Episodes

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 ...

Stress is a reality for many parents and caregivers supporting someone with profound or severe autism, especially when that support continues into adulthood. In this personal Autism Labs episode, Mike Carr reflects on a frightening bicycle accident that gave him an unexpected opportunity to step back and reconsider the stress he carries as the father of his profoundly autistic adult son, Michael. Mike speaks openly about the realities of lifelong autism caregiving, including disrupted family pla...

AI is changing the world, but can it truly support families navigating severe and profound autism? In this episode, Mike Carr, father of a profoundly autistic adult son, tests four leading AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. His mission is simple but critical: determine whether AI can help parents find real-world solutions for caregiving, adult transition planning, and high-support needs. What he discovers is both promising and concerning. While AI tools can quickly generate re...

In this powerful season premiere of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores what it really means to “play the game” of profound autism caregiving and why most families are looking at it the wrong way. Using a mix of real-life experience and storytelling, Mike reflects on 35 years of raising a profoundly autistic son and reveals a truth many families eventually discover: caregiving is not evenly distributed, and the most important role is often invisible. From managing therapy schedules and behavioral ch...

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....

Parent and Founder of John 13 Community Mike Carr chats with parent and BCBA certified Mark Garcia about their search for a program for their children, and what makes John 13 Community Program different than the other programs they’ve seen, including the staff, structure, and social benefits of the program.