New podcast episode: Supporting other parents, a passion worth pursuing
In this month's episode of the Adjusting the Sails podcast, Whitney Price discusses how her experiences with her son's autism diagnosis led to her creating the UnPuzzled Parents Connect Support Group. The group's goal is to create connections and foster friendships among people who share similar experiences, while offering resources, training and guidance.
According to Whitney, when a child is diagnosed with a neurological difference, disability, or medical complexity, emotional support is the first thing a parent needs. "The story you thought you were going to have is now being told in a completely different language," is how Whitney and her husband felt when their son, Connor, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Finding herself isolated, misunderstood and unsure about the future, she and her husband were desparate for a support network and resources for their son and their new life.
Listen in to hear about Whitney's journey and how through adversity she found a passion for helping others access services and for growing a support network for other parents navigating parenthood with a child with high support needs.
Adjusting the Sails is a podcast about the lives and specific challenges children with special healthcare needs and other disabilities face along with their families, caregivers and service providers, and how to manage those challenges. The podcast is a platform for all disability-related topics to be discussed and serves as a mediator between families and caregivers, allowing them to share their stories and experiences. Adjusting the Sails features guest speakers, panelists and a variety of program representatives and service providers to offer education and training to the listener.
This podcast is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Maternal, Child, and Family Health/Children with Special Health Care Needs Program and the West Virginia Family 2 Family Health Information Center and produced by the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities.