistic adult son stays at Denmar House for the first time. Mike reflects on the years of preparation that made this possible and the value of introducing variety into his son's life. From boat rides and movies with peers to theme park struggles and family gatherings, he shows how new experiences—successful or not—can lead to growth, joy, and stronger family connections.
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5 months ago
9 minutes

Autism Labs
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...