Inchstones with Sarah | Autism Advocacy & Caregiver Stories

Sarah Kernion | Profound Autism Mom and Caregiver Advocate
  • 5.0 (41)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Biweekly

INCHSTONES is a podcast about caregiver stories, nonverbal autism, and the realities of special needs parenting—hosted by Sarah Kernion, a mother raising two children with profound, non-speaking autism. Here, we talk honestly about the parts of autism and disability parenting that don't always fit neatly into an inspirational story: caregiver burnout, grief and acceptance, communication, sensory needs, advocacy, family dynamics, therapies, education, sibling relationships, and the uncertainty of raising children with significant support needs. But INCHSTONES is also about learning to recognize progress differently. Because when you're parenting a child with profound or nonverbal autism, the moments that change everything aren't always traditional milestones. Sometimes they're the inchstones: a new form of communication, a regulated transition, a moment of connection, a life skill practiced for the hundredth time, or something your child does today that once felt impossible. Through candid caregiver stories and conversations with parents, physicians, therapists, researchers, educators, advocates, and autistic voices, Sarah explores the questions families are actually asking about autism, special needs parenting, profound autism care, autism communication, caregiver mental health, autism therapy options, special education, sensory support, and life beyond childhood. There are no perfect answers here. There are real families, complicated conversations, practical insights, hard truths, unexpected joy, and a community that understands that progress doesn't have to look typical to matter. If you're raising an autistic child, parenting a nonverbal or nonspeaking child, navigating profound support needs, or looking for honest conversations about special needs family life, welcome to INCHSTONES. Because milestones aren't the only measure of a meaningful life.

  1. 1d ago

    Belonging Is More Than Being Allowed in the Room | Brooks Herring on Disability & Music

    What does disability inclusion look like when nobody is trying to make a statement—they're simply helping someone fully enjoy the moment? Nashville singer-songwriter, Navy veteran and former physical therapist Brooks Herring joins Sarah Kernion after a video of him singing a young woman's favorite song directly to her reached millions of people. Brooks shares how his relationship with disability was shaped by his younger brother Mark, who has Down syndrome, and why music has become one of the ways he creates connection across disability, veterans' communities and live audiences. Sarah and Brooks talk about accessible experiences, controlling the environment when outings feel overwhelming, the power of favorite songs and why the smallest moments can become enormous. Because belonging isn't simply being allowed into the room. It's getting to fully live in the room once you're there. Topics Discussed: disability inclusion, disability family stories, sibling relationships, Down syndrome, special needs siblings, inclusive communities, music and disability, accessible live music, disability advocacy, nonverbal communication, caregiver experiences, sensory-friendly outings, community participation, sibling advocacy, veterans, physical rehabilitation, joy, belonging, inclusion, sobriety, role models and meaningful moments. Key Questions Answered 1. What does authentic disability inclusion look like in everyday life? 2. How did having a brother with Down syndrome shape Brooks Herring's perspective? 3. Why did Brooks' interaction with a young woman with disabilities resonate with millions of people? 4. What can music offer when spoken language isn't the primary form of connection? 5. How can caregivers make live music experiences more accessible or manageable? 6. Why can quieter times and smaller environmental changes make community participation easier? 7. What can artists do to help people with disabilities feel genuinely welcome? 8. Why are seemingly small moments sometimes enormous for people with disabilities and their families? 9. What's the difference between access and belonging? 10. How can siblings and allies become meaningful advocates without making disability about themselves? Resources Brooks Herring Follow Brooks Herring for his music, live performances and work connecting with audiences through music. Watch the Viral Video INCHSTONES Podcast Subscribe to the INCHSTONES Podcast for caregiver stories and honest conversations about special needs parenting, profound autism, disability, inclusion, communication, caregiver wellbeing and building meaningful lives for people with significant support needs. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Brooks Herring and the viral moment(00:01:24) - Growing up with brother Mark and finding connection(00:04:04) - The story behind the viral 'Every Rose Has a Thorn' video(00:06:02) - Nonverbal communication and the power of the moment going viral(00:07:36) - The Buddy Cruise and gaining perspective through disability community(00:08:56) - Presence, music therapy, and the healing power of music(00:11:48) - Making music venues welcoming for people with disabilities(00:13:37) - Sobriety and being a positive role model(00:14:03) - Controlling environment and celebrating small joyful moments(00:16:38) - Closing reflections on moments, meaning, and gratitude

