1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Welcome to Unlimited Parenting where we discuss having children with disabilities or special 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:14,600 health care needs. 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:19,360 I'm Allison and with me today is a very special guest, Jake. 4 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:24,840 Jake is the father to several children, one of which has a disability and is a member 5 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,440 of our board of directors. 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,040 So thank you for carving out some time to share your story with us. 7 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:31,920 No problem, Allison. 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,800 And this is Jake's first podcast experience. 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:36,600 So thanks for sharing that with us too. 10 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:41,280 Yeah, hopefully I won't cough or spit on the mic too much. 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,100 If you do, they're easily washable. 12 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:46,120 So no worries there at all. 13 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:52,440 So you were just here actually for our board meeting and you reminded me that you had yet 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:53,560 to be on the podcast. 15 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,600 So I appreciate you remembering that. 16 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:02,200 Yeah, I'm really glad to be here to help out and do anything I can to help out the Ipullians 17 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,360 and their good work. 18 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,880 Especially being a dad, we never have any dads who want to share their story. 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,200 So having said that, can you share your story? 20 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:13,200 Sure. 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:18,400 So when my son was two or three years old, we noticed that he started exhibiting some 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,440 stimming motion, some flapping. 23 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:29,120 And we also had noticed that his overall muscle tone and his physical capability was a little 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:30,120 bit diminished. 25 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:35,120 He was a later child and so we had kind of seen our other kids and how they had developed. 26 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:40,840 And so that led my wife more than anybody else to question and to say, you know, what 27 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,640 could be happening here? 28 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,440 I think I was a little bit more apt to just say, well, he's still developing, you know, 29 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:48,600 other kids do this. 30 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:49,600 Let's just see where it goes. 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:55,160 But she was more adamant and thankfully because of that, we started to kind of look into what 32 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,820 could possibly be some diagnoses for him. 33 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:07,640 And so in our church community, we had another family who had had a very, very similar situation. 34 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:13,940 And that was really helpful for us because it allowed for us to have a roadmap for where 35 00:02:13,940 --> 00:02:15,480 to go and what to do. 36 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:22,640 And we even ended up having the same occupational therapist and going to the same diagnosis. 37 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,280 We got a diagnosis from the same provider. 38 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:31,040 And it was really helpful because at that stage, again, we didn't have a lot of experience 39 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:32,040 with this. 40 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:37,200 I was questioning as to whether or not it was necessary or not. 41 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:43,400 And with talking with them, it really helped us to kind of feel out what is more normal, 42 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:48,720 what would be more something that would be helpful in this area. 43 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:53,760 And it also helped that the father of that child was our child's pediatrician. 44 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,800 So we had a lot of things break really, really lucky in our way. 45 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,960 I've talked to a lot of parents after this and we've tried to help others to understand 46 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:04,960 this as well. 47 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:10,280 And we understand how fortunate we were with some of the things that broke our way. 48 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,400 But that allowed for us to pretty much have a recommendation almost immediately. 49 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:20,000 We went and when we had his diagnosis, it was a really interesting procedure because 50 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,600 he had the whole battery day's worth of tests. 51 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:25,280 And it's literally a full day. 52 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,000 Yeah, it's a full day. 53 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,880 And so we'd gone through all these tests and we were waiting in the waiting room. 54 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,160 They said, we're going to go back and talk about it and then we will come back and let 55 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:36,160 you know what's going on. 56 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,640 And we were waiting and waiting and waiting. 57 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,960 And finally, one of the providers came out and said, we haven't forgot about you. 58 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:51,320 This is just a really unique situation because typically there's three areas in which they 59 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:52,720 test for autism. 60 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,320 There's cognitive, there's physical, and there's social as I understand it. 61 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:04,560 And they said, we don't, we usually see two of, if you have two of the three, then you're 62 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,040 diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum. 63 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:14,560 And they said that my son, he felt like he had scored lower. 64 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:20,600 He had scored fine in the cognitive and in the social he was borderline and in the physical 65 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:21,600 he was... 66 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:22,600 That was... 67 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:23,600 He needed support. 68 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,460 Yeah, he needed support. 69 00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:29,000 And so the combination was something that they hadn't really seen a lot. 70 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:34,120 And so they were kind of discussing that and talking about that in an interesting way. 71 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:39,000 But essentially he ended up getting his diagnosis and from there we started him on occupational 72 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,980 therapy and later he had some counseling, some other things. 