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by Specialness
Welcome to Specialness, the YouTube channel where love, resilience, and the extraordinary journey of parenting a special needs child take center stage. Hosted by Kim and Jeff Kribs, this heartfelt podcast-turned-video-series invites you into their world as they share their unique story, from adopting their son as a baby to navigating the joys and challenges of raising him into adulthood. Through candid conversations, touching anecdotes, and moments of humor, Kim and Jeff explore what it means to build a family filled with compassion and strength. Whether you're a parent, a family member, or s
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- 2 weeks ago1h 14m
S3_Ep-09: When Special Needs Means Mental Illness, and No One Takes It Seriously
In the mental health world, there is no blood test. No x-ray. Just a subjective judgment that changes from one doctor's office to the next, and a family left to live with the consequences.Jeff and Kim get honest about the part of special needs parenting that society files under "dangerous" or "crazy" and refuses to take seriously. They walk through Cason's mental health journey from the beginning: the manic behavior at four, the neuropsychologist who suspected bipolar one, the renowned psychiatrist who dismissed it as "just ADHD," and the medication trial and error that made everything worse. They also share the terrifying hospital day that no parent should have to fight through, and why the words "he's too young for that" cost their family years.This is a conversation about stigma, about a mental health system that is easy to be failed by, and about why our own community has to be the place understanding starts.If this episode helped you feel a little less alone, subscribe and share it with a family who needs it.#SpecialNeedsParents #MentalHealth #SpecialNeedsFamily #Caregiver #TheSpecialnessPodcast
- Aug 15, 20261h 13m
S3_Ep-08: The Special Needs Grief No One Talks About
When people hear the word grief, they think someone died. For special needs parents, the grief is different. It's the life you planned for and never got to live, and it doesn't fade. It compounds.In this episode, Jeff and Kim talk openly about the grief nobody in the special needs world seems allowed to name. The milestones that never come. The family gatherings where the gap becomes impossible to ignore. The jealousy that shows up watching friends drop their kids at college. And why, after almost 25 years, the grief has actually gotten heavier, not lighter.If you have ever felt guilty for grieving while still loving your child with everything you have, this one is for you. You have permission to feel it.#SpecialNeedsParents #SpecialNeedsGrief #SpecialNeedsFamily #Caregiver #TheSpecialnessPodcast
- Jul 31, 202647 min
S3_Ep-07: A Special Needs Mom Doctors Gave No Hope, Twice | Julia Erman (Part 2 of 2)
Part 2 of our conversation with Julia Erman, a special needs mom whose two children share an ultra rare diagnosis. This is the half about what she did with it.Julia found out her kids were dying on her birthday, over a Zoom call. In this episode she talks about the faith that gave her peace that same day, why suffering builds a muscle most people never have to grow, and how a conversation at a backyard cookout turned into The Hazelnut Movement, a school program that has now reached 25 schools in 5 states.She also says something that stopped us: her daughter isn't the problem. Her own grief is. This is a conversation about the hard you can control and the hard you cannot.Missed Part 1? Watch it here: https://youtu.be/HqwvSUjrHZwABOUT OUR GUESTJulia Erman is a speaker, author, and founder of The Hazelnut Movement, a nonprofit school assembly program that helps kids understand disability through storytelling. She has written 18 children's books and has been featured in People Magazine and NBC Today Parents.Julia's website, books, and speaking: https://www.juliaerman.co/The Hazelnut Movement, school assemblies and educator resources: https://www.thehazelnutmovement.com/Julia is currently booking school assemblies and keynotes, and she has packets parents can send to their own school administrators. She also offers a free 7-day encouragement series for special needs moms called 7 Days of Hope.Find her on Instagram at @ermanjulia and @thehazelnutmovement.If this episode helped you feel a little less alone, subscribe and share it with a family who needs it.#SpecialNeedsParents #SpecialNeedsMom #RareDisease #SpecialNeedsFamily #TheSpecialnessPodcast
- Jul 24, 202646 min
S3_Ep-06: A Special Needs Mom Doctors Gave No Hope, Twice | Julia Erman (Part 1 of 2)
Our first ever guest. Julia Erman is a special needs mom, author, and founder of The Hazelnut Movement, and both of her children live with a diagnosis that only has a handful of documented cases in the world.In Part 1 of 2, Julia walks us through the beginning. A perfect birth that turned into a NICU emergency in 48 hours. A neurologist who took away every ounce of hope in two words. A second pregnancy that uncovered the cancer four doctors had missed. And the moment, two days after her son was born, when she realized it was happening all over again.This is one of the most honest conversations we have had on this show about grief, diagnosis, and how long it can actually take to find joy again.ABOUT OUR GUESTJulia Erman is a speaker, author, and founder of The Hazelnut Movement, a nonprofit school assembly program that helps kids understand disability through storytelling. She has written 18 children's books and has been featured in People Magazine and NBC Today Parents.Julia's website, books, and speaking: https://www.juliaerman.co/The Hazelnut Movement, school assemblies and educator resources: https://www.thehazelnutmovement.com/Julia is currently booking school assemblies and keynotes, and she has packets parents can send to their own school administrators. She also offers a free 7-day encouragement series for special needs moms called 7 Days of Hope.Find her on Instagram at @ermanjulia and @thehazelnutmovement.If this episode helped you feel a little less alone, subscribe and share it with a family who needs it.#SpecialNeedsParents #SpecialNeedsMom #RareDisease #SpecialNeedsFamily #TheSpecialnessPodcast
- Jul 15, 202655 min
S3_Ep-05: Who Has It Harder in a Special Needs Marriage?
