Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

Amy Bodkin EdS

Welcome to the Special Needs Kids are People Too! Podcast with Amy Bodkin, EdS. Amy is an Autistic adult who also happens to be a School Psychologist turned Special Needs Consultant and Public Speaker! Amy is an Advocate for seeing every child as a person, not a diagnosis because a special needs kid is just like any other child, just more so! You can find out more about Amy’s advocacy work at AmyBodkin.com.

  1. 4d ago

    S6E84: Interview with Amy's Mom

    Today's episode is an Interview with Amy's Mom!  It is the first episode of our 6th season in which we will be talking about raising kids with disabilities from childhood to adulthood! You get to hear about raising kids with disabilities all the time from Amy, but what does her mom have to say about what it was like raising Amy? Join us as my mom shares some of the challenges, joys, and just her own unique perspective on raising me!  Check out the Show Notes for a coupon code and link to Amy's Special Needs Membership! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-84 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  2. Mar 6

    S5E83: Building a Life You Love

    Today's episode is about Building a Life You Love... or what we typically call Transitional Planning when talking about teenagers! The timing of this episode is perfect because I have a new Boost Packet coming out soon called Transitional Planning: Testing, IEPs, and Transcripts! One of the things that I think is most important when it comes to Building a Life You Love is self-knowledge!! Self-knowledge keeps us from making a lot of unnecessary mistakes. But how do we magically gain this self-knowledge? One of the resources I like to use is assessment tools, including tests such as: Intelligence, Achievement, Personality, Executive Functioning, etc. Sometimes assessments like these can be cost prohibitive, and that is why I offer them through my membership to make self-knowledge more accessible! Join me as I share how marching to the beat of your own drum can end up being the best thing you ever do!  Check out the Show Notes for links to Amy's Transitional Planning Boost Packet and Special Needs Membership! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-83 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  3. Feb 20

    S5E82: Neurodivergent Homeschooling

    Today we are talking all about Neurodivergent Homeschooling!! Given that kids with disabilities in the United States are bullied 2-3 TIMES MORE than neurotypical kids, I'm not shocked that so many neurodivergent parents choose to homeschool their own neurodivergent children! And honestly, given those numbers... no one has ANY place to tell you that you shouldn't homeschool your neurodivergent child. That's on all of the people who choose to either bully or turn a blind eye to bullying in schools! Obviously, I feel strongly about the bullying that happens in our schools, but that isn't what this episode is about. It's about Neurodivergent Homeschooling: why we make the choices we do, what it can look like, and how to make it EASIER!!! And if you only homeschooled during COVID and thought it was miserable, I've got good news -- our homeschool doesn't look anything like that!! It's more like having a forever summer break! Join me as I share some of the resources I have created to help parents just like you homeschool their neurodivergent kids with confidence... even when you don't have executive functioning skills!  Check out the Show Notes for links to Amy's Membership and to other resources mentioned in this podcast! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-82 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  4. Feb 6

    S5E81: How to Keep House While Drowning

    How to Keep House While Drowning is a book by KC Davis that I am currently reading with the young adults in my membership!  We already had a book club for parents and a book club for kids, but our kids that are becoming young adults felt a little left out. And I couldn't think of a better book to start with because "adulting" can be really hard when you are a young neurodivergent adult! Actually it can still be hard if you consider yourself an old neurodivergent adult! But it is much harder before we gain much self-knowledge and learn to drop the guilt and baggage from the careless comments of others such as "You are so lazy!"  Join me as I share some hacks I've used to help me figure out how to keep house while drowning!  Check out the Show Notes for links to Amy's Membership and to other resources mentioned in this podcast! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-81 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  5. Jan 30

    S5E80: Advocacy - The Road Less Traveled

    Today's episode is all about Advocacy: The Road Less Traveled! There is nothing that will protect you more in life than learning self-advocacy skills.  Unfortunately, we often sabotage children in developing self-advocacy by insisting on compliance training because compliance is the anti-thesis of self-advocacy! It is often taking the road less traveled that makes all the difference in outcomes for ourselves and our children! And we should not be afraid step out from conventional wisdom. Join me today as I share some of the things I have learned about Advocacy: The Road Less Traveled! Check out the Show Notes for a link to Amy's Resources! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-80 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  6. Jan 23

    S5E79: Dyslexia & Hyperlexia

    Today's episode is all about Dyslexia & Hyperlexia!  You may have heard of dyslexia, but you might be wondering exactly what hyperlexia is.  In the context we are talking about them today, they are both opposing strengths and weaknesses in working memory.  As I have watched my children grow up, I have gotten to observe up close what hyperlexia and dyslexia look like, as I have one of each. But does this really impact us as neurodivergent adults? Turns out, it has a HUGE impact on us in adulthood, even if we have already finished our formal education! How we learn affects what careers we are attracted to, how we spend our recreational hours, and how we solve problems in life! Are we stuck with our weaknesses in working memory? Yes and no. It is unlikely you will develop a strength in a weak area, but you can always improve! Join me today and learn more about Dyslexia & Hyperlexia... and about some inexpensive resources for strengthening your weaknesses in working memory! Check out the Show Notes for a link to Amy's Resources! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-79 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  7. 12/12/2025

    S5E78: Executive Functioning

    Today's episode is all about Executive Functioning!  Executive functioning skills are tools we use every day to get things done, but for a lot of neurodivergent people, some of these skills are lacking. Personally, out of 12 executive functioning skills, I have about 3 that work really well (and that's on a good day). The rest have varied levels of deficiency. Given that I am now in my 40s, I seriously doubt that I will be gaining any new strengths in executive functioning, but that doesn't mean I'm doomed to failure! The key is to focus on the strengths you do have and how you can make the most of them, allowing you to approach life with confidence! Join me today and learn more about the various executive functioning skills and how you can make the strengths you have work for you! Check out the Show Notes for a link to Amy's Resources! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-78 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

  8. 12/05/2025

    S5E77: Neurodivergent Parenthood

    Today's episode is Neurodivergent Parenthood, which seems appropriate after our previous episode, Neurodiverent Love & Marriage. Doesn't the saying go, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage?" One of the best things about being a neurodivergent parent is that often neurodivergent parents create neurodivergent kids, and that means you get to create an entire community where it is normal to be neurodivergent!! That is something I would have loved to have as a child, and I am certain that I am not alone in that desire! Having a community where you feel like you belong is so important for healthy development and it is something many autistics miss out on! Parenting neurodivergent kids is often a lot easier for neurodivergent parents (despite having our own challenges) because we can relate to our child's experiences a little more easily at times, or at least have a frame of reference! Personally, I have loved having the opportunity to be a parent! It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but I do find that neurodivergent parents do often tend to approach the parent-child relationship as a partnership and even a friendship! Join us today and hear more about Neurodivergent Parenthood! Check out the Show Notes for a links to Amy's Resources! Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-77 For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website: Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

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About

Welcome to the Special Needs Kids are People Too! Podcast with Amy Bodkin, EdS. Amy is an Autistic adult who also happens to be a School Psychologist turned Special Needs Consultant and Public Speaker! Amy is an Advocate for seeing every child as a person, not a diagnosis because a special needs kid is just like any other child, just more so! You can find out more about Amy’s advocacy work at AmyBodkin.com.

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