Today we’re diving into an issue which is important to Meske and affects thousands of Oklahoma families, though it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: early developmental screenings. Meske provided We Saved You A Seat with lots of statistics: 65% of Oklahoma children between 9 and 35 months old are not receiving developmental screenings. Early intervention from birth costs ≈ $37,000 per child. Delayed intervention starting at age 6 costs ≈ $53,000. ➝ $16,000 more per child when we wait. In a 2016 Quality of Care report, OHCA shared that only 16.4% of children received a developmental screening during their first three years of life. The same 2016 report also noted that 56.5% of children aged three to six covered by SoonerCare received recommended well-child visits, compared to 72.2% nationally. https://www.okhca.org/about.aspx?id=22619 Every $1 spent on early screening and intervention yields up to $17 in societal savings. (Healthcare, special ed, justice system) When kids are identified early for developmental delays or challenges, it can change the entire trajectory of their lives. They can get the support, resources, and interventions that help them thrive at home, at school, and in their communities. When screenings don’t happen — or happen too late — children and families are left struggling, and often the cost to both the family and the state is much greater down the road. This conversation is especially important right now, because an interim study on developmental screenings is scheduled at the Oklahoma State Capitol on October 2nd from 9:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 5S2.  This study was introduced by Representative Ellen Pogemiller and it grew from a constituent’s story — Meske and her boys’ journey through the system. Meske knows firsthand why early screenings matter, and today she’s here to share how her family’s experience is shaping policy conversations at the state level. If you care about giving kids the best start in life, here’s one simple action you can take whether you are able to show your support in person or not- contact your legislator and ask them to attend the October 2nd interim study. The more lawmakers hear these stories and see the data, the better chance we have of building a system that works for families across Oklahoma.  We encourage people to be there for this interim study or watch online-if you're a parent on this journey, an educator, therapist or someone who just wants to learn more, there is something for all of us to learn.

If there is a resource out there, there's a good chance Meske has found it. Meske has been trained in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Partners in Policymaking (PIP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Circle of Security and so many others. In this episode, Meske provides us with a glimpse into her experience with SoonerStart, Early Head Start, the struggle of trying to navigate public transportation, and highlights so many other wonderful resources Oklahoman's have access to, but doesn't always know where to find them or who to ask. This episode truly mentions and speaks briefly on some of the resources Meske has utilized or knows about and we have provided links to all of them below, should you want to know more. TBRI:  https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.sO4iWECF.dpbs   Lilyfield: Lilyfield   Empower OKC:  EmpowerOKC   Circle of Security:  Circle of Security International    Sunbeam Family Services:  Homepage | Sunbeam   SoonerStart:  SoonerStart   Making Sense of your Worth: Making Sense of Your Worth - Halo Project

Meet Meske!!  Meske will provide a voice from the mom, advocate, and survivor perspective at an interim study designed to highlight the need to improve access to developmental screenings to Oklahoma's youngest children, and we want you to know her and understand the why behind her passion.  This is episode one of three, where you get to meet Meske and learn about Meske as a mom, advocate, incredible human and friend!    Note From Meske: "I’m not an expert in any formal sense. I don’t have a degree or credentials. Life circumstances interrupted every graduation I ever worked toward. What I do have is knowledge, experience, and perspective — a life lived in very diverse circles, literally and figuratively on both sides of the tracks. My childhood wasn’t bad, but it was heavy. I had access to social circles some people only dream about, but life took me in a different direction. Mental health struggles, relationships, finances, global events — they all influenced my path. And while I’ve made my share of mistakes, most of the time it felt like life kept handing me situations I couldn’t control. That’s how I came to my personal tagline: “I’m usually the exception to the rule. The medical mystery. I don’t fit in anyone’s box. The only kind of luck I have is bad luck — so I’m not a betting person.” But over time, I began to realize my life had a bigger purpose. These experiences — the good, the bad, the unfair, the painful — weren’t meaningless. They were shaping me into someone who could see people differently, connect more deeply, and speak honestly about what most people avoid. Still, things got worse before they got better. An important person in my childhood used to tell me to have “faith the size of a mustard seed,” so I started carrying one with me. But faith didn’t erase the pain. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just lets them scab over. I realized I had grown comfortable in chaos because it was familiar. There were lessons along the way — sometimes only in the form of cliché sayings that became lifelines. And then came the next chapters: marriage, military service, two kids, deployment, divorce, relocation, three more kids, building a business, domestic violence, housing instability, PTSD, developmental disabilities, and trauma stacked on trauma. That’s where I found myself three years ago. Since then, life has still been full of ups and downs. Healing doesn’t stop life from happening. Kids still need love, bills still come due, people still take advantage when you let them. But the difference is that I finally began prioritizing myself, setting boundaries, and holding on to integrity and accountability. That’s when the people I needed started finding me. Along this journey, I’ve been trained in TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention), Partners in Policymaking, PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy), and Circle of Security. I’ve worked on early screenings and even contributed to an interim study. Those experiences gave me language for what I had already lived — and tools to help my kids and others “from hard places” not just survive, but start to heal. That’s the lens I bring to this conversation: lived experience, layered with training and advocacy, all rooted in a belief that stories — even the messy ones — can change systems and change lives."

