Breaking Through Special Needs Christine Astarita

In this episode, I sit down to speak with Peyton Waszkiewicz, who is a young teen, sharing her story of what it was and is like growing up alongside her sister with a disability. She shares her story and her experiences, and how they've molded her into who she is today. 

Highlights from this episode: 


Peyton describes what challenges she faced growing up and how they have changed as she's gotten older.
She discusses what unique things she's gained from being an older Sib and shares how she couldn't imagine  life any differently.
She describes how being involved in Sibshops has changed her life and helped her connect with other people who "get it".

If you'd like to find out more about our SibShops or Resources we can help provide, head here: 

>>More Information on SibShops At Breakthrough>Click here to get your copy!

Today's special guest is Amy McCoy, who is an Autism parent, disability advocate, and children's author of her series "Little Big Sister". "Little Big Sister" shares the sibling perspective of growing up with a brother who has special needs. Amy's children, Matthew and Kathryn, are the inspirations for her books and work. She shares not only her journey as mom, but also her mission in educating children so that they can understand what it is like for those who grow up alongside a sibling with special needs or disabilities. 

Highlights from this episode:


Amy describes her journey as a mom navigating the world of finding answers for her son and how her challenges have given her perspective and helped her stay grounded.

You’ll hear how she came up with and developed her “Little Big Sister” book series and how she hopes it will influence not only “super siblings” in feeling supported and that they aren’t alone, but also using it as a disability education tool for those without the same experience to be more open-minded and understanding

A run through the 8 major struggles of siblings to brothers and sisters with special needs and disabilities and 6 tips for parents to help support their super sibling(s).


Stay tuned the whole episode - there is not a single part of this that is not valuable!

You can find Amy and learn more or to purchase her books:

Website: littlebigsisterbook.com

FB: LittleBigSisterBook

IG: @little_big_sister_book

Twitter: @AmyMcCoy19



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To find out more about Sibling Support Programs, click HERE! 

If you've been listening, I'd love to hear what you think or topics you want to hear more about! Let me know what you think in the reviews or please contact me via email: christine@breakthroughptli.com. Thanks for being here :)!

We are still highlighting the month of March for Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, so here is another episode to highlight a super special woman, Irene Dashiell, LCSW. Irene is a licensed clinical social worker who works in our community running her own counseling practice to help the disability community. She herself also lives with a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy.

In this episode, she shares:

- Her beautiful story of learning to accept her disability and adapt to the outside world growing up and how that’s helped her throughout her life.

- The role her mother played as advocate in her life and how that has influenced her to not use her disability as an excuse. 

- How she’s taken accountability and responsibility over her own life which has allowed her to overcome obstacles and negative perspectives.

She is an incredible woman with an amazing story to share so I hope you enjoy listening in!

How to find Irene: 

Website: https://www.hopebeginsherepsychotherapy.com

Phone: 631-289-8765

FB: Hope Begins Here Psychotherapy

IG: @idashiellrlcsw

Find us on social:

FB: @breakthrough intensive physical therapy

IG: @breakthroughintensivept

Web: breakthroughptli.com

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, so to kick it off here’s an interview with a very special young woman in our local community, Kim, who lives with the diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. She shares her story with us including the challenges she faced growing up and how they’ve changed as she’s gotten older. She also opens up about her feelings of isolation, how her disability doesn’t hold her back, and what she wants others to know about what it’s like to live with a disability.

As per the CDC from December 2020, Cerebral Palsy is the most common motor disability within children. Nearly 4 per 1,000 births are diagnosed with CP globally and 1 in 345 births are diagnosed within the United States. Hopefully those statistics demonstrate just how frequent this diagnosis is, yet there still is a lack of awareness and *here’s the important part* lack of acceptance of those with this disability. So for the month of March - gear up because we are going to be sharing stories and different perspectives of Cerebral Palsy that I’m sure will resonate with so many of you!

Find us on social: 

FB: @breakthrough intensive physical therapy 

IG: @breakthroughintensivept

Web: breakthroughptli.com 

In this episode, I sit down to speak with Jess Kruger, who is not only a member of the Breakthrough Team, but also an adult Sib to her two brothers diagnosed with Autism. You'll get to listen in as she tells her story of what it was like for her growing up and not only her experiences, but the emotions she faced throughout her childhood and what she continues to face now. She even dives into stories from our very own SibShops and describes the intentional effort to help these children and young adults recognize their emotions and cope with them while helping them to know they aren't alone on their journeys. 



Highlights from this episode: 


Jess describes her unique experiences growing up alongside both her older brother, Matt, with Autism and other mental health diagnoses, as well as her younger brother, Nick, and how those experiences differed as she navigated hospitalizations, behavioral outbursts, family trips, and everything in between.
How she learned to navigate the challenges she faced as a child and how those challenges have morphed as she gets older and responsibilities change. 
How finding SibShops has helped her to not feel alone, as well as make intentional impact by mentoring younger Sibs facing similar experiences. 



If you'd like to find out more about our SibShops or Resources we can help provide, head to: https://www.breakthroughptli.com/sibshop/ !

Listen into my conversation with Gemma Cardona, founder of Paddy’s Purpose, who joins us from the UK. Gemma is a mom of 3, with her son Patrick with disabilities and how that’s changed her world and sparked a fire in her to speak out on disability for a more inclusive world. 

She also bravely shares:

-Her unique journey of combatting her own health issues related to caring for her son

-How she hopes to make a positive impact moving forward with access to resources and information

-What she would tell other parents in her shoes about grief, time, and navigating your journey with balance between caregiver versus parent. 

We dive into so many topics - all of which are not typically spoken about. Hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did! You can find Gemma on social media @ Paddy’s Purpose for more information!