73 00:04:44,980 --> 00:04:51,040 He's had a lot of different supports and things that he's had over the years and it's been 74 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,800 really, really great for him. 75 00:04:53,800 --> 00:05:00,040 We've noticed now years and years later that he's kind of our kid that we joke that he's 76 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,400 our most self-sufficient and most self-determined. 77 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:10,360 He's a kid who if you can offer him an extra piece of cake and if he's full, he'll just 78 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:11,360 be like, no, I'm good. 79 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,000 Or like, no, do you want... 80 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,000 You can have this. 81 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,640 He's like, no, I'm good. 82 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,320 He's the kid and when he's good, he's good. 83 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,040 You have a child who says no to cake? 84 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,880 I have a child who says no to cake, to other things. 85 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:22,880 I mean, he's just... 86 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:24,680 He knows his potty. 87 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:25,960 He knows his place. 88 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,200 He knows what he wants and he's totally cool with that. 89 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:35,120 And it's really great because it allows him to express himself and to be himself in a 90 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:39,980 way that sometimes our other kids struggle with because he's not worried about what other 91 00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:46,240 kids are thinking or doing or he doesn't need to go with the flow with everybody else. 92 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,040 I mean, that being said, he is really a social kid. 93 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,360 He really has a lot of friends. 94 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:58,200 I mean, he does really well with that, but I've always been really envious of that superpower 95 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,640 that he has of just knowing exactly... 96 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:06,080 Of going through the world, being your authentic self without any wherewithal of how that affects 97 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,880 other people or even like, oh, did I say that? 98 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:10,720 Did that offend that person? 99 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,320 He's just living his best life. 100 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:13,720 This is fine. 101 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:18,760 And we really credit an early intervention into a lot of that because we've seen how 102 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,360 he's struggled with some of the things he's gone through in his life. 103 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:29,640 And we've always just said, could you imagine if we didn't have the supports and the assistance 104 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:35,480 that we've had, where would he be or how would he be doing right now? 105 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:42,680 And with our other kids, they've had other neurodivergences which haven't led to a full 106 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,760 diagnosis, but they've also had therapies and other things. 107 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,880 And so we've seen kind of been able to compare and contrast how they've all worked together. 108 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:56,800 And it's been really, really an interesting perspective to kind of compare them all. 109 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:04,360 But yeah, with my son, he's definitely benefited from those interventions. 110 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,120 Can I ask what kind of interventions he was receiving and were they in the community or 111 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:09,720 at school? 112 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,280 He received a little bit of both. 113 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,200 He started with a developmental preschool. 114 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:16,720 And so he started there. 115 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,440 He also had started with just occupational therapy. 116 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:23,760 I want to say he might have done some speech therapy. 117 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,800 And it's kind of just been as time has gone on, those have kind of changed. 118 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:28,800 Or fallen off. 119 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:29,800 Fallen off. 120 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:35,720 And he had some struggles with some pretty severe anxiety a couple years ago. 121 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,640 And so he was able to go to counseling and really worked through a lot of that. 122 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,480 And that was really great too. 123 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,720 And he's no longer needing that as well. 124 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:54,880 And I think that's about, he did have, he was on a 504 plan at school and he had an 125 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:55,880 IEP. 126 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,360 And so he's had the school interventions. 127 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:04,440 That's something that I think is really interesting is that when he was at school and having those 128 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:11,280 interventions, we were kind of always geared up to kind of go to war for, we wanted to 129 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:16,600 advocate for him and worried about what if they do this or what if they do this. 130 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:21,440 We've had really good experiences with his agenational providers to be able to really 131 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:24,320 look for his needs. 132 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:29,680 And actually that has allowed us to, at times where we thought that a certain intervention 133 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:37,120 or a certain type of accommodation was necessary, there were times where we actually, after 134 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:42,200 talking with the providers and talking in those meetings, we realized that we could 135 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,600 probably ease out a little bit on that. 136 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,840 And that actually ended up being really well. 137 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:52,800 It's been an interesting thing for us that in my personal perspective on this, it's hard 138 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:56,480 to know sometimes when to really fight and advocate. 139 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:02,680 And other times when we've kind of let things, we decided to, okay, let's see how this plays 140 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:03,960 out. 141 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,520 But a lot of times it's actually played out fine. 142 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,960 I think that's been something less than the I have one just kind of to pick your battles. 