Darrian Williams, a mom to two precious girls, shares with us her chaotic experience tied to giving birth to her first daughter.   The State Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) Program is one of many complementary investments made to improve maternal health across the nation. Oklahoma’s State MHI Program has partnered with the Oklahoma Family Network to help improve maternal health by providing OFN an opportunity to share family stories of those touched personally by critical health outcomes during pregnancy or soon after giving birth.  The power of educating others with personal experiences can and will improve future maternal health outcomes for our community, and we thank Darrian for sharing pieces of her journey. If you or someone you know has experienced health complications or illness that occurred during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, and you are ready to share your story for the purpose of awareness and education, OFN would love to connect with you.

The State Maternal Health Innovation Program is one of many complementary investments made to improve maternal health across the nation. Oklahoma’s State Maternal Health Innovation Program has partnered with Oklahoma Family Network to help improve maternal health by allowing OFN to share family stories of those touched personally by critical health outcomes during pregnancy or soon after giving birth.  Oklahoma Family Network would like to thank this sweet mother as she shares her experience with a lupus diagnosis, pregnancy, and premature birth. If you or someone you know has experienced health complications or illnesses that occurred during or after pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, and you are ready to share your story for the purpose of awareness and education OFN is ready to help. Thank you for listening in today.    

The State Maternal Health Innovation Program is one of many complementary investments made to improve maternal health across the nation. Oklahoma’s State Maternal Health Innovation Program has partnered with Oklahoma Family Network to help improve maternal health by allowing OFN to share family stories of those touched personally by critical health outcomes during pregnancy or soon after giving birth.  Oklahoma Family Network would like to thank Chrissy for sharing her experiences surviving postpartum cardiomyopathy and the impact it has had on her health.  Understanding signs, symptoms, and treatment is important from a self-advocacy perspective as well as healthcare team member.  If you or someone you know has experienced health complications or illnesses that occurred during or after pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, and you are ready to share your story for the purpose of awareness and education OFN is ready to help. Thank you for listening in today.

Robyn and her family have the unique opportunity to highlight and honor two big topics in September. September is both Hydrocephalus Awareness Month and NICU Awareness Month, and this sweet family helped bring conversation and education to both subjects in our podcast release today.   Birth trauma and NICU experiences can be difficult to process. We are always thankful for those willing to share their experiences to educate and encourage others.   #NICU #NICUAwarenessMonth #Hydrocephalus #HydrocephalusAwareness #HydrocephalusAwarenessMonth #WeSavedYouASeat     

Welcome September and Hydrocephalus Awareness Month!  Oklahoma Family Networked partnered with the sweetest mom to share her experience with her daughter's diagnosis of Hydrocephalus in utero.  Throughout the month, we will share pieces of her journey through diagnosis, delivery, NICU stay, resources, and community support, as they faced an uncertain future with their precious baby girl, Eliza!   You will absolutely love meeting Robyn, her husband Travis, and daughter Eliza this month, and I know all who listen will hear a testimony of faith and strength as they walked an unknown and fearful path.   #HydrocephalusAwareness #HydrocephalusDiagnosis #OurJourneyWithHydrocephalus #EpisodeOne

Thank you for joining us for the second episode with guests Matt and Laura Samargis, as we continue to highlight and honor this incredible family during Deaf-Blind Awareness Month. (You can listen here to Episode One)   In this episode, Matt and Laura share impactful moments and resources for living in rural Oklahoma.    What an honor to meet and visit with Matt and Laura and know you will enjoy hearing more from them today.   Special Resources: Active learning spaces (Activities for deafblind learning and movement)  Paths to literacy (educational resources for deafblind) Oklahoma library for the blind (Free educational resources for deafblind)   Communication Matrix (Assessment for non-verbal communication)   Perkins school for the blind   Christian Roman Lantzy (Cortical Visual impairment)   Jane Korston (communication devices)   NRCpara (national center for paraeducators, interveners, and more)    Central Michigan University (Online intervener classes) Beth Kennedy-CMU deafblind department director   

  Matt and Laura's Samargis, a family from rural Oklahoma share with us today some of their journey as parents who have a child in the deaf-blind community. Today we get a glimpse into their incredibly busy lives and I know you will enjoy hearing their unique testimony and learning more from them.   They share some of their favorite resources with us today, and you can find their links below: Oklahoma Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Project Oklahoma School for the Blind National Center for Deaf-Blindness Oklahoma School for the Deaf        

