The Lucky Few

309. Myofunctional Therapy for Individuals w/Down Syndrome (ft. Irene Iskander) Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Having a child with Down syndrome means you’re always learning about something new! And today’s topic is: oral facial myofunctional therapy.. a technique used to improve the way our mouth and face muscles work! We have Irene Iskander (dental hygienist + lucky mama) on the show today to answer all of our questions:

Why is mouth breathing so common amongst individuals with DS? What are the long term effects of mouth breathing?
What can we do at each age to strengthen mouth and facial muscles?
How is myofunctional therapy different than speech therapy or feeding therapy?

We didn’t realize how important this information was until we chatted with Irene! So tune in and take notes, friends!

SHOW NOTES

Follow Irene @fityourface_ on Instagram

Listen to 28 Reasons to Nasal Breathe from Ask The Dentist podcast

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308. A Conversation About The Telepathy Tapes Podcast Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

Friends! Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes Podcast? In this show, creator and host Ky Dickens explores the “profound abilities of non-speakers with autism - individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated.”

Let’s talk about it:

Have we experienced a shared consciousness with our own children? Is telepathy possible?

Why are people having such a hard time believing the stories from the autistic individuals and their families who claim to communicate with telepathy?

How has the disability community responded to the show?

We don’t know a lot for certain, but we do know this: Our children have shifted our paradigm and opened us up in ways we cannot explain. And we value the stories of non-speaking autistic individuals who communicate with OR without telepathy. Go ahead and listen to The Telepathy Tapes and let us know what you think!

SHOW NOTES

Listen to The Telepathy Tapes Podcast

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307. Sid Ghosh on Disability, Connectivity, & His New Book of Poetry! Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Sid Ghosh is 18 (going on 81) years old and he just published his first full length book of poems with a major poetry company. He’s been given extraordinary praise from renowned authors, and us too of course! Here’s what we’re talking about today:

Sid’s poems about his profound experience the world, as an autistic adult who has Down syndrome and uses a communication board (Spellers style!)

Why it’s important to challenge our comfort zones to get a glimpse into a more fully profound way to be human.

What the publishing process was like + where and when you can BUY this book!

There’s a lot of talk about energies, frequencies, and connectivity in this one too. We hope you join us for this incredible interview with Sid Ghosh, and his mother, Dr. Vaish Sarathy!

SHOW NOTES

Purchase Yellow Flower Gills Me Whole by Sid Ghosh

Follow @downlikesid on Instagram

Subscribe to Sid’s stubstack newsletter

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Listen to 172. Defining Ableism, Allyship & Advocacy + Redefining "Inclusion" - ft. Dr. Priya Lalvani

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306. What Is Ableism and How Do We Call It Out? Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

Oxford Dictionary defines ableism as: “discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.” And on today’s episode, we’re defining ableism with our own examples:

When someone is shocked by our child’s capabilities

When someone is suprised by our strong connection to our children

When someone volunteers for a disabilities organization believing they’re a hero

A lot of ableism is just actions and systems that we may have never questioned.. until being affected by disability. So what do we do when we experience ableism in our communities? Lets unpack it in this week’s episode.

SHOW NOTES

Follow @open_future_learning on Instagram!

Follow @ndss on Instagram!

Follow @shaneburcaw on Instagram!

Disability Euphemisms video from @blairimani

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154. Community Over Competition ft. Chantele Holm

305. Division In The Down Syndrome Community Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

After so many years in the Down syndrome community, we’ve had our fair share of surprising and even disappointing experiences with other advocates. The more we put ourselves out there, the more opportunity there is for disagreement. So what happens when there’s division amongst mothers in the Down syndrome community? Join us for a chat about:

Unwritten rules and competition.. what happened to collaboration?

Managing intellectual property.. what belongs to the individual vs the community?

Social media stand-offs.. how do we engage in productive conversations?

Ironically, the DS community doesn’t always feel inclusive. So what can we do to support the bigger picture even if we disagree on smaller things? Lets start by assuming the BEST in each other.

SHOW NOTES

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297. Extracurricular Activities and Inclusion: How to Make it Work for Our Kids with DS

304. Summer Isolation for Kids w/Down Syndrome Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Summer isolation for our kids with disabilities.. It’s not fun to talk about.. which means we probably should. Lets unpack it:

Why is no one reaching out to our children to hang out over the summer?

What happens when full inclusion during the school year still doesn’t foster meaningful friendships for your child?

What do we do with these feelings of loneliness? How do we talk to our kids about this?

With our kiddos growing up, we’ve noticed huge changes in the social dynamics that have left our kids with disabilities feeling lonely over summer break, especially when compared to their neurotypical siblings. If you’re a parent to a child with a disability, you may have noticed this as well. We might not have all the answers but we want you to know: we see you and we are cheering you on in this!

SHOW NOTES

215. Disability Access Services at Theme Parks

213. The Beauty and Challenges of Adaptive Programs

164. Choosing Your Summer Battles

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303. How will the "Big, Beautiful Bill" affect my loved one with Down syndrome? Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

In this current political climate, one of our goals is to keep you all up to date on the legislature that impacts our community. So friends, its time to talk about the “Big, Beautiful Bill” and how it will affect individuals with Down syndrome. We are SO grateful for an incredible guest to help us out. Sean Feely is the new Director of Advocacy and Policy at the National Down Syndrome Society and he’s here today to answer all of our questions..

The basic questions: What exactly is the “Big, Beautiful Bill”? What exactly is medicaid?
The complicated questions: Are home and community-funded services in danger? What are the new rules around work requirements and retroactive coverage?
The scary questions: Will my loved one with DS lose their coverage?

We’re also asking the productive questions.. What can we do now? What sources can we trust? Grab a pen and get ready to take some notes!

SHOW NOTES

Listen to our episode with Charlotte Woodward about organ transplant discrimination HERE.

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