Episode 006:
Ashley Barlow and I keep it casual, but we give you a deep dive into our real-life discussions this week.
We discuss the difficult topics of struggling through your child’s special needs, including: WIC, accepting help, insurance issues, marriage and more. We want anyone listening out there, especially if you’re in the trenches, to hang on. You can make it through!
Do I really need help? How can I be okay accepting this help? When can I finally help someone else? These are questions we asked ourselves. (More on asking for help in a future episode)
Ashley shares about her new business, born in Coronavirus times. She is an attorney and focuses specifically on helping families with special needs children; whether that be estate plans, divorces, or most importantly Special Education/IEPs. She encourages her clients to look at the “why” behind what people are saying and feeling and come to a conclusion for everyone.
Ashley and I also discuss how to walk the line for our children between accepting who they are and pushing them to their potential. It takes time as a mom (parent) to come to terms with this and learn to be objective. How can we focus less on the actual diagnosis and more on strategies to help our children?
We will continue to dive more into IEPs and much more in next weeks Part 2!
Who is Ashley Barlow?
Ashley is an attorney, licensed in Kentucky and Ohio, that focuses on special education, divorces involving children with disabilities, and special needs estate planning. She was a teacher before she went to law school, and she still fires up her laminator at least once a week. Ashley is the mom to two amazing little boys. Griffin is a teen-ager that knows everything, swims nearly every waking minute, and is embarrassed when Ashley compliments the outfits of the Chic Fil A workers (the gingham shirt is her favorite). Jack is ten, which means Ashley has a decade to earn her grey hair! He’s a wild man that can make a mess faster than a raccoon in a dumpster. His tools of choice are Hot Wheels, Nerf guns, extension cords and ropes, the blower, gloves, tape, and garden tools! Jack has Down syndrome and amazes the world every day with his ability to both keep up in this fast world and to self advocate when the world needs to slow down for him. Ashley’s husband is so calm he’s almost dead, really likes golf, and coaches the boys in anything that doesn’t involve water.
Ashley Barlow Co.’s mission is empower, inspire, and build confidence in IEP team members by providing a framework that joins the legal principles of special education with the interests and values of everyone at the IEP table. She brings tons of content to parents, teachers, and community members by way of a podcast and vlog, social media posts, downloads on her website, and content to my mailing list subscribers.
Podcast/ Vlog: Special Education Advocacy with Ashley Barlow (Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, Youtube)
Course: Special Education & Advocacy Lab: A Digital Empowerment Training
Connect with Ashley:
IG: https://instagram.com/ashleybarlowco
Website: http://www.ashleybarlowco.com/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-advocacy-with-ashley-barlow/id1530453928
Sign up link for The Special Needs Mom Podcast COMMUNITY.
Connect with Kara:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/Kararyska/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/
Group Coaching Program: Schedule a Consult
Wanna be on the show? Contact me