    Belonging Is More Than Being Allowed in the Room | Brooks Herring on Disability & Music

  2. Sep 29

    Who Will Care for My Child When I Can’t? Building a Future for Profound Autism with Nicole Milo

    Who will care for my child when I can't? For parents raising children with profound autism, the question of adulthood can feel impossibly far away—until suddenly it isn't. Nicole Milo's son Caleb entered residential care at five and spent 17 years living hours from his family. As adulthood approached, Nicole confronted the disability-services cliff and realized the existing options didn't match the life she envisioned for him. So she began building another one. Nicole joins Sarah Kernion to discuss profound autism, residential care, guardianship, adult services, caregiver grief, advocacy, collaboration and House of Hope, the micro-residential model she created to bring Caleb back to his community. This is a conversation about planning long before 21—and allowing ourselves to ask a question many exhausted parents have stopped asking: What would the best possible adult life for my child actually look like? Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Nicole Milo and House of Hope(00:01:21) - The emotional toll of raising a child with profound autism(00:03:37) - Sending Caleb to residential school and the guilt of distance(00:05:59) - Learning to surrender and trust caregivers(00:07:16) - Deciding to build a solution before the cliff hits(00:09:28) - Facing fear and committing to action despite uncertainty(00:12:00) - Faith, grace, and pushing through weakness(00:13:27) - Collaborative advocacy instead of adversarial fighting(00:16:10) - Give and take with schools and agencies(00:18:38) - Facing judgment from the community over resources(00:20:20) - The transition cliff and guardianship challenges(00:21:22) - Designing the micro residential model and staffing gaps(00:24:18) - Helping other families find hope and vision(00:27:25) - Closing reflections and gratitude

    Who Will Care for My Child When I Can’t? Building a Future for Profound Autism with Nicole Milo

  3. Sep 24

    Stop Holding It All in Your Head | Allison Dickin of Neuraparent

    Parents of neurodivergent children become extraordinary observers. We notice what happened before the meltdown, how our child slept, what changed at school, which transition was difficult and what worked last time. The problem? We're also exhausted...and much of that knowledge lives entirely inside our heads. Allison Dickin, mother, UX researcher and founder of Neuraparent, joins Sarah Kernion to explore how AI can help parents recognize patterns without pretending technology knows their child better than they do. They discuss behavior as information, why generic parenting advice often fails neurodivergent children, reducing the cognitive load of tracking, trusting parental expertise, and using technology to turn thousands of small observations into greater clarity. The goal isn't to optimize or “solve” our children. It's to remain curious about them and give what we're already noticing somewhere to live. Parents of neurodivergent children become data collectors almost by accident. We remember the difficult transition before a meltdown, the night of poor sleep, the food our child didn't eat, the strategy that worked twice but failed the third time, the teacher's observation and the subtle shift nobody else would necessarily notice. The information is valuable. The person carrying it is also exhausted Allison's path began with her own son. Generic advice about boundaries, consequences and rewards didn't adequately explain what she was seeing. A major shift came when she encountered Ross Greene's idea that children do well when they can. Instead of asking how to stop a behavior, Allison began asking what might be getting in her child's way.That same curiosity became foundational to Neuraparent. Rather than asking exhausted parents to maintain elaborate spreadsheets, the platform allows them to quickly record what they're noticing and, over time, look for larger patterns: What consistently helps this child? What makes things harder? Which parenting strategies seem to backfire?  Sarah and Allison also confront an important tension in the age of AI. More data isn't automatically better, and technology shouldn't become another demand for optimization. The promise isn't that an algorithm will know a child better than their parent. It's that technology might help organize what the parent already knows. Because parental intuition isn't the opposite of data. Often, it's where the data begins. Topics Discussed Neurodivergent parenting, AI and parenting, parenting technology, pattern recognition, caregiver cognitive load, parental intuition, behavior as communication, ADHD parenting, autistic children, meltdowns, emotional regulation, caregiver regulation, parenting strategies, IEP advocacy, parent expertise, caregiver burnout, parenting data, child behavior patterns, individualized parenting, Ross Greene, collaborative parenting, caregiver confidence and tracking progress. Download NeuraParent Here and Get Started Today! Subscribe to the INCHSTONES Podcast for caregiver stories, conversations about nonverbal autism, and honest perspectives on special needs parenting, profound autism, communication, behavior, caregiver mental health, education, advocacy, technology and raising children with significant support needs. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Alison Dicken and Neuroparent(00:01:48) - Alison's Parenting Journey and Early Struggles(00:05:01) - Shifting Perspectives: Kids Do Well If They Can(00:06:41) - Believing Your Child and Trusting Your Observations(00:07:58) - Technology, Data Overload, and Optimization(00:09:18) - How Neuroparent's Check-In Feature Works(00:10:33) - Outsourcing Mental Load and Staying Regulated(00:12:05) - Parents as Experts and the Value of Validation(00:13:31) - Advocacy, Confidence, and Using Data to Empower Parents(00:15:39) - Vision for Neuroparent Across the Parenting Journey(00:17:06) - Closing Thoughts and Gratitude

