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PODCAST

The Lucky Few

The Lucky Few Podcast

Hey friends! Welcome to the Lucky Few Podcast where we are shifting the narrative by shouting the worth of people with Down syndrome. With your hosts, Heather Avis, Micha Boyett, and Mercedes Lara.

kids & family

All Episodes

00:46:42

316. Diving Deeper: Alzheimer's Disease Prevalence...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/11/11

Last week we had an important conversation with Dr. Michael Rafii all about the link between DS and Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re still processing everything you learned from that interview, that’s okay. Sit down with the three of us + our good friend Kandi Pickard (CEO of the National DS Society) and we’ll talk through it together!How do we confront medical discrimination?Where can we get involved in research?What does it mean that the NDSS has merged with LuMind? (hint: its a great thing for

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00:44:08

315. Brain Health & DS: Alzheimer's Disease...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/11/04

As we continue this season on brain health, its time to dive deep into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. It’s not an easy topic.. and that’s why we are so grateful to have Dr. Michael Rafii with us. He’s a physician-scientist whose research focuses on developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, including a genetic form that occurs in people with Down syndrome. Dr. Rafii is breaking down these topics today:Alzheimer’s 101: How does it progress over time? How many people with

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00:43:49

314. Diving Deeper: Motor Planning, Apraxia, & More

The Lucky Few ·

2025/10/28

Last week, we heard from motor planning expert, Brooke Poston, so today the three of us are diving deep into our experiences of apraxia with our own children! Here’s what we’re chatting about:When are children aren’t cooperating, is it actually a behavior problem or an apraxia challenge? Do they need ABA therapy or motor coaching? How can we implement these motor planning techniques all day every day?Knowing what we know now, how can we offer more grace to our children when they appear dysregulated

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00:42:38

313. Brain Health & DS: Motor Planning, Apraxia, &...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/10/21

Have you ever found yourself asking your child to do the same thing over and over again? Why won’t they just stand up and put their shoes on? Why do they hit so often for what seems like no reason? Today is your crash course in motor planning and apraxia, where we’re diving deep into how the brain + body connection impacts behavior. We have Brooke Poston (Clinic Director and Spellers Method Practitioner) on the show to answer all of our questions:What is the difference between apraxia, incompetence,

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00:40:55

312. Ellie Goldstein On Celebrity Dance Competition

The Lucky Few ·

2025/10/14

Ellie Goldstein is the first person with Down syndrome to ever be on the cover of British Vogue. She’s also the first person with DS to ever be on the show, “Strictly Come Dancing” — basically UK’s equivalent of “Dancing With The Stars!” Naturally, the internet has A LOT of opinions about it. Today we’re diving into a Facebook post full of ableist comments disguised as empathy. And we’re wondering: Would these comments be made about a celebrity without an intellectual disability?What is the

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00:38:06

311. Down Syndrome Awareness Month Goals!

The Lucky Few ·

2025/10/07

Welcome to a new season of the podcast and happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Or should we say DS Acceptance Month?! The advocacy language has definitely changed over the years. Lets talk about it. Here’s what you can expect this week:How did DSAM become a thing? (Huge shout out to all the advocates who blazed a trail back in the 80s!) What are we doing to celebrate this month? (Hint: not much!)What is the difference between wanting to improve our kids lives and wanting to take their diagnoses

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00:37:26

310. How To Connect with Other Lucky Mamas

The Lucky Few ·

2025/09/09

Today we’re talking about the people and places where we can keep our shoulders down and know that our children with Down syndrome will be accepted no matter what. Join us as we chat about:Our stories of how we first connected with the DS communityOnline connections vs in-person connections (Why does this one feel so much harder sometimes?)Why is it important to build relationships with other families in this space?We’re so grateful for organizations like the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network (DSDN)

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00:33:13

309. Myofunctional Therapy for Individuals w/Down...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/09/02

Having a child with Down syndrome means you’re always learning about something new! And today’s topic is: oral facial myofunctional therapy.. a technique used to improve the way our mouth and face muscles work! We have Irene Iskander (dental hygienist + lucky mama) on the show today to answer all of our questions:Why is mouth breathing so common amongst individuals with DS? What are the long term effects of mouth breathing?What can we do at each age to strengthen mouth and facial muscles?How is

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00:46:21

308. A Conversation About The Telepathy Tapes Podcast

The Lucky Few ·

2025/08/26

Friends! Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes Podcast? In this show, creator and host Ky Dickens explores the “profound abilities of non-speakers with autism - individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated.” Let’s talk about it:Have we experienced a shared consciousness with our own children? Is telepathy possible?Why are people having such a hard time believing the stories from the autistic individuals and their families who claim to communicate with telepathy?How has the

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00:49:45

307. Sid Ghosh on Disability, Connectivity, & His New...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/08/19

Sid Ghosh is 18 (going on 81) years old and he just published his first full length book of poems with a major poetry company. He’s been given extraordinary praise from renowned authors, and us too of course! Here’s what we’re talking about today: Sid’s poems about his profound experience the world, as an autistic adult who has Down syndrome and uses a communication board (Spellers style!)Why it’s important to challenge our comfort zones to get a glimpse into a more fully profound way to be human

