Public Speaker

Julie has extensive experience as a radio show host, author, and speaker.

Her original plans, to build a career in engineering, as a Georgia Tech graduate, shifted dramatically in 2003, when her daughters were diagnosed with autism. As the primary caregiver and advocate, while pursuing treatments for her daughters over the last 20+ years, she has become an expert and an activist, in the world of special needs.

Along the way, her search for answers, and her interest in helping others, have led her to broaden her focus, looking at a wider range of issues, challenging today’s children, couples, and families … and led to her present work as a professional counselor. She completed her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, through Liberty University’s accredited program, and is now a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate, in Houston, Texas.

She has been a guest speaker for the College of Education at the University of South Florida. Julie’s presentations are designed to help both general education and special education teachers-in-training understand the challenges of raising special needs children from a parent’s perspective. As a trained speaker, Julie regularly gives speeches and provides resources to other special needs parents, and to professionals working with those who have special needs. Contact Julie to have her speak to your organization or event.

Recently, Julie hosted the PBS Special on WEDU Autism: Breakthrough to Hope Coping with Crisis.

Topics

Julie is well prepared to discuss a wide range of topics, from the unique perspective of a mother with 2 special needs children and one typical child. Julie’s objective is to discuss topics most relevant to her audiences’ unique situations. She is always open to special requests. Here are four examples of possible topics:

• A Parent’s Journey with Special Needs Children: Helping Your Typical Children & Children with Autism Reach Their Full Potential

  Julie describes the journey ahead – from discovering that a child has special needs, to acceptance, understanding, and embracing the new reality. She addresses the emotional realization that a child has special needs, and the path to acceptance and adapting to the new everyday challenges faced by families. She explains the way ahead for parents, as only one can who has walked the path, giving them the guidance to navigate their own way through the educational, medical, and legal waters in which special needs families find themselves drowning in.

• Living Successfully as a Family with Autism. Having A Positive Attitude in Difficult Times – Life with Special Needs Children

  Julie discusses having a positive attitude when dealing with the challenges we all experience in life, now amplified by autism. Her anecdotes, drawn from a lifetime of raising three daughters – two autistic and one typical, are spiced with humor and wrapped in compassion, to bring a deeper, fuller, understanding of the challenges and blessing that lay ahead.

• Working with Families Who Have Children with Autism and other Special Needs Children – Understanding the parent of special needs children and the unique challenges they face.

  Julie’s perspective, from a parent’s point of view, helps educators, medical professionals, counselors, and other professionals, better understand and more effectively assist, the special needs child and his or her parents.

• Serving Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum and other Special Needs

  Julie advises businesses and their employees who host special needs families. She instructs on how to create an Autism Friendly environment and an environment that is friendly to all. Julie addresses the following: special need differences; behavioral tendencies and how to react or not react; how to use transitions and cuing; how to use choice boards; how to speak to parents; and understanding and working with the physical and developmental limitations in an able age group.

Venues

Julie is at home in the classroom or the convention hall. Contact her to be your guest speaker, keynote speaker, Emcee for your event, or to lead your panel discussion.