Podcast

Join us as we talk with Ashley Olthoff from the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota.  She is the Director of the Family Connector Program, set up to help families feel more connected and be more equipped to navigate systems and access resources. For more information, please visit:https://dsamn.org/

This podcast episode allows us to hear a unique perspective from a parent as she looks back over her family’s journey through a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Each path is unique in this process and we are able to hear the ups and downs from her individual perspective and learn what is working for her child, based on his needs.

In this episode we welcome back Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Alyssa Mason.  We discuss ways to support all children, and especially those with sensory differences, during key transitions in the early childhood setting.  Lunch and naptime are often tricky and Alyssa helps set children and adults up for success with her strategies. This podcast recording was funded by Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW) 80x3 - Resilient from the Start.

Our guest in this episode of the Inclusion Matters podcast is Alyssa Mason, Pediatric Occupational Therapist from M Health Fairview. She joins us to discuss the sensory systems and sensory needs of young children in our care. This first conversation talks us through "a day in the life of a preschooler in child care" from a sensory needs perspective. This podcast recording was funded by Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW) 80x3 - Resilient from the Start.

In this episode Pediatrician, Dr. Kris Gendreau joins us to discuss the ways a child’s pediatrician can help decipher behaviors that may challenge.  She notes that behaviors can tell us that a child may be uncomfortable in their body, either due to external factors or internal factors and the pediatrician can dig deeper to decern what may be the cause.  Listen to learn more!

Our guests from the MN Department of Human Services Autism Resource Portal, Nicole Berning, and Kim Hicks join us again to showcase the amazing resources located in the portal.  They discuss ways it can be helpful to early childhood professionals and to parents.

This podcast was recorded in 2021. For the most up-to-date information on autism, please visit the CDC website at:

• https://www.cdc.gov/autism/index.html