We are so happy for Benny and his family! (originally posted by Breanna Brian)

              The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. Tuesday, August 29th, we discovered that an autism service dog needed a forever family who he could help. They trained the dog for meltdowns and elopement. For those who don’t know, meltdowns and elopement are manifestations of my son’s disability….

Two kids doing crafts together

Parent Conference 2019: An interview with Elizabeth Joseph

Elizabeth Joseph is a scholarship recipient who traveled from Kongiganak to attend the 2019 Annual Parent Conference: Transforming Challenging Behaviors into Meaningful Communication, to learn some useful information on how to manage the challenging behaviors of her two children. Stone Soup Group interviewed her following the 2019 Parent Conference. Here is what she had to…

Woman with glasses

Caregiver Depression – Real, Raw, and “Normal”

Depression is frequently a topic we tip-toe around, especially as caregivers. With all the issues we deal with on a daily basis, our problems are insignificant, right? WRONG! Parent and special needs advocate Maria Pepperworth speaks openly about depression as a caregiver today. Life as a special-needs parent can be exhausting and lonely.  Special-needs parents have…

$1,800 a Day…

Stone Soup Group Board Member, Matt Findley, explains how his son reached the lifetime cap imposed by his employer-based healthcare plan in less than two years. Hear one way Alaskans like his son who are living with a disability would be impacted by potential changes to healthcare. Thank you Matt for sharing your story!

We are an autism family…

By Maria Pepperworth – Alaskan parent, advocate, rocker! Whenever people ask me about autism I like to use the word experience. My kids “experience” autism. In reality,  our whole family “experiences” autism. It impacts the whole family. Autism is different in every person. It’s unpredictable, it’s difficult, it’s amazing, it’s a puzzle. If you would’ve…