Meet Your Hosts

Erin grew up wanting to be a teacher. Like Shelley from episode 1, she would always line up her stuffed animals and teach them. After teaching a few years an opportunity presented itself and she was able to step into an administrative role for special education. Listen today and hear more about her journey and how she has helped SPED in her district.

This week Caitlin & Shelby are joined by Natalie- a friend of Shelby's who is an amazing woman, mother, and minister. Her education background has influenced her parenting as she navigates parenthood alongside her husband. They are raising three boys to be kind and compassionate young men. Her perspective on parenting and "handling" her sons' unique diagnoses is inspiring.

This week Shelby interviews Kayla and her wife Krista pops in from time-to-time. They discuss adoption, blended families, the struggles of not only having a son with unique needs, but also being a white same sex couple with a Black child, specifically struggles living in rural Oklahoma.  Be sure to stick around to the very end because Kayla offers great pieces of advice for ALL parents.  Caitlin was absent this episode, but don't worry, she'll be back next week!

This week we speak with Shauna, a classmate of Shelby's in her Masters program. Shauna is a tenured IEP case worker and a mom to a son with Autism. Her perspective is a special one for several reasons, but it was most interesting to learn how special education varies from state to state as this is our first conversation with someone who doesn't live in our state-Oklahoma. 

This week Caitlin and Shelby are joined by Amy and her son, Ethan. Ethan is the 3rd of 4 children. He was born with a condition called Prader-Willi (defined below). Several years later, their family grew by one when they adopted Audrey who also has the condition. And in 2010, the family was on Extreme Home Makeover!  Ethan also had a service dog named Cotton. Unfortunately Cotton is no longer with them, but Ethan talks a lot about how Cotton helped him and about the proper etiquette people should have when they see a service dog in public. "Prader-Willi (PRAH-dur VIL-e) syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that results in a number of physical, mental and behavioral problems. A key feature of Prader-Willi syndrome is a constant sense of hunger that usually begins at about 2 years of age" (Mayo Clinic). 

Dr. Cait and Shelby are joined today by Tephanie! Tephanie is the mom of twins Lily and River. She had a complicated and rare pregnancy where her daughters shared a single placenta and a single amniotic sac. This type of pregnancy is difficult because the twins likely will be born with birth defects and premature. Unfortunately, Lily's birth defects were too great and she is no longer with us. River, the surviving twin, was born with a cleft lip and microtia of the ear. Learn more about the twins and River's successes in this week's episode. 

Dr. Caitlin and Shelby discuss the journey to a diagnosis to Autism with Bre. Bre's son Beau is the same age as Gavin and while their diagnosis is the same, their journeys to figuring it out are different in some ways and similar in others. Tune in to learn about daily struggles and the things parents or caregivers keep hidden away.

Liz and Shelby were both diagnosed with ADHD as adults. During this episode the two of them deep-dive into what it was like to finally begin to understand the way our minds work. Don't worry, Caitlin was not a silent bystander as Liz is what of her long-time friends, the three of us cover the intricacies of a late(r) diagnosis. 

Shelley Gibson (Shelby's mom) has been a Special Education teacher for 30 years! Listen in to hear how she chose the career, a few success stories, how her experiences shaped her efforts with her speech delayed son and how she is using them to support Shelby's journey with her son.  Also, please note that Shelby had Covid at the time of the recording.

Meet your hosts, Dr. Caitlin and Shelby! We are so excited to build this village with you.  Follow us on social media! Facebook Instagram