    Stop Holding It All in Your Head | Allison Dickin of Neuraparent

  4. Sep 22

    What Good ABA Should Actually Look Like | Leah Gross of Circle Care Services

    What should good ABA therapy actually look like in 2026? Leah Gross, founder of Circle Care Services and an occupational therapist and BCBA, joins Sarah Kernion to discuss how ABA has evolved and why autism therapy should be individualized, collaborative, compassionate, and built around the whole child. Leah brings sensory regulation, environment, play, communication, and behavior into the same conversation. She and Sarah discuss behavior as communication, why parents must help shape the care plan, how skills should generalize into real family life, and the difference between building agency and simply teaching compliance. For parents navigating ABA, the question becomes less “Is ABA good or bad?” and more: Does this therapy help my child communicate, feel safe, build meaningful skills, and participate more fully in their own life? Chapters (00:00:00) - Introducing Leah Gross and the Debate Around ABA(00:01:37) - Leah's Journey from OT to BCBA(00:05:35) - Blending OT and ABA: Seeing the Whole Child(00:08:59) - Founding Circle Care Services(00:11:15) - How Modern ABA Has Evolved(00:13:08) - What Excellent Modern ABA Looks Like(00:15:16) - Environment, Motivation, and Flexible Care Settings(00:19:25) - The Onboarding Process at Circle Care(00:21:09) - Care Coordinators and Continuity of Support(00:23:39) - Why Parent Involvement Is Central to Success(00:25:42) - Generalizing Skills Into Real Family Life(00:27:26) - Understanding Behavior as Communication(00:29:42) - Debunking ABA Myths and Embracing Child-Led Play(00:31:14) - Closing Thoughts: Goals, Growth, and Gratitude

