EPISODE 148
Grow or fold: The Journey of a Dad and His Autistic Son with High Support Needs
With Matt Ross
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Show Notes
Matt Ross is a professional who has experienced success as an entrepreneur in different businesses, especially regarding music education. When his son was diagnosed with autism and high support needs, including co-occurring medical conditions, his life and that of his family changed dramatically. Barry and Dave and Matt discuss the decisions he made and the path he decided to take to deal with the challenges he experienced and to best support his son and family.
Featuring
Matt Ross
Matt Ross is an entrepreneur, author, and media executive with nearly 30 years of experience building businesses that inspire passion and creativity. He also is the father of an adult non-speaking autistic son. Since 2012, Matt has been the Founder and CEO of One River School, a company whose mission is to “Transform Art Education®.” Today, One River operates fifteen schools in six states. In 2005, Matt became the CEO of School of Rock. Under his leadership, the company grew from 5 to 55 locations. Matt holds an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU and is a cum laude graduate in Marketing from SUNY Albany. He also is a former member of the Board of Trustees for Art 21 and the Bergen Performing Arts Center. His advocacy efforts focus on two main areas: supporting organizations that build communities for adults with autism, and championing artists and arts-based organizations. He is the author of the forthcoming book GROW OR FOLD: Transform Yourself in Midlife and Beyond, a story of awakening your enthusiasm for growth
Learn More about Matt Ross on his website
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Transcripts coming soon!
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…and Continue the Discussion
Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.
1. Matt speaks of the work he needed to do on himself to help his son and family. What did matt learn in his journey in raising his son, and what does he share with other parents, especially those who may have children with high support needs?
2. Matt shares how his business knowledge was a means to deal with the great stresses he was experiencing in his family, especially when his autistic son was having extreme challenges. How did he apply such knowledge, and did this resonate with you as a means to deal with challenges in your or your family’s life?
3. Matt’s forthcoming book, GROW OR FOLD: Transform Yourself in Midlife and Beyond emerged from his personal experiences, including those impacted by having a son with high support needs. What does he mean by “grow or fold”? What are his and your takeaways from this discussion with Matt?
HOSTED BY
Barry Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Barry Prizant is a speech-language pathologist with more than 50 years experience as a researcher and international consultant for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. He is an Adjunct Professor of Communicative Disorders at the University of Rhode Island and Director, Childhood Communication Services (a private practice). Previously, he served as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Brown University School of Medicine, and held a tenured professor appointment at Emerson College. Publications include 5 books, most notably Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2015; 2022) and The SCERTS Model manuals, an educational approach implemented in more than a dozen countries. He has published 150 scholarly chapters and articles and serves on numerous professional advisory boards for journals and professional organizations. Barry has presented more than 1000 seminars and keynote addresses internationally, including two invited presentations at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day. His career contributions have been recognized with honors from Brown and Princeton Universities, the Autism Society of America and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Visit Barry’s website here
Uniquely Human, the book (Updated and Expanded edition!)
Dave Finch
Dave Finch is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband. As a writer and creative consultant, his work has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, SiriusXM, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Howard Stern Show, and the award-winning Netflix series, Atypical. Based in Denver, Dave’s company, Elevated Studio, produces this podcast and other recognized series.
Visit Dave’s website here
“I have read a million and one books on Autism. Uniquely Human is the best book I have ever read, hands down. Thank you Barry for this incredible gift!!!!”
– Navah Paskovitz, Mother of three boys with Autism, Co-Founder, the Ed Asner Family Center
“Compassion, learning and supportive strategies–the three essentials for working with folks with ASD–are an integral part of this must-read book.”
– Michelle Garcia Winner, Speech Language Pathologist and Founder of Social Thinking
“Thanks be to Barry for the first-ever must read written for parents, educators, and clinicians.”
– Michael John Carley, Founder, GRASP; Author of Asperger’s From the Inside-Out
“What makes the book compelling is how funny Mr. Finch is about himself. He’s great company.”
– Susannah Meadows, The New York Times
“In this hilarious memoir (which also gives some of the finest explications of Asperger’s out there), Finch approaches trying to be a better husband and father with the determination of Sherman marching on Atlanta.”
– Judith Newman, People (4/4 stars)
“Talk about being on a roll. This dude wrote a book, he has Asperger’s syndrome. He cured himself by listening to me on the radio!”
– Howard Stern