As we honor and celebrate Deaf-Blind Awareness Month, I'm excited for people to hear from Lisa Lawter with the Oklahoma Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Program.    Lisa is passionate about helping and serving families who have children with unique medical needs, and this is a resource we want to celebrate and share.   https://www.ou.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/deaf-blind-project   Lisa Lawter, Ph.D. Project Director  Oklahoma Deaf-Blind TA Project  University of Oklahoma  Department of Educational Psychology  820 Van Vleet Oval, Room 321  Norman, OK  73019  405.325.0441  405.325.6655 fax  Friend us on Facebook at Oklahoma Deaf Blind Technical Assistance Project   

Lora Roberts, Eastern Regional Coordinator for Oklahoma Family Network, helps us understand Sibshops for brothers and sisters who have a sibling with special needs. She shares more about her Tulsa Sibshops experience and what families can expect when they bring their child.

Understanding healthy boundaries in our relationships is essential to taking care of ourselves. Join us for a class as we work through misconceptions and proven strategies that help you set healthy boundaries for yourself to help in all of your relationships.   If you'd like to watch the training and view Lauren's slides, please joining us on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/xuz2yg8P8S0

Celebrating Rare Disease Day with double the podcast release today! As we continue to celebrate and honor the day set aside to bring awareness to our incredible families with a rare diagnosis, I want to thank Sky Collins for sharing in our previous release about Oklahoma Rare.  She continues on to share more about the personal diagnostic journey their family experienced as they tried to advocate and find answers for their youngest daughter, Presley. We also thank Presley for allowing her mom to share pieces of her diagnostic journey.  And anyone interested can purchase Presley's book here: https://www.makebelievebookcompany.com/product-page/better-than-a-letter-magical-mailing-kit   #OklahomaRare #MalanSyndrome  #OKRare  #RareDiseaseAwareness  #UltraRareDisease  #EveryLifeFoundation  #PartnersInPolicy  #SB207  #SenatorCarriHicks #RareDiseaseDay #RareDiagnosis  

Every year, on the last day of February, the world comes together to recognize Rare Disease Day—a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness for rare diseases and the millions of people affected by them.   Today, We Saved You A Seat is incredibly honored to share a few things Oklahoma is doing to help bring awareness, advocacy, conversation and support to and for those impacted by a rare diagnosis.   Today, Sky Collins is here to discuss the incredible community group, Oklahoma Rare, of which she is a co-founder and shares ways you can get involved.     Addition Resources Mentioned: https://everylifefoundation.org/rare-advocates/virtual-youth-hill-day/   #OklahomaRare #MalanSyndrome  #OKRare  #RareDiseaseAwareness  #UltraRareDisease  #EveryLifeFoundation  #PartnersInPolicy  #SB207  #SenatorCarriHicks #RareDiseaseDay #RareDiagnosis

In this presentation, we will discuss how to set goals for positive change for all ages while still having a self-compassion focus. This can help us break the pattern of shame about things we want to change and instead apply simple but profound principles for effective growth. If you would like the presentation handouts please email: erin-parks@oklahomafamilynetwork.org

Sometimes we are so focused on behavior that we don't realize how powerful purposeful relationships can be in responding to negative behavior and preventing things from ever happening. We will look at the work of Dr. Lori Desautels and her book Connections over Compliance to learn brain-based strategies for connecting with kids and responding to and preventing frustrating behaviors.

Welcome to National Wear Red Day 2025!   After finally getting a diagnosis of Postpartum Cardiomyopathy, Chrissy learns what her future looks like and shares with us how she processed this unexpected diagnosis and what she did to survive as a mom who needed lots of help from doctors, family, and friends.   To learn more from the American Heart Association about Postpartum Cardiomyopathy (or Peripartum Cardiomyopathy) visit the American Heart Association's website.

On December 11th, 2024 Chrissy Cleary proudly announced, "awww my Heart Failure is 18 - an adult."    Chrissy Cleary is mom to three children, and after she delivered her 3rd baby, she developed some scary symptoms that some medical professionals identified as "normal" and/or wrote off as anxiety.   In this episode of We Saved You A Seat, Chrissy describes truly easy and wonderful pregnancies, her dreams of motherhood, and having a large family. Her dreams were interrupted soon after the birth of her third child.   Thank you, Chrissy, for sharing your story of strength with us and allowing us to honor you this February and bring awareness and conversation to Heart Health during and after pregnancy.

Being a parent or a caregiver can be exhausting. We can become so overwhelmed by the never-ending list of things to do that we lose sight of taking care of ourselves and can experience burnout. Together we will complete a survey of how we are doing with self-care and build a practical plan to help us take better care of ourselves so we can also take care of the important people in our lives and avoid burnout.    Although this session was recorded in December, it is full of great information reminding us compassion fatigue is very real and takes a toll on those who are caregivers.