For this week's Round 4, Amanda once again recorded with her husband, Jon, our audio engineer and blogger at My Happy SAHD Life, to talk about one of the many not-so-easy pieces of special needs parenting—PTSD. Like many parents of kids with autism, they have a kiddo who has meltdowns, not tantrums. There's a difference and Amanda really, really wants people to understand and thus recommended this hugely popular article, "The Difference Between Tantrums and Sensory Meltdowns." (Yes, she wrote it, but, yes, you should also read it.) So, Amanda and Jon worry more about the “when-ifs” of a crisis occurring than the "what-ifs." They talked about how that affects their parenting: How do you keep calm so you don't create a crisis with your own reaction? How do you tag-team when both of you are feeling panicked and one person needs to at least appear calm? And how do single parents of tough kids handle all of the "when-ifs"?

Amanda and Jon share their experiences, frustrations, and strategies in a podcast that will have traumatized parents of complicated kids nodding in agreement and sympathy. And if you're not one of those parents, listen in to see what it feels like! (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).

For this week's Round 4, Amanda chatted with her husband, Jon, our audio engineer and blogger at My Happy SAHD Life, to talk about the ... educational challenge of taking children with special needs out in public. Do you enlighten that judgey lady on the plane about the tic disorder that's making your kid kick her seat? Do you wear T-shirts inviting people interested in why your youngsters do what they do to look it up online? Do you politely suggest that people mind their own beeswax, or apologize afterwards for your child's alleged disruptiveness? What you can't really do is hide your kid in a closet, however much certain members of the public might like you to. Amanda and Jon share their experiences, frustrations, and strategies in a podcast that will have any parent of children who get those looks in public nodding in agreement and sympathy. And if you're not one of those parents -- maybe you need to listen and think about how it feels?

For a special Round 4 this month, Amanda got together with our audio engineer, Jon, to talk about the experience of being a stay-at-home father to children with special needs. Oh, and did we mention Amanda and Jon are married? (To each other.) They chatted about how hard it is to have two working parents when you have kids with special needs and how that led to their decision to have a stay-at-home parent. Amanda talked about a study she’d read about the connection between poverty and disabilities. Jon spoke of the assumptions people make of dads, particularly when it comes to managing appointments, therapies, medications and so forth. And he had sage advice for dads who are trying to break down stereotypes. Listen in for banter, chatter and more. You can also visit Jon's site My Happy SAHD Life. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)