143 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,880 And there's one time where we realized that we had asked for him to have a certain teacher 144 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,160 and that teacher, that didn't happen. 145 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:24,520 And so he was going to be in a class with a brand new teacher she had never taught before. 146 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,800 None of his friends were in that class. 147 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,840 And we learned this pretty much the- 148 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:30,840 The day before. 149 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:31,840 Yeah, the day before school. 150 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,040 And that was something, and we'd had these experiences before. 151 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,360 So we really, my wife and I talked about this and said, okay, so is this something we're 152 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,960 going to fight on or is this something we're going to see where it plays out? 153 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:49,960 We really felt strongly that we really needed him to have more familiarity before in this 154 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:50,960 context. 155 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,560 And so we went to the principal, we talked about it, we were able to get it worked out 156 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:56,080 and it worked out just fine. 157 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:02,200 Fast forward a couple more years, he was going to get a teacher and we weren't sure how that 158 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,760 was going to play out because one of our other children had had that same teacher and we 159 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,760 knew kind of the dynamics. 160 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:13,560 But it actually, we thought, you know what, let's let this one ride and see how it goes. 161 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,440 And he thrived in that class, he did really well. 162 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:17,440 So- 163 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,400 And it almost makes you wonder if it's because early on you gave him the extra support that 164 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:26,400 he needed and then now he was at a point where he was able to self advocate. 165 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:31,920 And because is it safe to say that he probably struggles with transitions and things that 166 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:32,920 are unknown? 167 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:33,920 Yes. 168 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:34,920 Yes. 169 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:39,880 That happened to my son, not to make this about me, but earlier this year, almost the 170 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,760 exact same scenario happened. 171 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,440 And I said, hey, I trust you guys. 172 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,680 You've done really great so far with all three of my kids and I appreciate it. 173 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:48,860 We'll see how this goes. 174 00:10:48,860 --> 00:10:56,000 And then a weekend they were like, we're thinking about moving him to another teacher. 175 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:57,000 Is that okay? 176 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,240 And I was like, yeah, absolutely. 177 00:10:58,240 --> 00:10:59,600 Let's move him. 178 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,560 I have a couple of questions if that's okay. 179 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,520 And then I'll let you go on. 180 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,440 Where is your son in birth order? 181 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:09,440 He's not the oldest. 182 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:10,440 Is he the youngest? 183 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:12,120 No, he's the second. 184 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:13,120 Second. 185 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:14,120 Okay. 186 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,480 Do you think that that had a big effect? 187 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,080 Let me ask it another way. 188 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:26,240 When I was younger, I did not have any experience with other siblings or children. 189 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,640 So when I had my first child, I didn't really notice right away that something was really 190 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:31,720 different. 191 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,280 Did that have an effect if you had more children before him? 192 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:39,200 It was easier to compare and notice where he might have some differences? 193 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:40,200 Yes. 194 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:47,720 I think that was a really good way for us to compare and contrast. 195 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:52,040 My wife also has a degree in elementary education. 196 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:53,040 Oh, wow. 197 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:54,040 Okay. 198 00:11:54,040 --> 00:12:01,240 So she had had some experience with teaching and had seen other kids. 199 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,360 She had, I think that's why she picked up on it a little quicker. 200 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:08,480 She was able to say, this seems a little different than these other kids that I've worked with 201 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:13,160 or that I've understood and known about. 202 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:21,760 And again, having that family in our church community where we knew that he had that neurodivergence 203 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,880 and that diagnosis, that we were able to talk to his parents and say, we're seeing this 204 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:27,320 in our son. 205 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,120 Can you tell us what you saw in your son? 206 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:32,480 And that was something that we were able to. 207 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,160 So again, it was very fortunate to have that. 208 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:39,440 But I do think it was really helpful for us to have a first kid and to say, okay, there's 209 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,000 some things here that are different than with our first kid. 210 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Okay. 211 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:45,000 That makes sense. 212 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,160 I'm also curious. 213 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:53,960 You are, again, the first person, not only our first dad, but also a first person to 214 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,280 bring up an experience with the church. 215 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:03,580 So if it's okay to ask it against Tommy, if it's not, I'm curious, was that a really warm 216 00:13:03,580 --> 00:13:09,880 and welcoming or did you get the impression that people were maybe less likely to talk 217 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,400 about what makes their kids different? 