Parent Reality
We support parents with special needs children.
Part 1 - Working During the December Holidays
In this episode Desirae Pillay guides you through the typical challenges special needs parents and -families experience during holidays. She shares practical tips to help. Desirae Pillay is a special needs mom, parent advisor, blogger and motivational speaker. She is also an active member of our Parent Reality Team.
How to support a child with ADHD
Sarah Prince interviews Urshula Saindon, principal of Silvermine Academy, private high school in Cape Town. Urshula shares her journey with ADHD herself, and how it's enlightened her role as a teacher and principal. This interview is jam-packed with ways to come alongside your child and school for build a wonderful…
Frequent Parent Questions in the Special Needs Community
Desirae Pillay is a speaker, trainer and facilitator on disability inclusion and mental health. She serves at Parent Reality as the Head of Support. In this podcast she shares what topics most frequently come up from parents in the support groups she facilitates. Listen to what she has learned from…
Interview with Kerry Domoney Williams Part 2
Enjoy this conversation between Sarah Prince and Kerry Domoney-Williams. Kerry is a quirky and eccentric mom to Kal, Gabi, Mitch and dance daughter, Abigail. Kal is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Mitch had learning barriers growing up. She shares her colourful special needs parenting life with us. Kerry is a…
Interview with Kerry Domoney Williams Part 1
Enjoy this conversation between Sarah Prince and Kerry Domoney-Williams. Kerry is a quirky and eccentric mom to Kal, Gabi, Mitch and dance daughter, Abigail. Kal is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Mitch had learning barriers growing up. She shares her colourful special needs parenting life with us. Kerry is a…
Neuro Diversity Affirming Approach with Jacoline Rudman & Frances Kaplan
Enjoy this interesting interview with us about a neuro diversity affirming approach in therapy. Johanni speaks to Jacoline Rudman and Frances Kaplan about their work at the Neuro Diversity Hive and how they strive to serve and help ASD families. **Disclamer: Parent Reality do not promote specific treatments for any…
Anxiety: Sarah Prince shares her experience and offers you encouragement
Sarah Prince knows firsthand the crushing impact of living with anxiety. In this podcast, she shares her own experience of living with anxiety and also what it is like raising a child who lives with anxiety. Sarah is a Pastor, Counsellor, Author and soon to be Life Coach. Her knowledge…
Answers to your questions for a better parenting year
Many parents are now in the swing of the year, but still need help with relationships with professionals and how to support their child to fully settle into the routines for this year. In this podcast, Desirae Pillay shares answers to questions she and Johanni Meiring are asked from other…
Johanni Meiring looks back on 2023
Johanni Meiring is a parent to a child with special needs. She is also a life coach, author and one of the founding members of Parent Reality. In this podcast she shares her reflections with Desirae about supporting families during 2023, and her own insights from her parenting journey. Listen…
Shani Zuk Lits: From Professional to Parent
Shani is currently a supervisor at Els for Autism South Africa and has been with the team for more than 10 years. She qualified with a Masters degree in clinical psychology. Shani then studied further with a focus on Applied Behaviour Analysis and how evidence-based practices can be used to…
Lara Nathan: A Mother’s Story of Resilience and Hope - Part 2/2
Lara Nathan is a wife and mother who celebrates her son with Cerebral Palsy through her first published book. She is also an award-winning Pam Golding Real Estate Agent and stars in BBC Lifestyle's Listing Jozi. Desirae spoke to Lara about the profound loss and pain she experienced even before…
Lara Nathan: A Mother’s Story of Resilience and Hope - Part 1/2
Lara Nathan is a wife and mother who celebrates her son with Cerebral Palsy through her first published book. She is also an award-winning Pam Golding Real Estate Agent and stars in BBC Lifestyle's Listing Jozi. In part one Desirae spoke to Lara about the profound loss and pain she…
Look, Listen, Love: A family’s journey in autism and faith
Sarah Prince is a pastor, missionary, community developer and author. Desirae Pillay spoke to Sarah about her audacious story of moving her family to Africa only to find her beloved son diagnosed with autism and her entire family in a crisis of life and faith. You want to hear how…
Transforming our understanding of challenging behaviours in autistic individuals to behaviours that challenge Part 3
Have you been told by an educator that your child needs medication for behaviours the educator or school find challenging? This is a hotbed topic for many schools and parents who both need more information and understanding about why a child has certain behaviours. We believe that when we all…
Transforming our understanding of challenging behaviours in autistic individuals to behaviours that challenge Part 2
Do you know your rights and responsibilities when considering medicating your child? When a child has behaviours that challenge us, we need a fuller understanding of the role of medication and what to consider. Desirae Pillay spoke to Claire Allen, a seasoned voice, and an educational specialist, in the autistic…
Transforming our understanding of challenging behaviours in autistic individuals to behaviours that challenge Part 1
Do you feel overwhelmed that your autistic child behaves in ways that are challenging? Do you feel inadequate as a parent? Are you struggling to find someone to help you to understand your child? At Parent Reality, we are in contact by parents almost all the time with these questions…
A Father’s Heart: An interview with John Stewart who is a dad to an adult daughter with a disability
Desirae Pillay spoke to John Stewart about his fatherhood journey. John’s daughter Lauren is an adult with a disability who needs full care. During Lauren’s life there have been ups and downs, still John is hopeful that Lauren’s best days are ahead of them. Listen to John share his father’s…
What I wish I knew then... by Desirae Pillay
Desirae Pillay shares the answer to a question she is frequently asked: What do you wish you knew then that you know now? Listen to the hearfelt answer by a mother of a daughter with a disability. Desirae will have you on the edge of your seat, not wanting to…
Parent Reality Conversations - Part 2: Why my child?
Johanni Meiring and Desirae Pillay carries on with the conversation series discussing a tough topic. Each of them has asked the question: Why my child ? And here they discuss the sense and peace they could find within their own personal emotional and -faith struggles. This podcast is sponsored by…
Safety and Special Needs Families - Interview with Seugnèt Scholtz
Seugnèt is a professional nurse specialising in nurse education and -research. She is also a special needs mom with a passion for safety in special needs family homes. We speak about the realities of emergencies as part of special needs families, and Seugnet shares practical tips with parents and service…