    What Good ABA Should Actually Look Like | Leah Gross of Circle Care Services

  5. Sep 17

    What If It’s Not “Just Autism”? Looking at the Whole Child with Greer McGuinness

    When a nonspeaking autistic child can't reliably tell you their stomach hurts, they're exhausted, or something feels different, how do parents make sure everything happening in their body isn't simply attributed to autism? Greer McGuinness, registered dietitian, functional medicine practitioner, founder of Biomedical Healing for Kids, and autism mom, joins Sarah Kernion to explore that question. Greer shares her son's developmental regression, her search for answers, and why she began looking more closely at nutrition, gut health, testing, and co-occurring medical concerns. They discuss the tension between conventional and functional medicine, individualized care, caregiver observation, and why supporting a child's health doesn't require rejecting or trying to “fix” who they are. The question underneath it all: Are we looking at the whole child? In This Episode 00:00 When everything gets attributed to autism 01:31 Greer's son's early development and regression 04:45 Receiving an autism diagnosis and questioning what changed 05:34 Following the traditional autism therapy path 06:23 The friend who introduced Greer to biomedical conversations 07:48 Studying functional medicine and autism research 09:16 Beginning supplements and noticing changes in her son 10:36 Using data to track progress 12:03 Where Greer starts with families: nutrition and gut health 13:17 Co-occurring medical conditions versus “just autism” 14:54 What do we actually know about the gut and autism? 15:42 Why Greer wants conventional and functional medicine to work together 16:40 Supporting health versus trying to “cure” autism 18:20 Profound support needs and communication 20:00 Why another family's success doesn't predict your child's response 20:38 When a popular protocol made things worse for Greer's son 21:40 Parent intuition, experimentation, and discernment 22:35 Working with conventional and functional practitioners 24:11 Why parents often look to doctors for permission 25:03 When Greer disagreed with her developmental pediatrician 27:30 Standard of care versus individualized care 28:27 Looking at an autistic child's health isn't the same as trying to fix autism 29:47 Greer's resources for families Topics Discussed Profound autism, nonspeaking autism, developmental regression, functional medicine, biomedical approaches to autism, nutrition, gut health, gut microbiome, feeding challenges, constipation, sleep, co-occurring medical conditions, supplements, individualized care, caregiver observation, parent advocacy, conventional medicine, functional testing, autism research, and whole-child health. Key Questions Answered 1. How can parents distinguish autism-related differences from possible medical problems? 2. What does a biomedical or functional medicine approach to autism actually mean? 3. Where does Greer suggest families begin when exploring whole-child health? 4. Why does she focus on nutrition and gastrointestinal health? 5. What can constipation, sleep changes, feeding issues, or behavior potentially tell parents? 6. Why can the same supplement or protocol affect children differently? 7. How can parents document changes rather than relying solely on memory? 8. Can conventional and functional medicine work together? 9. How can parents advocate when their clinician disagrees with an approach they want to explore? 10. Can parents accept their autistic child while still investigating pain, discomfort, or co-occurring health problems? Resources Greer McGuinness holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Detox Specialist, Certified Master Herbalist, Certified Lyme Specialist, and a Certified Mental Health Specialist. Based in New York, she owns Biomedical Healing for Kids, a vi... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introducing Greer Guinness and the episode topic(00:01:07) - Her son's regression and diagnosis journey(00:03:00) - Being told 'this is just how autism presents'(00:06:20) - Discovering biomedical Facebook groups(00:07:44) - Diving into functional medicine and grad school research(00:09:16) - First breakthrough: son writing his ABCs(00:10:08) - Tracking data and measurable progress(00:11:13) - Where to start: gut health and nutrition foundations(00:13:10) - Co-occurring conditions vs 'just part of autism'(00:14:40) - Uncertainty in gut-brain science(00:15:41) - Bridging functional and mainstream medicine for kids(00:16:34) - Responding to 'different, not less' criticism(00:17:29) - A father's story of communication breakthrough(00:18:41) - Honoring maternal intuition and individualized data(00:19:46) - The Nemechek protocol experience: good, bad, and ugly(00:21:19) - Trusting mom gut instincts on treatments(00:22:27) - Advocating with pediatricians as a bridge(00:24:48) - Facing dismissiveness from a developmental pediatrician(00:26:50) - Demanding respect as a parent and clinician(00:27:22) - Standard of care vs individualized treatment(00:28:49) - Closing thoughts and resources

    What If It’s Not “Just Autism”? Looking at the Whole Child with Greer McGuinness

  6. Sep 15

    Your Child’s Anxiety Isn’t the Enemy | Jennifer Cohen Harper

    What if the goal isn't to make your child's anxiety disappear? Jennifer Cohen Harper, founder of Little Flower Yoga, joins Sarah Kernion to explore childhood anxiety, nervous system regulation, sensory overwhelm, mindfulness, and what children actually need from us when they're struggling. Jennifer reframes anxiety as information rather than an enemy and explains why reassurance like “you're okay” or “take a deep breath” may not reach a child whose nervous system is already overwhelmed. Instead, parents can reduce overstimulation, increase connection, use sensory anchors, and first regulate themselves. This conversation explores the difference between supporting and accommodating anxiety, why overwhelmed children often cannot learn in the hardest moment, and how parents can build capacity without making children feel they need to be fixed. The inchstone? Ask yourself: What is my role right now? In This Episode 00:00 Why the goal isn't eliminating childhood anxiety 02:01 Navigating anxiety instead of trying to make it disappear 03:18 Anxiety is information 05:37 Normal anxiety versus anxiety that disrupts daily life 06:14 Supporting children without doing everything for them 08:10 Two things that make anxiety worse: overwhelm and disconnection 09:28 Reducing sensory overstimulation 11:13 Using one sensory experience as an anchor 12:18 How sensory input can help children orient to safety 14:36 Why parents need to orient themselves first 16:46 Regulation, co-regulation, and connection 18:03 When a parent's need to “fix it” can increase anxiety 19:08 Why helping others can build competence in children 21:44 Mindfulness for parents and children 22:09 Not every difficult parenting moment is an emergency 23:38 Don't teach the skill during the overwhelm 24:33 Connection can look different for different children 26:02 Build skills after the nervous system settles 28:50 Jennifer's “layers of sound” mindfulness practice 31:28 Why mindfulness isn't simply about calming down 32:55 Teaching children to trust their bodies 34:09 The question parents can ask themselves in an anxious moment 35:22 Being with your child instead of immediately changing them Topics Discussed Childhood anxiety, nervous system regulation, co-regulation, sensory overwhelm, mindfulness, sensory anchors, parenting anxious children, autism and anxiety, caregiver regulation, emotional resilience, window of tolerance, connection, accommodation versus support, parental anxiety, body awareness, child development, and building capacity. Key Questions Answered 1. Should parents try to eliminate their child's anxiety? 2. What does it mean to say “anxiety is information”? 3. When does normal childhood anxiety require additional support? 4. Why doesn't reassurance always work when a child is overwhelmed? 5. How are sensory overwhelm and anxiety connected? 6. What is a sensory anchor, and how can parents use one? 7. Why should parents regulate themselves before trying to regulate their child? 8. What's the difference between supporting anxiety and accommodating it? 9. Should parents teach coping skills during a meltdown or anxious episode? 10. How can children gradually develop greater capacity for uncomfortable feelings? Resources Jennifer Cohen Harper is a mindfulness and yoga educator, equine assisted learning facilitator, author, and founder of Little Flower Yoga, widely recognized for its trauma-informed school programming and training for educators and mental health providers. Jenn has spent two decades helping children and caregivers navigate anxiety and build inner resources. She is also the founder of Mindfulness with Horses, where she facilitates retreats for adults and families to build connection, compassion and courage. Jenn’s work has been featured in nota... Chapters (00:00:01) - Introducing Jennifer Cohn Harper and anxiety in kids(00:02:10) - Reframing anxiety as information, not the enemy(00:05:16) - Distinguishing normal anxiety from overwhelming anxiety(00:07:42) - Reducing overstimulation and increasing connection(00:11:15) - Sensory anchors and orienting to what's real(00:14:38) - Parent self-regulation and co-regulating with kids(00:17:30) - Practicing imperfectly and building competence together(00:19:06) - Redefining success and milestones in parenting(00:21:50) - Presence over fixing in intense moments(00:25:06) - Modeling mindfulness as an ongoing practice(00:29:43) - Nervous system adaptability over calmness(00:31:36) - Asking 'what is my role right now?'(00:33:48) - Closing thoughts and Omega course details

    Your Child’s Anxiety Isn’t the Enemy | Jennifer Cohen Harper

  7. Sep 11

    Can One Autism Spectrum Really Hold All of This? A Conversation with Laurie Dove of Everyday Autism Essentials