218 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:17,760 Or was it just because that that individual was also the pediatrician and also kind of 219 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:21,100 maybe more connected to your family? 220 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:28,000 I think that this family was a great family in a lot of different respects. 221 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,000 They're really outgoing. 222 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:33,880 They're really advocated for their son a lot. 223 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:41,080 And so it felt like it was a very natural role for them to talk to us and to advocate, 224 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,880 not just to advocate, but to educate us and to belong. 225 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:51,280 So as a general rule, I didn't feel like in the church community, it's kind of like everywhere 226 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:52,280 else. 227 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:58,200 You have people who get and understand other people who say things that are off or make 228 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:02,600 comments that are hurtful or it happens in our own families to you, right? 229 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:03,600 Yeah, definitely. 230 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:04,600 That's what I mean. 231 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:05,960 It's not this is across the board. 232 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:06,960 Sure. 233 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:07,960 Okay. 234 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:15,800 But I felt like this family was taking an educational role for us because they could 235 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,000 see how we were going through the same thing. 236 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,240 And so that was really where that and lots of support. 237 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:22,240 Yeah. 238 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:27,400 And I think that, you know, and that's something that I've tried to emulate and to do because 239 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,600 when I have, because we've had now people come to us and say, Hey, we know that your 240 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,200 son has this. 241 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:37,200 Can you, we're concerned or we have this question about our kids. 242 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:38,360 Like, what can we do? 243 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:39,800 You're the mentor now. 244 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,200 Yeah, it's really beneficial. 245 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,820 And first thing I tell them is go to iPoll, go talk to them. 246 00:14:44,820 --> 00:14:48,160 And then the next thing I tell them is, you know, whatever experience we can give. 247 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,680 We appreciate that. 248 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:56,080 But I think that that's, you know, so much of this is understanding that you're not alone 249 00:14:56,080 --> 00:15:02,400 in it because you feel alone in it and you feel like your kid is, I mean, there's a whole 250 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:03,840 bunch of questions that come up. 251 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:09,800 Like your kid is different than all the other kids, your kid, what does this mean for them 252 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,440 in school and in their lives and all these other things. 253 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:19,320 And so it's, it's just such a great opportunity to talk to somebody else, to have them say, 254 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,160 Hey, you're not the only one. 255 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:25,080 You know, your child is special, but they're not special. 256 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:31,760 But I feel like, you know, there's a lot of opportunities to be able to say, you're going 257 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:32,760 to get through this. 258 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:40,040 And not only that, but, but like I was saying at the beginning, it really, I really appreciate 259 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,400 the fact that I'm able to tell other parents who are struggling with this to say like, 260 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:49,420 look, our kid, my son is, is thriving in what he's doing. 261 00:15:49,420 --> 00:15:51,240 And it's, and it's great. 262 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:52,860 I'm so excited for him. 263 00:15:52,860 --> 00:15:57,920 And yeah, there are still struggles and there have been struggles in a little way, but he's, 264 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:02,920 he's doing so much that I think it helps other parents to see that and to say, Oh yeah, this 265 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:10,720 is not just going to be doom and gloom for, you know, it's not an educational death sentence 266 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:16,560 or, and I think that that's, you bring up a really good point at whether it's church, 267 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:22,520 home, school, as long as you continue to see the strengths in the child or the student 268 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:27,800 and you remind them and you build from them exactly like you said, anything is possible. 269 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:28,800 Yeah. 270 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,800 Two, two more questions. 271 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:32,800 Sorry. 272 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,360 Is, is your son elementary or middle school age? 273 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:37,360 Middle school. 274 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:42,440 How has that transition been for him from elementary school to middle school? 275 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,800 You know, we were really, really worried because, were you? 276 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:46,800 Yeah. 277 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:52,200 Because like, like I said, he is very, he's very self assured. 278 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:57,680 He does his own thing, but that also means that sometimes he misses out on those social 279 00:16:57,680 --> 00:16:58,680 cues. 280 00:16:58,680 --> 00:16:59,680 Sure, sure. 281 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:07,280 So we were concerned about how he would integrate in a middle school environment because we 282 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,000 all know what middle school was like. 283 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,000 It's terrible. 284 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:11,000 Yeah, it's terrible. 285 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:19,640 And so we, at that point he had gone off of his, and I can never remember what's the main 286 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,080 educational and is the IEP. 287 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:26,560 And the IEP is more, more regulated and than a 504. 288 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:31,400 So 504 is just accommodations and IEP is the adaptations and accommodations. 289 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:36,880 So he had actually in elementary school, he had gone off of his IEP and gone to a 504. 290 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:37,880 Wow. 291 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:38,880 Okay. 292 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:40,600 Towards the end of his elementary school experience. 