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A confusing label, years without sleep, and a son who couldn’t speak—then a letter board changed everything. We sit down with creative entrepreneur and advocate Neil Rogers to explore how a family built a sustainable framework—inspired by Positive ActivityTM (developed by Neil and his wife Lori set to help people professionally and personally) in order stay clear, resilient, and inventive while raising an adult son with profound autism. From gratitude journaling and exercise to practical diet changes and sensory integration, Neil shares the specific choices that improved sleep, reduced frustration, and opened space for learning.

The turning point came with Spelling to Communicate. Once Craig had a reliable motor path to point and type, his intelligence, heart, emotions, and intellectual thinking rushed forward—defining DNA on the spot, recognizing Muhammad Ali and the fact Cassius Clay was his name at birth, and sharing deep thoughts of people coming together as one instead of picking people apart. That voice unlocked autonomy. Craig has a desire to achieve higher aspirations and moves at his own pace. We talk about collaborating with schools especially when budgets fell short, and why respecting a person’s pace leads to better outcomes than pushing through.

We also zoom out to challenge old stereotypes and highlight where hope is rising. Assistive tech—from advanced robotics to brain-computer interfaces—could soon scale care and communication.

If you care for a nonspeaking person, work in education or therapy, or just believe every human deserves a voice, this story offers a practical, humane roadmap you can start using today.

To learn more about Neil and Lori, please visit https://www.positiveactivity.net/. Neil is the author of "Bar Tips" -Everything I Needed to Know in Sales I Learned Behind the Bar. Neil is coming out with another book "Navigating the Special Needs World with Positive Activity."

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The story begins with a hard reality many families face: a beloved child who may never speak. Jennifer McGee joins us to share Isaiah’s path through profound autism—years of isolation in a classroom with low expectations, a legal fight to enforce IDEA and FAPE, and the life-changing shift that came with the right ABA team. What unfolds is a blueprint for hope built on practical tools, persistent advocacy, and a refusal to accept “can’t learn” as a verdict.

We walk through the early signs and missed milestones, the shock of seeing services cut to the bone, and the decision to pursue litigation that forced a district to rebuild its special education program around functional skills. Then the pivot: implementing PECS properly, introducing a speech-generating tablet, and adapting signs to fit Isaiah’s motor abilities. Communication reduces distress and opens the door to progress—hygiene routines, haircuts without struggle, eating out safely, and meaningful community inclusion. Along the way, we talk about small accommodations with big impact, like a chair in a fast-casual line or booths that prevent elopement.

Jennifer also brings her artist’s lens to advocacy. Through Inclusive Art House and a book series beginning with Izzy Can’t Talk, she turns lived experience into accessible stories that teach nonverbal communication, social challenges, and public meltdowns with warmth and clarity. We celebrate Isaiah’s strengths—precision, humor, killer basketball shots; how about 25 in a row killer shots? —and stay honest about regressions that sometimes come about. Resources like the Profound Autism Alliance, airline and TSA practice programs, and social networks round out a toolkit families can use today.

If you care about special education, autism acceptance, and real-world strategies for nonverbal communication, this conversation offers both heart and how-to. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more families find these stories.

Links for Jennifer McGee:

https://inclusivearthouse.com/pages/meet-the-team

LinkedIn: Jennifer McGee

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Big feelings don’t have to mean big blowups. We sit down with author and mom Sarah Hartley to unpack the real-world signals of ADHD and sensory processing disorder, why two siblings can present in opposite ways, and how small environmental tweaks can turn daily battles—showers, transitions, loud crowds—into manageable routines. Sarah takes us inside her home during the pandemic, when early intervention paused and anxiety surged. The fix wasn’t perfection. It was creativity: a DIY sensory gym with crash pads and a climbing wall, plus structured games that paired movement with focus to help organize input, not just add more of it.

Sarah also shares the heart behind Purposefully Me, her 14-book series for elementary kids. Centered on a fourth-grade classroom, the books tackle ADHD, autism, dyslexia, anxiety, bullying, school drills, and Down syndrome with warmth and clarity. The goal is simple and bold: help neurodivergent kids feel seen, give peers and teachers the right words, and move classrooms toward a strengths-based model that values hyperfocus, creativity, and curiosity. We talk candidly about masking, late diagnosis, and why representation—from classrooms to sports heroes—matters for self-belief.

The practical centerpiece is Sarah’s ALIGN method: Awareness, Listen and Label, Identify triggers, Grounding, and Nurture. She walks us through a fast, in-the-wild example at a packed baseball game that turned overwhelm into buy-in in under a minute. Whether you’re a caregiver, educator, or an adult managing your own sensory needs, you’ll leave with tools you can use today and a fresh lens on neurodiversity that spotlights strengths over deficits. If this conversation helps you or someone you love, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway—what part of ALIGN will you try first?