A few weeks ago we posted a reel about the roles each parent plays in a special needs marriage. It passed 70,000 views and lit up our comments, so this week we're unpacking what we actually meant.Jeff said one of us drew "the short end of the stick," and it ruffled feathers. In this episode we clarify that comment, talk through the roles of breadwinner and caregiver, and get honest about the resentment and burnout that nobody warns you about. After 24 years, here's how we've split the load without losing each other.CHAPTERS0:00 The viral reel and why context gets lost1:45 What "the short end of the stick" really meant2:38 Secondhand medical info and surprise medication costs7:45 Deciding our roles before we even had kids11:16 How resentment and caregiver burnout creep in13:42 Why special needs divorces mirror regular ones, only magnified21:24 Personality decides roles, not gender stereotypes26:09 Why denial is one of the most dangerous things in our world29:06 How your roles shift as your child grows31:04 The jobs that became Dad's, from reading to infusions34:18 "I'm off the clock" and why the caregiver needs real breaks47:31 Balancing a neurotypical sibling52:25 What 24 years has actually taught us53:35 Next week: our first guest, Julie ErmanThank you to everyone following along from all over the world. Your comments, questions, and stories shape every episode we make.If this helped you feel a little less alone, subscribe and share it with a family who needs it.New episodes every week.#SpecialNeedsParents #SpecialNeedsMarriage #SpecialNeedsFamily #Caregiver #TheSpecialnessPodcast
- Jul 9, 202658 min
S3_Ep-04: Special Needs Parenting Took Away Our Ability to Plan the Future
We had plans.That sounds simple, but when you are raising a child with profound special needs, plans come with an asterisk.In this episode, we talk about the part of special needs parenting that is hard to explain to people who have never lived it. It is not just that your child’s future changes. Your future changes too.This conversation started with a reel that hit a nerve because so many parents said the same thing: you can’t really plan when you never know what is coming next.If you are a special needs parent, caregiver, or family member living with the constant unknown, this episode is for you.Watch the episode and let us know, what is something you had to stop planning the way other families do?
- Jul 2, 202656 min
S3_Ep-03: The Pediatric Cliff: What Happens When a Special Needs Child Becomes an Adult?
When Cason started aging out of pediatric care, we thought the hardest part would be finding new doctors.We were wrong.The harder part was walking into the adult medical world and realizing how different everything felt. For years, pediatric specialists knew Cason, understood his history, and treated him like a whole person. Then suddenly we were in adult offices where the records had not always been read, guardianship was not always understood, and people expected Cason to answer questions he could not understand.In this episode, we talk about the pediatric cliff, the transition from pediatric specialists to adult doctors, and what it feels like when your special needs child becomes a legal adult but still needs the same level of support.We also talk about one appointment that stayed with us, the kind of appointment that makes every future appointment harder.If you are a parent, caregiver, or family member navigating adult care, guardianship, disability, special needs parenting, or medical advocacy, this one may feel very familiar.Watch the episode and let us know, has your family experienced the pediatric cliff too?
- Jun 26, 202653 min
S3_Ep-02: Does raising a special needs child really lead to an 87% divorce rate?
After one of our Instagram reels reached more than 180,000 views, hundreds of parents shared their stories, challenged the statistic, and started one of the most meaningful conversations we've ever had.In this episode, we revisit that viral reel, correct the misinformation, and talk about what the research actually says.More importantly, we talk about what the comments revealed.Special needs parents opened up about marriages that grew stronger, marriages that fell apart, single parenting, caregiver burnout, trauma bonding, financial stress, and the daily realities that most people never see.This episode isn't about fear.It's about honesty.Whether you're raising a child with autism, a rare genetic condition, Down syndrome, or another disability, we hope this conversation reminds you that you're not alone.If you've ever wondered whether your marriage is the only one carrying this weight, this episode is for you.🎧 Watch now and join the conversation.If this episode speaks to you, we'd love to hear your story in the comments.#SpecialNeedsParenting #AutismParenting #SpecialNeedsFamily #CaregiverLife #Marriage #DisabilityAwareness #RareDisease #ParentingPodcast #SpecialnessPodcast
About Specialness Pod
Welcome to Specialness, the YouTube channel where love, resilience, and the extraordinary journey of parenting a special needs child take center stage. Hosted by Kim and Jeff Kribs, this heartfelt podcast-turned-video-series invites you into their world as they share their unique story, from adopting their son as a baby to navigating the joys and challenges of raising him into adulthood. Through candid conversations, touching anecdotes, and moments of humor, Kim and Jeff explore what it means to build a family filled with compassion and strength. Whether you're a parent, a family member, or s
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