293 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:49,640 So when we went to middle school, we still had some 504 meetings, but they were, but 294 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,040 it was much more relaxed because he didn't have as many accommodations. 295 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:54,040 Okay. 296 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:55,040 Okay. 297 00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:00,040 And we went to the first 504 meeting a couple months into school and we were just, my wife 298 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,440 and I went in and we're just like, okay, we're going to see what we hear here. 299 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,440 Cause you know, we asked him and he's like, school's fine. 300 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:06,440 I'm good. 301 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,040 Of the standard. 302 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,720 And that's a very, that's a very typical kid answer, right? 303 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:11,820 It was great. 304 00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:13,520 We had lunch and now I'm here. 305 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:14,520 Hi dad. 306 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:15,520 Yeah. 307 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,780 He's like, we did this and I talked to this kid and it was great. 308 00:18:17,780 --> 00:18:22,460 So we went in and we just said, okay, so how, how's he doing? 309 00:18:22,460 --> 00:18:25,400 And they were all, he's the greatest kid. 310 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,020 He volunteers. 311 00:18:27,020 --> 00:18:28,020 He works. 312 00:18:28,020 --> 00:18:31,480 He's, he's always working with other students. 313 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:38,200 You know, he's, he's, he's trying to answer questions and he's keeping up on his homework 314 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:39,640 because that was our biggest concern. 315 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:44,160 You know, it was the organizational component keeping up on the schoolwork. 316 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,760 You know, he was, and so he was doing really, really well. 317 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:51,360 And, and you know, we asked, how was he doing socially? 318 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:52,360 Does he seem like he has friends? 319 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:55,960 And like, oh yeah, he, he interacts well with the other kids. 320 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,240 And so it was a really, really good transition for him. 321 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:01,040 The only answer you wanted, right? 322 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,360 He's the glowing angel. 323 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:04,680 You're like, of course he is. 324 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,440 Glowing angel who actually, you know, does have friends too, because that's always, that's 325 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:10,440 the flip side. 326 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,760 I think that's where I kind of went when I was in junior high was I was, the kid was 327 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,160 always trying to answer the questions. 328 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,360 And so that kind of rubs some people the wrong way. 329 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,480 You were Hermione Granger. 330 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:27,480 And so I feel like he really had the benefit of, of going through that and then, and just 331 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,520 transitioning really well. 332 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:34,320 A benefit to that also was that his sister was also, his older sister was also at the 333 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:35,320 school. 334 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:36,320 Oh, okay. 335 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:37,320 So he had backup. 336 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,680 He kind of back up and he would kind of see her here and there and that was good. 337 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,400 But, but no, he had, he, he, he had a good transition. 338 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:49,680 He's been doing well in the middle school experience, which has just been really great. 339 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:50,680 Good. 340 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:55,840 And the reason I ask is a lot of families, they are very concerned about what happens 341 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:00,560 when they move to a bigger school where the children leave their class to go to another 342 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:02,040 classroom and have different teachers. 343 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,240 So I think that's going to be really reassuring to a lot of parents. 344 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:09,400 And then we'll have you back when he, when he moves up into high school to see if that 345 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,160 trend continues now that he's part of my longterm study, right? 346 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,920 Yeah, we will see about that. 347 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:21,560 I'm also really curious about family dynamics and I know that he's not the oldest, he's 348 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:28,240 not the youngest and that some of your children might also have some sensory or neurodivergence. 349 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,160 How, how has that been? 350 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:35,920 Do you, and I think the reason I'm asking is because in my personal family, my youngest 351 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:40,760 child looks out for her older siblings so much. 352 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:46,120 And if there are things that they're not quite grasping right away, she immediately jumps 353 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:51,640 in and mama bears them, like shepherds them to where they need to go. 354 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,200 Is that, do you have a similar experience? 355 00:20:54,200 --> 00:21:01,080 You know, the dynamics are interesting because like I said, my son is very self-determined. 356 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:02,280 So he has a morning routine. 357 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:08,760 He goes in, he does, he packs his lunch, packs his computer, gets everything all set up and, 358 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:09,760 and he just does that. 359 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,000 And at nighttime, it's the same thing. 360 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,880 He kind of gets his, when he has his routines locked, he just does his own thing. 361 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:23,360 And so I think for that reason, his siblings don't really feel a real need to kind of jump 362 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:29,960 in and do stuff for him because when it comes to those things, he just takes care of himself. 363 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,160 He sounds like he's like clockwork, like you could set your time by him. 364 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:34,720 Yeah, no, you, you kind of can. 365 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:40,320 We'll jokingly say it'll be 8 30 and we'll be looking around because you know, our other 366 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,080 kids are all, they're doing their typical kid thing where they're trying to stay up 367 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,120 as late as possible. 