    Can one autism diagnosis adequately describe people whose abilities, challenges, communication, independence, and lifelong support needs may be radically different? In this episode of the INCHSTONES Podcast, Sarah Kernion sits down with fellow autism mother Laurie Dove for a candid conversation about the autism spectrum, diagnosis, profound support needs, parenting, nervous system regulation, advocacy, and what happens when families with very different lived experiences try to talk honestly with one another. This isn't a conversation about deciding whose autism is harder. It isn't a competition. It's a conversation about whether we can acknowledge the enormous heterogeneity within autism while maintaining dignity and respect for everyone who carries the diagnosis. Sarah and Laurie explore how broad the autism spectrum has become and why that can sometimes make conversations about autism confusing for parents, autistic adults, clinicians, advocates, and the public. They discuss the importance of listening to autistic people who can describe their internal experiences while also making room for families caring for children and adults who cannot reliably communicate their needs and may require substantial lifelong support. The conversation also moves from the abstract debate about autism into the minute-to-minute reality of caregiving. For some families, everyday activities that appear simple from the outside can require enormous amounts of preparation, patience, regulation, and co-regulation. Sarah and Lori discuss the role a parent's nervous system can play in those moments and why understanding behavior requires looking beyond what is immediately visible. They also wrestle with one of the most difficult dynamics in modern autism advocacy: how to disagree without dismissing another person's lived experience. Acknowledging profound autism does not require minimizing autistic people with lower support needs. Listening to autistic adults does not require ignoring parents caring for children with significant disabilities. And recognizing differences across the spectrum does not mean measuring whose life is harder. There has to be room for more than one truth. The goal of this conversation isn't to settle the autism debate. It's to make the conversation itself more honest. To ask another question. To listen again. And to remain curious enough to recognize that understanding autism may require us to hold experiences very different from our own. In This Episode 00:00 Why difficult autism conversations need to happen out loud 01:59 What an autism diagnosis means today 05:50 Understanding the enormous differences across the autism spectrum 06:52 Why heterogeneity matters when talking about autism 12:02 Parents, advocacy, and making room for different perspectives 18:04 The minute-to-minute realities of autism parenting 19:31 When everyday life requires constant regulation and support 23:58 Bridging very different experiences of autism 25:41 Why we need to talk about what's actually happening 26:20 Autism isn't a contest or competition 29:56 Ask another question and listen again Topics Discussed Autism spectrum disorder, autism diagnosis, profound autism, autism heterogeneity, autism advocacy, special needs parenting, caregiver stories, nervous system regulation, co-regulation, daily caregiving, autistic lived experience, parental perspectives, support needs, autism identity, respectful disagreement, community, curiosity, and making room for different experiences across the autism spectrum. Key Questions Answered 1. Can one autism diagnosis adequately describe people with radically different support needs? 2. What does heterogeneity within the autism spectrum actually mean for families? 3. Why can conversations about profound autism beco... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction to Lori Dove and the Conversation(00:01:48) - Reacting to the New York Post Article(00:04:27) - The Case for Splitting the Autism Spectrum(00:06:48) - Nervous System Regulation Over Diagnosis(00:08:36) - Self-Diagnosis, Content Creators, and Agency(00:14:06) - Government, Funding, and Community Advocacy(00:15:19) - Understanding Liberty's Day-to-Day Struggles(00:18:11) - Comparing Daily Realities Across the Spectrum(00:21:30) - Tension, Resentment, and Competing for Resources(00:23:32) - Bridging the Gap and Closing Thoughts

    Can One Autism Spectrum Really Hold All of This? A Conversation with Laurie Dove of Everyday Autism Essentials

