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Maddi Niebanck was 22 years old when a scheduled brain surgery turned into an emergency stroke.
What followed was a journey most people couldn't imagine — waking up completely paralyzed on her dominant side, unable to speak, swallow, or see out of the left half of both eyes. Now nearly nine years later, she's living independently, traveling the world, and still making real gains through neuroplasticity therapy at NeuroAnimation of Lexington.

In this episode, Maddi shares her story as a stroke survivor, disability advocate, public speaker, and author — and what it felt like to open a heavy door with her affected hand for the first time.

"Obstacles are opportunities." — Maddi Niebanck

🎙️ Help! I Have Kids | Episode 27

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ABA therapy has evolved — and so has the conversation around it.

In this episode, we break down:
✔ Where ABA started
✔ How it’s changed over time
✔ Common misconceptions
✔ What collaborative, child-centered ABA looks like today
✔ How our program integrates ABA with OT, Speech & PT

Modern ABA isn’t about compliance or changing a child’s personality. It’s about building communication, independence, and real-life skills in supportive, meaningful ways.

If you’re navigating an autism diagnosis or exploring therapy options, we hope this brings clarity and peace of mind.

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We talk about Susan’s path into autism advocacy and the passion behind her award-winning DinoSprout Educational Book Series—stories that use lovable dinosaur characters to teach empathy, inclusion, self-awareness, and acceptance. These books are designed to help kids, parents, and educators start healthy conversations around differences and emotions.

Explore Susan’s books and learn more:

📘 DinoSprout Book Series: https://rainbowsparrowbooks.com/dinosprout-educational-book-series/

🦖 Shop Individual Books: https://rainbowsparrowbooks.com/current-books/

🌈 Rainbow Sparrow Publishing: https://rainbowsparrowbooks.com/current-books/

Follow her journey: @susanmillsmedia

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In this inspiring episode, Kelsey Brooks shares her personal journey from a high-risk pregnancy and a CP diagnosis to celebrating her son’s first steps. She gives her testimony on what it truly means to be the head of your child’s medical team and advocate for the best care. Kelsey opens up about navigating therapies, celebrating small victories, and finding the strength to keep going. Her story is a powerful reminder that advocacy and love can create a better quality of life for your child.

✨ Click the link below to follow us on all socials and keep up with your mom community!

https://linktr.ee/helpihavekidspodcast

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AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) can be the next step in helping your child find their voice and deepen connection with your family. Pediatric speech therapist Taylor Denney breaks down how AAC devices work, busts common myths, and shares real stories of children and families whose worlds opened up through communication. You will hear practical tips for getting started, supporting their child at home, and celebrating every win — because progress looks different for every child, and every voice matters.

✨ Click the link below to follow us on all socials and keep up with your mom community!
https://linktr.ee/helpihavekidspodcast

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In this episode of Help! I Have Kids, host Pam Marshall sits down with Dr. Erin Cooper and Dr. Geoff Cooper, primary care physicians and co-owners of Olive Health Direct Primary Care, for an honest, behind-the-exam-room conversation about what parents really need to know.

As both doctors and parents, Dr. Erin and Dr. Geoff share what they see every day in primary care—and what often goes unsaid. From pregnancy and newborn life to toddlerhood, mental health, screen time, and parental overwhelm, this episode offers clarity, reassurance, and practical wisdom grounded in medical experience.

In this conversation, we cover:

• What primary care doctors want parents to stop worrying about
• How to navigate pregnancy and early parenthood with reliable medical guidance
• Supporting maternal and paternal mental health, including postpartum mood changes
• Why partnership with your primary care doctor matters more than internet advice
• Screen time, routines, and building healthy habits in young children
• How overwhelmed parents can find support, community, and hope

If you’re feeling unsure, exhausted, or buried under conflicting advice, this episode is a reminder that you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

🎧 Listen now and share this episode with a parent who could use encouragement today.
💬 Join the Help! I Have Kids Facebook community to connect with other moms navigating parenthood together.

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In this episode, Pam sits down with Morgan Minter, Program Director for Erin’s Hope for Friends (E’s Club)—a nonprofit creating safe, judgment-free spaces where autistic teens and young adults can build real friendships and experience true belonging.

Morgan shares how her own brother’s journey with autism led her into occupational therapy and eventually to E’s Club. She explains the heartbreaking story that sparked the nonprofit’s creation, why social isolation is so common for autistic teens, and how E’s Club intentionally meets that need through weekend events, sensory-friendly environments, and peer-to-peer connection.

You’ll hear stories of young people finding lifelong friends, gaining confidence, even securing jobs through relationships built inside the club. Morgan also discusses how parents can discern whether E’s Club is a fit for their child, how volunteers support regulation and safety, and why diagnosis isn’t required—just a desire for social connection.

Whether your child is autistic, socially anxious, or simply needs a place to belong, this conversation will give you hope, practical understanding, and a new resource to explore.

Learn more about E’s Club: Visit https://www.erinshopeforfriends.org/ and search Erin’s Hope for Friends – Kentucky on Facebook to see upcoming events and details.

If you’re looking for additional support: Pediatric occupational therapy or mental health services can help your child build emotional regulation, social confidence, and everyday life skills. Visit marshallpediatrictherapy.com to learn more about how our team can help your family thrive.

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In today’s episode, Pam sits down with Tyler Dorsey, Founder & Executive Director of Focus Forward ADHD, to talk about one of the most common struggles families face—ADHD in kids, teens, and even in parents themselves. Tyler brings her personal story, clinical insight, and mom-of-four perspective to one of the most hope-filled and practical conversations we’ve ever recorded.

You’ll hear Tyler’s honest journey from being an overwhelmed child with ADHD to becoming a nationally recognized ADHD coach leading a team that supports families across the country. Together, Pam and Tyler unpack:

• What ADHD actually looks like inside your child’s brain
• Why interest-driven behavior is not defiance—and how to respond
• How to build executive function skills at home
• The power of nonverbal communication with your ADHD child
• Bedtime and morning routines that truly work
• When to choose OT, coaching, or both
• How to handle mom guilt and reactive moments with compassion
• Why struggle is not failure but formation
• Tyler’s story of raising her own ADHD child with curiosity and confidence

This episode is full of practical tools, real encouragement, and so many “that is literally my kid” moments. Whether you’re raising a child with ADHD or you’re an adult still navigating your own, you’ll walk away feeling understood, supported, and equipped.

Resources Mentioned:
• Focus Forward ADHD Coaching — parent coaching, child/teen coaching, executive function support
• Pediatric Occupational Therapy at Marshall Pediatric Therapy — helping kids regulate, understand their bodies, and build essential sensory and emotional skills
• Nonverbal communication strategies, picture schedules, “landing the plane” techniques, and more

You’re doing better than you think, mom. And you don’t have to walk this road alone.

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