Safety & Home Setup Episodes

Some mornings feel impossible but years later, they're the stories that keep us going. In this deeply personal solo episode, Mike Carr steps away from the topic of guardianship to share an unfiltered look at one unforgettable morning caring for his 36-year-old son, Michael, who is profoundly autistic and nonverbal. From soaked bedding and piles of laundry to broken technology, sensory-seeking behaviors, endless glasses of water and bathroom mishaps, Mike walks listeners through the kind of mo...

In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr continues his conversation with BCBA Mailande Vise, who shares practical, experience-driven strategies for supporting individuals with high support needs especially in the home environment. Mailande breaks down how parents can better understand and respond to challenging behaviors by identifying their underlying function. From sensory needs to attention-seeking, escape or access to preferred items, this episode explains how behavior is communication and ...

What if technology could help autistic adults become safer, more independent, and more engaged in everyday life? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr continues his conversation with Mike Courtney, founder of Daily Living Labs, about the future of technology and autism support. Mike Courtney is a futurist, angel investor, professor, and innovator exploring how artificial intelligence, smart home technology, robotics, and community collaboration can improve daily living for individuals with d...

What if the tools to improve daily life for individuals with autism are already within reach? In this episode of Autism Labs, host Mike Carr is joined by futurist, researcher and entrepreneur Mike Courtney to explore how AI and everyday technology can support individuals with complex and profound autism. Rather than focusing on abstract innovation, this conversation centers on real-world applications families and caregivers can use today. From leveraging smartphones to teach communication ski...

Sleep is one of the biggest and most exhausting challenges for families living with autism. In this episode of Autism Labs, host Mike Carr shares 8 real-world strategies that have helped his son sleep over the past 30 years. This isn’t a clinical checklist. It's a lived experience. From physical and mental exhaustion to sensory tools, supplements and unexpected approaches like letting your child self-regulate at night this episode explores what actually helps (and what doesn’t). If you’re rai...

Raising a child with profound autism can teach parents lessons they never expected to learn. In this personal Autism Labs episode, Mike Carr reflects on five lessons he learned while raising his son Michael, an autistic adult with complex support needs. Mike openly shares where he struggled as a father, including times when he avoided difficult caregiving tasks, became disconnected from therapy and daily routines, reacted inconsistently to behavior, and relied on rationalizations that placed ...

What if AI could give families supporting someone with profound autism an extra set of eyes? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores how emerging AI and smart-home technology could support parents, caregivers and families caring for autistic children and adults with complex support needs. From AI-powered cameras and smart-home routines to personalized video modeling, Mike looks at practical ways technology may help with safety, behavior, communication, therapy, daily living skills ...

For families supporting someone with profound autism, unstructured time can sometimes lead to boredom, frustration, agitation, or challenging behavior. In this episode, Mike Carr shares how his family uses structure, visual schedules, communication tools, and meaningful choices to help his son Michael build independence and participate more actively in his daily life. Mike explains why visual structure isn't simply about keeping someone busy. Everyday activities such as making the bed, doing lau...

Pica can be a serious safety concern for autistic children and adults, particularly when someone repeatedly eats or mouths non-food items. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares 35 years of firsthand experience raising his severely autistic son, Michael. Speaking as a parent rather than a clinician, Mike explains what pica has looked like in their family and the practical steps they've taken to reduce risk. Mike discusses examples ranging from eating rocks, leaves, dirt, and clothing t...

Creating a Safe and Structured Home for Profound Autism For families supporting someone with profound autism, the home environment can play an important role in safety, communication, daily routines and independence. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares real-world lessons from creating a safer and more structured home for his son, Michael. Mike begins with a frightening experience involving Michael's pica behavior and a chlorine tablet near the family pool. That incident reinforce...

Creating a Safe and Structured Home for Profound Autism For families supporting someone with profound autism, the home environment can play an important role in safety, communication, daily routines and independence. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares real-world lessons from creating a safer and more structured home for his son, Michael. Mike begins with a frightening experience involving Michael's pica behavior and a chlorine tablet near the family pool. That incident reinforce...

Could AI Help Us Understand Non-Speaking Autism? What if artificial intelligence could help parents and caregivers better understand what a profoundly autistic, non-speaking person experiences throughout the day? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores how emerging AI technology could potentially help families identify patterns in stress, communication, behavior, engagement, and joy. Mike introduces the concept of an AI "Doer," an assistant designed not simply to answer questions ...

In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores one of the most critical and often overlooked topics in autism care: layered safety systems for individuals with profound autism. Through a real-world scenario involving a school environment, Mike illustrates how quickly a child can transition from a safe setting to a life-threatening situation not due to a single mistake, but due to multiple small breakdowns happening at once. A miscommunication between staff. A temporary disruption in routine....