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00:44:58

306. What Is Ableism and How Do We Call It Out?

The Lucky Few ·

2025/08/12

Oxford Dictionary defines ableism as: “discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.” And on today’s episode, we’re defining ableism with our own examples:When someone is shocked by our child’s capabilitiesWhen someone is suprised by our strong connection to our childrenWhen someone volunteers for a disabilities organization believing they’re a heroA lot of ableism is just actions and systems that we may have never questioned.. until being affected by disability. So what do we do when we experience

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00:37:27

305. Division In The Down Syndrome Community

The Lucky Few ·

2025/08/05

After so many years in the Down syndrome community, we’ve had our fair share of surprising and even disappointing experiences with other advocates. The more we put ourselves out there, the more opportunity there is for disagreement. So what happens when there’s division amongst mothers in the Down syndrome community? Join us for a chat about:Unwritten rules and competition.. what happened to collaboration?Managing intellectual property.. what belongs to the individual vs the community?Social media

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00:45:13

304. Summer Isolation for Kids w/Down Syndrome

The Lucky Few ·

2025/07/29

Summer isolation for our kids with disabilities.. It’s not fun to talk about.. which means we probably should. Lets unpack it:Why is no one reaching out to our children to hang out over the summer?What happens when full inclusion during the school year still doesn’t foster meaningful friendships for your child?What do we do with these feelings of loneliness? How do we talk to our kids about this? With our kiddos growing up, we’ve noticed huge changes in the social dynamics that have left our kids

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00:32:20

303. How will the "Big, Beautiful Bill" affect my...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/07/22

In this current political climate, one of our goals is to keep you all up to date on the legislature that impacts our community. So friends, its time to talk about the “Big, Beautiful Bill” and how it will affect individuals with Down syndrome. We are SO grateful for an incredible guest to help us out. Sean Feely is the new Director of Advocacy and Policy at the National Down Syndrome Society and he’s here today to answer all of our questions..The basic questions: What exactly is the “Big, Beautiful

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00:43:51

302. Extended School Year.. To do or not to do?

The Lucky Few ·

2025/07/15

We’re talking about a not-so-fun part of summer today.. summer school! Specifically, extended school year (ESY) for our children with Down syndrome. What is extended school year? Is it necessary?Are our kids in ESY this summer? Will our kids regress if they don’t go to summer school? Or is traveling/playing throughout the summer also a beneficial learning opportunity?This is an interesting conversation about what it means to be a student with a disability, why inclusion during the school year is an

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00:52:48

301. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Are NOT Bad...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/07/08

Welcome to a new season of The Lucky Few Podcast! We’re starting off strong with an episode all about… diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because these are more than just buzz words, friends. Let’s talk about it:What is DEI? What is it NOT?Recent changes to DEI standards.. have we seen these changes in our own lives?The intersection of race and disabilityWe’re also introducing our guest host for the season.. Brandy Coleman! She’s an advocate, educator, wife, and mother of seven - including her

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00:44:10

BONUS: Sibling Bonds, Storytelling, and Chickens...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/06/24

What happens when you mix a fierce sibling bond, a deep love for storytelling, writing, advocacy and a chicken named Rosemary? You get today’s episode of The Lucky Few Podcast! We’re joined by the incredible Melissa Hart, author, educator, journalist and big sister to Mark, her brother who has Down syndrome.This episode is full of heart, humor, and hope—plus a reminder that inclusion starts at home and ripples out into the stories we tell.Melissa shares her powerful journey growing up alongside her

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00:39:46

BONUS: The Power of Saying "I Like You So Much"...

The Lucky Few ·

2025/06/03

It’s 2025 and there are a few things we know are true… The world is chaotic. And we NEED more compliments. That’s why our very own Heather Avis wrote her new children’s book, “I Like You So Much: Celebrating What Makes You, You!” We’re chatting all about the inspiration for this book and more today!What’s the difference between saying “I like you” and “I love you?”When’s the last time you gave a compliment that wasn’t based on an accomplishment?How did Heather make sure that ALL children could see

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00:45:52

300. A Deep Dive Into the Last 300 Episodes!

The Lucky Few ·

2025/05/20

Well friends, we’re 300 episodes into the podcast and we finally figured out a way to keep track of just how long we’ve been doing this.. and no its not our neck wrinkles! Lets go behind the scenes today as we reflect on the last 7 years. We’re chatting about:What has changed in our lives (and the world) since starting the podcast?What have we learned (and unlearned) along the way?What are our favorite memories? And what are YOUR favorite memories? (Lots of listener feedback in this one!)You’ve all

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00:39:25

299. Reasonable Risks for Our Kids with Down Syndrome

The Lucky Few ·

2025/05/13

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely wondered.. Should I let my child use this public restroom on their own? Is my child able to handle these kitchen tools? Can I let my child attend this sleepover? And if you’re a parent to a child with a disability, you might have even more fears around these risky activities. It’s time for a conversation about reasonable risks for our kids with Down syndrome. Here’s what we’re chatting about today:What does “dignity of risk” mean? Is the risky activity an

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352 results

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