368 00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:46,960 An hour to brush their teeth. 369 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,680 And we look around and I'm like, where, where is he? 370 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,440 And he's down in bed because it's, he's tired. 371 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,200 Because that's what we do at 8 30. 372 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:56,800 We are in bed. 373 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:57,800 He's tired. 374 00:21:57,800 --> 00:21:58,800 He got ready for bed. 375 00:21:58,800 --> 00:21:59,800 He goes and gets in bed. 376 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,840 So, so there's less of that dynamic. 377 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:09,120 And interestingly, where our other kids have also had therapies and things like that, I 378 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:13,040 think it's helped to normalize those interventions. 379 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:19,480 And so, okay, less seen as something unknown or different. 380 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:20,480 Yeah. 381 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:21,480 And different. 382 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:23,880 It's just kind of like, oh, this is what we just part of growing up. 383 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:24,880 Yeah, we do this. 384 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:29,520 We, we go to the occupational therapist, we go to the counselor and, and, and it's actually 385 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:34,800 really helped because where other kids have asked, why, why am I going to this counselor? 386 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:39,080 You know, we were able to say, oh, well, your brother did that. 387 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,240 And he's, and I know, yeah, I guess he did do that. 388 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:44,440 And then we can kind of show and point that out. 389 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,120 And now look at all the things that he can do because he went and was able to talk about 390 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:49,120 it. 391 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:50,120 Right? 392 00:22:50,120 --> 00:22:51,120 Exactly. 393 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,440 Can I ask how you found iPoll? 394 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,760 Because from your story so far, it sounds like everything went along really, really 395 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,680 smoothly and there weren't a lot of hiccups. 396 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:05,760 Yeah, no, we were, again, this is a super rare blessing from heaven because there's 397 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,200 no way that, I mean, I've talked to enough parents to know that our story is. 398 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:11,200 You're the outlier. 399 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:12,200 The outlier. 400 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:17,640 Um, and, and I was actually trying to go back and remember how I heard about iPoll. 401 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:25,120 I believe that I got on an email mailing list or I had heard about, um, like a lunch training, 402 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,600 like a lunch webinar. 403 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,680 Um, and I'm an attorney, my profession. 404 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:34,760 And so there was something that popped up, might've been through family advocates and 405 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,640 the free program like that. 406 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:43,080 And I remembered I, I got on the email list and I signed up for a, like a lunchtime webinar 407 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:44,720 training. 408 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,620 And I was really impressed with what I had heard and seen. 409 00:23:48,620 --> 00:23:53,160 And so I just kind of kept following along with the email list and kind of, I'd sign 410 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,160 up for trainings here and there. 411 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,640 And I was just really, really impressed with what iPoll does. 412 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:04,960 And in my mind, I kept thinking if we didn't have the opportunities that we had had and 413 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:10,280 the families that were placed in our path and, and our experience, um, I would have 414 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:14,880 really loved, like iPoll would have done all of that for us perfectly. 415 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:20,120 Um, being able to talk with other parents, being able to understand the different interventions 416 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:23,840 and the different accommodations and supports that are available. 417 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:29,000 And so, um, I was looking for something personally that I could volunteer, give of myself. 418 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,480 Like, I felt like that was something that was lacking in my life. 419 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,320 Even though you were an attorney by profession and a father of four children, you were like, 420 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:37,320 what else can I do today? 421 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:38,320 What else can I do? 422 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:39,320 I'm bored. 423 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:45,240 Um, no, it was, it was more of just, as I understood more and more about what iPoll 424 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:52,640 did, I really appreciated that mission and that they weren't necessarily going out and 425 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:58,260 advocating for parents because as I said before, I feel like sometimes if you go in with your 426 00:24:58,260 --> 00:25:05,040 mindset on one certain outcome for your child, that can sometimes be detrimental. 427 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,240 Like there's times where you have to fight and there's times where you have to listen 428 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,240 to give something a shot first. 429 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:12,240 Yeah, exactly. 430 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:17,600 And so I really appreciated that that was iPoll's strategy and that is their methodology 431 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:23,680 is inform, educate, provide the tools that if you need to fight, you know, kind of where 432 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:28,880 to go and how to do it, but to not have that be just, you're going to get what you want 433 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,720 for your kid no matter what, a hundred percent. 434 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:38,720 And so that was kind of where I just kind of kept, it's kind of lurking background and 435 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:42,400 getting a lot of the benefits of the education and those things. 436 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:49,840 And so I decided to see if there was an opportunity for a board position. 437 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:55,340 And so I applied for that, talked with Angela, again, really appreciated her perspective 438 00:25:55,340 --> 00:25:59,640 and her attitude and strategy for the organization. 