Family Engagement and Advocacy: Building Real Inclusion for Autistic Individuals #237

This week on Autism Weekly, host Jeff Skibitsky sits down with Amy Kelly, National Director of Family Engagement at Devereux and mother of three, including her daughter Annie, who was diagnosed with autism just before her second birthday. With nearly 20 years working directly with families and a career built out of her own experience navigating the system, Amy brings both professional expertise and lived experience to a conversation about what real inclusion looks like. Resources X Handle: @Devereux_Natl  Link: https://x.com/Devereux_Natl Instagram Handle: @devereuxnational Link: https://www.instagram.com/devereuxnational/ Facebook Handle: @DevereuxNational Link: https://www.facebook.com/DevereuxNational LinkedIn Handle: @devereux  Link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/devereux  Amy and Jeff explore what family engagement actually means in practice, not just as a program feature but as a standard organizations should hold themselves to. They discuss the difference between token inclusion and full participation, how to prepare for and navigate an IEP meeting with confidence, and specific questions families should be asking depending on where their child falls on the spectrum, from communication device access on school buses to Extended School Year services and social skills programming. Amy also shares practical strategies for advocating effectively without being labeled the "difficult parent," why evidence-based practices matter, and how documenting a child's progress can shift conversations with school districts. She closes with a reminder that autism is a family diagnosis, and that supporting the whole family, not just the individual, is central to long-term success. Whether you're just starting the IEP process or years into advocating for your child, this episode offers grounded, practical guidance from someone who has lived both sides of it. ............................................................... Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.