The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude!

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A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Bill Carl, the Morning Host for FaithTalk 570 AM & 910 AM will be interviewing Julie Ames. We will be discussing Julie’s new book A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude – No They are not Okay…but It’s Okay! Raising Special Needs Kids.

A Very Special Journey is more than a memoir. It is a story that provides guidance, hope, and education to parents and professionals who have or work with special needs children. Julie gives her readers the guidance they need to navigate their own way through the educational, medical, and legal waters that special needs families find themselves drowning in.

Julie throws a lifeline to other moms and dads facing the same challenges.  Conversely, by presenting the parents’ perspective, professionals working in these fields will gain a greater understanding and ability to provide services in a way that is truly helpful.

Every parent has to know how to be their own child’s strongest advocate. They need to know what questions to ask, when to demand answers, and when to walk away from advice they don’t trust. A Special Journey will provide these tools.

Julie’s story is about more than a mother and two challenged daughters. It is about more than autism. This story is about love, faith, and family. It is about learning to accept something that cannot be changed and to embrace the gifts we are given, despite perceived imperfections. We cry. We adapt. We reflect. We rejoice. Most importantly, we continue to live, love, and grow together every day. It is indeed a special journey.

Pictured: Julie Ames and Bill Carl, Morning Host for FaithTalk 570 AM
& 910 AM

Dear Friends,

This past Mother’s Day we celebrated our 5th Anniversary. This will be our last show for a while. This is not goodbye but a pause on our current format.

  • Our website will continue to be a resource for parents and caregivers who are caring for individuals with special needs.
  • Our newsletter will continue to provide you with up to date information.

 
The Special Needs Family Hour and I are evolving.

  • I am completing my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Liberty University’s accredited program, to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. 
  • My book, A Very Special Journey of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude, will be coming out in the next few months. 
  • It is an exciting time with many things happening to include upcoming speaking engagements. 

We appreciate our listeners, our guests who are making a positive difference in the world, our awesome sponsors, and our friends at Salem Media Group.

Julie Ames

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: Champions for Children!

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Champions for Children

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Our guest is Nikki Daniels, Associate Director of Champions for Children. Champions offers various programs including Classes and Individualized Support, Playgroups & Screenings, Home Visiting Services, Child Abuse & Bullying Prevention. Each year, Champions for Children programs serve nearly 40,000 children and parents.

CFC is committed to serving families with children from birth to 18 years old, with a special focus on the critically important 0-5 year-old range. The families they serve represent the full socioeconomic diversity of the Tampa Bay Area. In order to ensure all families have access to services, CFC is committed to providing all services at no charge or, in very limited circumstances, a low fee.

Hillsborough County consistently ranks as the highest in the state for the most reported and confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect. Children who are abused or neglected are significantly more likely to face impaired socio-emotional development, poor physical health, substance abuse, and an array of emotional and psychological issues. They are also 3 times more likely to continue the cycle of abuse later in life.

Pictured:  Nikki Daniels, Associate Director of Champions for Children,andJulie Ames, SNFH. 

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: Success 4 Kids & Families’ Positive Parent Program

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Success 4 Kids & Families’ Positive Parent Program

Join us for our Mother’s Day Show & We’re Celebrating Three Years On The Air!

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Our guest is Misty Ross, Intake Supervisor with Success 4 Kids & Families. Misty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has a passion for the parents they serve. We will be discussing their Successful Parent Program which addresses mental health and other needs identified by the families.

Pictured:  Misty Ross and Julie Ames, SNFH. 

Success 4 Kids & Families is a non-profit organization that offers community based services for families in Hillsborough County. They have been offering a helping hand for parents and families when kids begin to experience problems in school, at home or even with the law since 2005. They assign a dedicated case worker who works with both the child and the family. Their case workers have access to dozens of programs to help the child and family at risk.

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: USF’s Hot Docs Program!

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USF’s Hot Docs Program

Join us this Sunday afternoon on the Special Needs Family Hour at 1:00 pm!
Our guests are with the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine.

Dr. Heather Agazzi, Assosiate Professor of Pediatrics and Cristina Ortiz, project coordinator for Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS) and Docs for Success Programs at the University of South Florida. 

Pictured:  Cristina Ortiz, Dr. Heather Agazzi, andJulie Ames, SNFH   

The HOT DOCS/DOCS for Success Programs offer caregivers a problem-solving approach towards understanding children’s needs and solving everyday behavior problems. 

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: Healthy Sexuality for Adolescents & Young Adults with Disabilities!

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Healthy Sexuality for Adolescents and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

This show features Loretta Gallo-Lopez, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. We discuss Healthy Sexuality for Adolescents and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities.

Loretta has over 25 years of experience working with adolescents and their parents. She is a Registered Drama Therapist, Registered Play Therapist, and she is the Clinical Director & a Founding Board Member of the Focus Academy in Temple Terrace, FL.

Loretta Gallo-Lopez, MA Clinical Director at Focus Academy

Loretta began her professional career as an ESE teacher and has been in private practice in Tampa for over 20 years. Loretta is a nationally recognized speaker, a published author of both books and articles about her work and is co-director of the ACT Project – a drama therapy and performance based social skills program.

Click Here  for resources mentioned on the Special Needs Family Hour Show! 

Julie Ames on Raising Children with Special Needs

by Posted in Parenting, Podcasts & Show Resources Tagged , ,
Jose Cruz, On-Air Studio Engineer and Julie Ames, SNFH

Jose Cruz, On-Air Studio Engineer and Julie Ames, SNFH

Julie Ames shares tips for raising special needs children. She covers many topics including: sleeping through the night, diapers, dealing with slow physical progress, eating challenges, clothing, shopping, doctor appointments, allowance / responsibility and discipline.

USF’s Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Hot Docs Program – Dr. Kathi Armstrong & Dr. Carrie Adams

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USF’s Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Hot Docs Program

Pictured: Kathleen Armstrong, PhD, Dr. Carolyn Adams and Julie Ames, SNFH

Pictured: Kathleen Armstrong, PhD, Dr. Carolyn Adams and Julie Ames, SNFH

Our guests this week are with the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine. Dr. Kathi Armstrong, Professor of Pediatrics and Dr. Carolyn Adams, (Dr. Carrie) the Director of Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS) and Docs for Success Programs at the University of South Florida.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically-supported treatment for young children with emotional and behavioral disorders that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns.

The HOT DOCS/DOCS for Success Programs offer caregivers a problem-solving approach towards understanding children’s needs and solving everyday behavior problems.

Life Beyond High School with Individuals with Disabilities: August 30th, 2015

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Life Beyond High School with Individuals with Disabilities

 

Below is presentation to go along with the information shared about helping adults with disabilities. It is full of great links for additional resources.

SNFH Special Needs Parent Resources 8-30-15 Final P Guthman

Pictured: Millie Bucy, Phyllis Guthman, Julie Ames, SNFH, and Jose Cruz, On-Air Studio Engineer

Pictured: Millie Bucy, Phyllis Guthman, Julie Ames, SNFH, and Jose Cruz, On-Air Studio Engineer

This week’s show is on Transition to Adulthood  for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and features Millie Bucy, retired Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) Parent Services Manager / Parent Liaison Project Founder and Phyllis Guthman, former (FDLRS) Parent Services Communications and Wooton & Guthman LLC Founder.  Wooton & Guthman LLC provides Special Needs Consultation, Communications and Resources and
is a Special Needs Family Hour Sponsor!