439 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:04,720 And I just really been really grateful to be a part of it to help out where I can. 440 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:06,060 You're definitely very helpful. 441 00:26:06,060 --> 00:26:10,000 You're always here every, every board meeting. 442 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:15,760 And I think as someone who has the luxury of having an office right next to the main 443 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:21,760 meeting room, there are some really good discussions where I'm like, I don't even think I would 444 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:27,600 have thought to have said that because not only are all of the board members active in 445 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:33,040 their community, come from all different kinds of professions, but we're all parents of children 446 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,000 with disabilities. 447 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,960 And so it's just really unique to have all of us in one room and go, oh, you're so right. 448 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:41,960 Or what a great idea. 449 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,840 Maybe I could do that for a podcast or we'll make a webinar about that. 450 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,960 Or I hadn't even heard that yet from our community. 451 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:49,960 And we're from all over the state, right? 452 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:52,240 Because I pull doesn't just serve Ada County. 453 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:53,240 Yeah. 454 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,920 And I think, I mean, I always learned so much. 455 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,920 I always feel like I'm the guy at the meetings. 456 00:26:58,920 --> 00:26:59,920 He was taking notes. 457 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,160 He was like, I got to realize what that acronym means. 458 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,720 And there's so much knowledge that comes out of it. 459 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,880 And I hopefully throw out some ideas once in a while that are helpful. 460 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:16,880 But there's so much that I've learned from this and from, like you said, interacting 461 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:24,080 with the other parents, interacting with the staff here, and just kind of opening my eyes 462 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:28,840 to a lot of different families' perspectives and their experiences. 463 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,120 Because it helps me give a wider appreciation. 464 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:39,120 I came to the work of art reception, which was so incredible to see these kids and what 465 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:40,120 they had done. 466 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:41,120 What they make. 467 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:42,120 It's so mind blowing. 468 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,120 It is way impressive. 469 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:44,120 The talent. 470 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:45,120 Yeah. 471 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:47,560 And just seeing like, it's things like that. 472 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:52,640 And so I got onto the board because I just thought, well, this is a great organization. 473 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,120 I'd like to help out as much as I can. 474 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:56,540 And let's just see where it goes. 475 00:27:56,540 --> 00:27:59,120 And then as I learned more and more about what I pulled in, I was like, oh no, this 476 00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:01,560 is a really, really, really cool organization. 477 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:03,280 We just took it to the next level. 478 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:04,280 Yeah. 479 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,440 There's so many cool things that are happening. 480 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:14,560 And so it's just a really great opportunity to be able to contribute however I can. 481 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,120 And especially from a lens of knowledge that you already had, because you already had that 482 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:19,520 experience as a parent. 483 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:25,040 I'm curious to know where you think iPoll could go or should go for the future. 484 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,440 Is there anything that stands out to you? 485 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:35,800 Well, I think at our last board meeting, we did an assessment of, it was like a nonprofit 486 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:40,600 assessment as to like, we looked at, it was like a matrix. 487 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:45,320 And it said, is your nonprofit financially and leadership wise? 488 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:49,960 And it was like on a spectrum of one to five, like one being deficient. 489 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,080 Oh, okay. 490 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:57,640 And what I remembered seeing was that there was two classifications and one was like, 491 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:02,240 it was something like rising up or ascending, you know? 492 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:09,400 And as we all kind of took this on our own and compared notes, it was really exciting 493 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:15,700 because I pulled it to this stage where it is, I feel like it's primed and ready to really 494 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:17,200 just take off. 495 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:18,200 Blast off. 496 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,520 Because it's, the foundation is all there, like the staff is all there. 497 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:28,160 And as you're looking at what's organizationally happening, it's, you know, we're starting 498 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:34,440 to build out into more funding and more, I think it's really watching Angela's role go 499 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:40,560 from more of kind of in the trenches, working with staff to being much more administrative, 500 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,860 but then facilitating a lot of those other things that can happen. 501 00:29:43,860 --> 00:29:49,760 And so I've been really excited because I feel like with some additional push and some 502 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:55,820 additional, you know, like we're making good relationships with other organizations, we're 503 00:29:55,820 --> 00:30:03,000 being recognized throughout the state and throughout the region as really being a beneficial 504 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:04,360 program. 505 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:08,000 And those things just seem to be growing and building on each other. 506 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:12,840 And you know, when I came onto the board, I think it was 2020, so you know, there's 507 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:13,840 a lot of people in the middle of COVID. 508 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:14,840 He's COVID. 509 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:15,840 He's COVID. 510 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:20,800 It wasn't until we had that train like a year, maybe a year and a half later when I actually 511 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,320 met people in person. 