Episodes

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 happens when a profoundly autistic child becomes an adult and the services their family needs aren't readily available? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr continues his conversation with Joel Wood, a father navigating the complex process of developing long-term support for his autistic son. Joel and Mike discuss the realities of finding qualified and committed caregivers, creating residential programs, building relationships with other families, and developing support systems that wo...

What happens when a profoundly autistic young adult reaches the end of high school? For Joel Wood and his wife Martha, that question has become increasingly urgent as their 20-year-old son William approaches adulthood. William has autism and apraxia and is largely non-speaking. After years of limited communication, his family's work with spelling revealed abilities and thoughts that challenged some of their previous assumptions about what he could understand and accomplish. In this episode of...

What happens when an autistic child ages out of school but still needs significant support? In Part 2 of this conversation, Mike Carr continues his discussion with Sharon Holloway and Allie Langan about respite care, adult autism services, community inclusion, and preparing autistic adults for greater independence. The conversation explores how meaningful respite programs can support both autistic adults and the families who care for them. Mike shares lessons from his experience with Michael ...

What happens when an autistic child ages out of school? For families supporting autistic teens and adults, especially individuals with profound autism or significant support needs, the transition beyond school can create major challenges around life skills, respite care, adult services, behavior support, community participation, and independence. In Part 1 of this Autism Labs conversation, Mike Carr is joined by Sharon, an autism parent and community advocate, and Allie, a Board Certified Beh...

Most autism families don’t struggle with commitment. They struggle with coordination. After decades of clinical experience, pediatric neurologist Dr. Dilip Karnik saw a consistent gap: parents are left to manage complex care systems without the tools or support they actually need. In this episode of Autism Labs, host Mike Carr sits down with Dr. Karnik and his team to explore a new AI-powered platform designed to centralize autism care and support decision-making in real time. This conversati...

Autism housing is one of the most complex and emotional decisions families face, especially when supporting individuals with high or profound support needs. In this continuation episode, Mike Carr and Ann Hart (former President of the Autism Society of Texas) explore real-world housing options for autistic adults, including State Supported Living Centers (SSLCs), group homes, ICFs and waiver-based systems. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, this conversation focuses on how parent...

For families supporting an autistic child with significant support needs, planning for adulthood can bring difficult questions: Where will they live? What services will they need? How will those services be funded? And what happens when the school system ends? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr speaks with Ann Hart, a longtime autism advocate, past president of the Autism Society of Texas and mother of a 40-year-old son with severe autism. Ann brings decades of experience volunteering wit...

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 ...

What should parents and caregivers believe when they hear a new claim about autism treatment? After more than 35 years raising his son Michael, who has severe autism and complex support needs, Mike Carr shares what his family has learned about navigating autism research, treatment claims, caregiving and everyday support. In this episode, Mike discusses commonly asked questions about vaccines and autism, acetaminophen/Tylenol during pregnancy, leucovorin, cerebral folate deficiency and folic a...

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...

For parents and caregivers of profoundly autistic adults, one of the hardest questions is often: Who will provide lifelong care when we can no longer do it ourselves? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores what families should look for when evaluating residential care for adults with profound autism and complex support needs. Drawing from his experience as a parent to a profoundly autistic adult and his work with J13, Mike examines residential programs through a family-centered lens....

For families supporting an adult with profound autism, respite care can mean much more than a temporary break. The right program needs to understand communication differences, behavioral support needs, medical considerations, routines, safety and the individual's strengths. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares what his family has learned through J13 Community in Austin, Texas and why traditional respite models may not meet the needs of adults with profound autism or multiple intellec...

What happens when parents can no longer care for their profoundly autistic adult child? For families supporting autistic adults with significant support needs, planning for residential care can be one of the most difficult parts of the transition to adulthood. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares his family's firsthand experience searching for long-term residential options for his 35-year-old son, who has severe autism, is nonverbal and has multiple complex support needs. Mike exa...

What happens when the school bus stops coming? For parents raising a severely or profoundly autistic teenager or young adult, the transition out of school can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff. IEPs end, familiar routines disappear, and families have to figure out what comes next. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares lessons from 35 years of raising his profoundly autistic son, Michael, and explores practical ways families can begin building a meaningful adult life beyond ...

What should happen when an autism transition program makes a serious mistake? In this episode, Mike Carr continues the conversation about transitioning to adulthood and aging out of the school system by exploring the idea of a “fail-safe culture.” Mike shares a real incident from a community outing involving an autistic young adult who became highly distressed and physically aggressive toward a staff member. Rather than simply blaming the individual or removing him from the program, the team ...

What happens when a profoundly autistic young adult ages out of the school system? For many families, the transition to adulthood can mean losing familiar school-based supports while facing limited options for adult autism services, employment, community participation, and meaningful daily activities. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr continues the conversation about transitioning to adulthood and aging out of the school system. Drawing from his family's experience raising a severely ...

What happens when a profoundly autistic person ages out of the school system? For many parents and caregivers, the transition to adulthood can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr begins a new series focused on autism transition planning, aging out of school services, independent living, communication, vocational skills, and adult services. Mike draws from his family's experience raising Michael, his profoundly autistic adult son, and shares practical lessons they've l...

What role does fun play in the life of someone with profound autism? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr explores why meaningful, enjoyable experiences should be an intentional part of autism care, especially for people with profound or severe autism and significant support needs. Mike shares a personal story about his son Michael and his love of being on the water. What may look like a simple boat outing actually requires extensive preparation, physical assistance, supervision, and saf...

What role can variety play in the life of a person with profound autism? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares personal experiences from raising his adult son, Michael, and explores how trying different activities can sometimes uncover unexpected interests, social connections, and sources of joy. For many autistic people, predictable routines can provide important structure. At the same time, families may discover new opportunities for recreation and connection by carefully introdu...

Aggressive behavior can be one of the most difficult challenges families face when supporting a person with profound or severe autism. In this episode of the Autism Labs Podcast, Mike Carr shares his personal experience raising his adult son, Michael, and navigating years of aggressive and challenging behavior. Mike discusses what his family has learned about applied behavior analysis (ABA), the importance of understanding what happens before a behavior, how our responses can unintentionally rei...

Finding the right caregiver for someone with autism, especially profound autism is one of the most important and challenging decisions families face. In this episode, Mike Carr shares what he’s learned after decades of hiring, training, and working alongside hundreds of caregivers. From in-home support to structured programs, Mike breaks down the qualities that truly matter when building a care team you can trust. This episode goes beyond resumes and certifications, focusing on the human traits ...

In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares decades of lived experience raising a profoundly autistic adult son and building real-world support systems for families who are often underserved. This conversation goes beyond theory and focuses on what actually helps families thrive when autism support needs are high and lifelong. Mike discusses how community-based programs, structured environments, and proactive behavioral planning can dramatically improve quality of life for both individuals ...

What can parents and caregivers do to make everyday life easier for someone with profound autism? In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr shares seven practical autism parenting and caregiving strategies based on his family's experience raising his profoundly autistic son, Michael. Mike discusses how better communication can help reduce anxiety, why visual schedules can make routines easier to understand, how parents can recognize nonverbal cues, and why enthusiastic praise can encourage po...