Unlocking Communication: The Power of Patience with Jennifer Celeste Briggs - Episode 72

Inclusion and Disability Advocacy from a Parent's Perspective: The Inclusive Dad

In this episode of The Inclusive Dad podcast, host AAron sits down with Jennifer Celeste Briggs, author of Watching Sarah Rise, to discuss her journey parenting a daughter with special needs. Jennifer shares how the Son-rise Program, a family-centered approach to autism, transformed their lives by focusing on connection, patience, and individualized learning. She highlights the importance of honoring each child's pace, embracing repetitive behaviors as pathways to connection, and building a supportive community. Together, they explore the power of therapeutic play, shifting perspectives on inclusion, and how small mindset changes can create meaningful impacts.

Key Takeaways:

Individualized Inclusion – Tailoring inclusion strategies to each child's needs fosters meaningful engagement and growth.

Patience Pays Off – Giving children time to process and respond can unlock new communication breakthroughs.

Repetition as Connection – Embracing repetitive behaviors can serve as gateways to deeper connection and learning.

Community Support Matters – Building a network of volunteers and family strengthens both the child’s and parent’s journey.

Parental Imperfection is Powerful – You can make a profound difference even while navigating mistakes and learning as you go.

Jennifer’s definition of inclusion:

Inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about seeing each child as an individual and meeting them where they are.

Jennifer’s Bio:

Jennifer Celeste Briggs has a BA in English Literature from Swarthmore college. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two daughters. Her daughter Sarah has a genetic anomaly and autism. When Sarah was four, Jenny decided to run a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise, and training at the Autism Treatment Center of America. The Son-Rise Program is a loving child-centered approach to helping those with autism and other challenges connect socially, verbally, and through increased eye contact. Organizing hundreds of hours of therapeutic play time for Sarah, Jenny trained and coordinated multiple volunteers who contributed their love and creativity to the venture. Jenny started a blog to share the experience of Sarah-Rise and has heard multiple times that her words were helpful to others dealing with life struggles. Jenny wants to help parents feel understood and to spread the word about The Son-Rise Program. She hopes that her words bring comfort, joy, and inspiration to readers whatever their challenges and journeys may be.

Connect with Jennifer:

Website: https://www.watchingsarahrise.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbriggsauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifercelestebriggsauthor/

Buy Her Book: https://amzn.to/4gUrbH3

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

SPAM© Count:

Host:

Yes

Current Guest:

No

Cumulative Guest Stats:

Yes - 31

No - 39

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