512 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:27,840 But it was interesting because we kind of were struggling to have board members and 513 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:34,320 we were, and a lot of our talk was how do we recruit more board members? 514 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:39,000 And in the past six months, we've had four or five just excellent board members come 515 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:45,000 on who have heard about us and who have come on and are bringing a lot to the table. 516 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,080 And that's really exciting from my perspective. 517 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,440 I agree completely because I'll walk in the room and I'll be like, well, not only do I 518 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:56,360 not know half the people sitting here, but then when I meet them, like the background, 519 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:00,280 everyone is so different and brings so much. 520 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:05,140 And some people have had the opportunity to get services in several different states. 521 00:31:05,140 --> 00:31:09,840 And so we can chat about, you know, compare and contrast what that was like. 522 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:15,600 And then, I mean, unfortunately, if I remember correctly, you're still the only guy. 523 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:17,800 So there's some area of opportunity there. 524 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:19,560 Shout out to you guys. 525 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:20,560 Tell your husbands. 526 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:21,560 Tell your husbands. 527 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:27,080 No, I think, but that has been really cool to see the, just from the board's perspective, 528 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:34,560 the board growing and seeing what the staff are doing and how they're able to develop 529 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:38,720 with what they're doing, like with what you're doing with the podcasts and everything and 530 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:43,720 all these other opportunities that just EIPL has to grow. 531 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:49,640 And so, like I said, taking that survey, it was really cool to see that, you know, there 532 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:54,080 wasn't anything, I don't think there was anything that was deficient or like needs work. 533 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,840 It was all like going up and rising or doing well. 534 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:03,000 And so it really feels like there's a really good vision and there's really good opportunity 535 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:12,400 to kind of grow EIPL to be a really, really strong leader in parent advocacy and education. 536 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:16,200 That's really, really, really exciting, especially to hear from a board member, because we say 537 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,480 it to each other all the time, like, we're doing the best, we're going places. 538 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:23,400 But then to hear it from someone who's on the fringes. 539 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:24,560 Yeah. 540 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,240 We really appreciate it. 541 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:31,560 Any parting thoughts or words of wisdom or any other pieces of your son's story that 542 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:33,840 you didn't share that you want to pop in? 543 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:38,880 I think the main thing is just that you have to have faith in your own intuition. 544 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,440 You have to have faith in the providers around you. 545 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,560 You have to have faith in your child. 546 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:54,160 And when you, like, I think it's a very easy thing to worry a lot about what your child 547 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:59,760 should have or isn't having or, you know, where they aren't right now. 548 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:05,200 And I've just learned that for me, the more that I do everything I can and then kind of 549 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:11,920 balance it with what everybody else is doing as well, and just kind of trusting in those 550 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,080 people around you that you know you can trust in. 551 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:18,320 I think you made that point earlier when you were talking about your child and how, you 552 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:23,280 know, the providers, the education, the educational providers said, hey, let's try this. 553 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:24,280 Right. 554 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:27,800 And you said, I've seen how you care about my kids. 555 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,880 I've seen what you're trying to do. 556 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:35,640 I can trust you to maybe do something that wasn't my game plan to come in with. 557 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:38,160 And I think that trust has to be earned, obviously. 558 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,600 Like, you can't just, you know, if you're feeling that you're... 559 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:44,800 Because that's, again, that sometimes is an outlier. 560 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:49,280 There's a lot of times where educational system, and we've had it in our situation too, where 561 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,360 sometimes they don't get it or it's not working out. 562 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:59,080 But where you can trust in those people, I think, you know, lightening that load by saying, 563 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:04,040 you know what, let's do this together instead of I have to have all the answers. 564 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:06,960 It's a psychological burden that's lifted. 565 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:13,960 And I think it just helps your kids to understand that it's...that everybody's pulling for them. 566 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:14,960 Exactly. 567 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:15,960 Yeah. 568 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:16,960 Lean on people if you have them, right? 569 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:17,960 Mm-hmm. 570 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:18,960 Couldn't have said it better myself. 571 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:25,440 But I think it's cool. 572 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,680 Thanks so much to you out there for listening in. 573 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:36,640 If you are in Idaho or planning on moving to Idaho and you have any questions on systems 574 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:41,160 or supports or services for children with disabilities, please reach out to iPoll on 575 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:45,880 our website at ipulidaho.org. 576 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:47,480 Be sure to come back next time. 577 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,280 Until then, I'm Allison, and this has been Unlimited Parenting. 578 00:34:51,280 --> 00:35:18,280 Thanks for listening.