  8. Sep 9

    When Your ZIP Code Determines Your Child’s Autism Services | Danielle Fields

    What happens when the autism services your child needs simply aren’t available where you live? Danielle Fields knows the answer because she moved across four states trying to find them. In this episode of the INCHSTONES Podcast, Sarah Kernion sits down with Danielle, mother and fierce advocate for her 19-year-old autistic son, Paul, to talk about the extraordinary decisions families make when their children’s educational and support needs aren't being met. Danielle began her journey in California, where Paul was diagnosed with autism at age two. She quickly discovered one of the most frustrating realities of special needs parenting: being told what services your child needs means very little when there aren't enough people available to actually provide them. So she moved. From California to Nevada. From Nevada to Georgia. And eventually from Georgia to New Jersey. Each state taught Danielle something different about autism services, special education, IEPs, and advocacy. But the moves came with enormous costs. Danielle had been preparing for law school before Paul's diagnosis changed the trajectory of her life. Repeatedly relocating meant leaving jobs, rebuilding professionally, moving farther from family and friends, and expending the kind of emotional, physical, financial, and mental energy that caregivers of children with significant support needs understand all too well. Then, in New Jersey, something happened Danielle wasn't expecting. Paul's own public school team told her they didn't believe the next available district program was appropriate for him. They recommended an out-of-district placement, opening the door to a private special education program chosen around Paul's individual needs. Danielle and Sarah discuss the difference between accepting the program a system happens to offer and advocating for the education an individual child actually requires. They talk about IEPs, out-of-district placement, caregiver exhaustion, the professional sacrifices mothers make, rebuilding community far from home, and what happens when advocacy becomes part of motherhood itself. Danielle also shares one of the simplest strategies she uses when fear and uncertainty become overwhelming: write it down. Put the fear on paper, get it out of your head, and begin identifying what you can actually do next. Ultimately, this conversation is about trusting yourself enough to keep asking a deceptively simple question: What does my child actually need? Because children with disabilities shouldn't have to reshape themselves around whatever services happen to be available. Our systems should be able to respond to the child standing in front of them. Resources: Learn more about special education, IEP advocacy, and the educational rights of students with disabilities through the U.S. Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) resources. Subscribe to the INCHSTONES Podcast for caregiver stories, conversations about nonverbal autism, and honest perspectives on special needs parenting, profound autism, communication, advocacy, caregiver wellbeing, special education, IEPs, and raising children with significant support needs. About Danielle Fields Danielle M. Fields is the proud mother and "mama bear" advocate for her 19-year-old son, Paul, who was diagnosed with autism at age two. She remains deeply committed to autism advocacy and intends to continue that work throughout her life. Danielle Fields (Facebook) @team_uv_3 (Instagram) @thedmarieaesthetic (Instagram) @autismadvocacysupermom (Instagram) In This Episode: 00:00 When autism services depend on your ZIP code 02:01 Meet Paul: Danielle's 19-year-old autistic son 03:26 Realizing California couldn't provide the services Paul needed 05:18 What moving for autism services cost Danielle personally and pr... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introducing Danielle Fields and Paul's Journey(00:01:41) - Meet Paul: Loving, Quiet, and Neurodiverse(00:03:01) - The Beginning: Realizing Location Determines Services(00:04:41) - Emotional and Financial Costs of Constant Moves(00:06:46) - Career Sacrifices and Finding Helpers Along the Way(00:08:22) - Comparing States: California, Nevada, and Georgia(00:09:24) - Discovering New Jersey's Services(00:10:22) - The Deep Exhaustion of Advocacy Motherhood(00:12:01) - Out-of-District Placement: A Surprising Blessing(00:13:51) - Becoming a Fighter: Advocating Beyond What's Offered(00:14:57) - Trusting Maternal Intuition(00:17:34) - Writing It Down: Managing the Mental Noise(00:18:48) - What Could Have Been: Family, Community, and Trade-offs(00:20:26) - Final Advice: Trust Your Instinct(00:21:48) - Closing Thoughts on Systemic Change

    When Your ZIP Code Determines Your Child’s Autism Services | Danielle Fields
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About

INCHSTONES is a podcast about caregiver stories, nonverbal autism, and the realities of special needs parenting—hosted by Sarah Kernion, a mother raising two children with profound, non-speaking autism. Here, we talk honestly about the parts of autism and disability parenting that don't always fit neatly into an inspirational story: caregiver burnout, grief and acceptance, communication, sensory needs, advocacy, family dynamics, therapies, education, sibling relationships, and the uncertainty of raising children with significant support needs. But INCHSTONES is also about learning to recognize progress differently. Because when you're parenting a child with profound or nonverbal autism, the moments that change everything aren't always traditional milestones. Sometimes they're the inchstones: a new form of communication, a regulated transition, a moment of connection, a life skill practiced for the hundredth time, or something your child does today that once felt impossible. Through candid caregiver stories and conversations with parents, physicians, therapists, researchers, educators, advocates, and autistic voices, Sarah explores the questions families are actually asking about autism, special needs parenting, profound autism care, autism communication, caregiver mental health, autism therapy options, special education, sensory support, and life beyond childhood. There are no perfect answers here. There are real families, complicated conversations, practical insights, hard truths, unexpected joy, and a community that understands that progress doesn't have to look typical to matter. If you're raising an autistic child, parenting a nonverbal or nonspeaking child, navigating profound support needs, or looking for honest conversations about special needs family life, welcome to INCHSTONES. Because milestones aren't the only measure of a meaningful life.

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