To celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, we are honored to share the story of an incredible educator who has made an impact on the life of a student with autism. Kiersten Wood, a 1st-3rd grade Special Day Class teacher at Henry Miller Elementary School in Los Banos, California, is the recipient of our March 2025 Honored National Teaching Award. She was nominated for this award by the parents of her student, Payton. Joining Kiersten in this episode are Payton’s mom and dad, Anthony and Samantha.

You'll hear about:

- Kiersten Wood's journey to becoming a teacher

- The impact Kiersten has had on Payton and his family

- Kiersten's dedication to creating an empathetic and encouraging environment for her students

- Kiersten's passion for supporting families with children with disabilities

You'll also hear from Matthew Kenslow, who is the author of "Juggling the Issues: Living with Asperger's Syndrome". He shares about a teacher who left an incredible impact on their journey in our segment "Teachers Who Inspired". You can learn more about Matthew Kenslow in the episode credits below.

Links Mentioned:

- Read more about Kiersten Wood's story: https://www.honored.org/honoree/kiersten-wood

- Nominate a teacher: https://www.honored.org/nominate/

- Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/

- Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/honored/

- Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/

- Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org

Episode Music Credits:

- Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/

- Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/

- Teachers Who Inspired segment audio of Matthew Kenslow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9FUkVOj0TI