Our guest this week is Pat Wire, of Crystal Lake, IL a social studies teacher at Barrington High School, long-time head coach of the Barrington Broncos High School varsity baseball team and father of four, including a son with autism.

Pat and his wife, Leane, are the proud parents of four children: Gabrielle (19), Bobbi (17), Shaelyn (12) and Preston (11) who is autistic and non-verbal.

Pat has been coaching for nearly three decades and at the high school level for more than two decades.

Pat reflects on how much Preston has taught him about; parenting, patience, himself and what's important in life. The big take away? Parents of a child with special abilities need to use the child's yardstick to measure the child's progress vs. the one they might have used for themselves.

We’ll hear all about Pat, his open and transparent views on parenting and life, all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Notes -
Phone – (847) 754-0138
Email – PWire@barrington220.org

Order your copy of the new 21CD book: Dads Raising Chidlren With Special Needs & Disabilities: A Guide For 21st Century Dads on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4tdvjcv

Join 21CD on the SFN U.S. Tour, a 30 day, 50 state, 60+ stop tour taking place from May 21 to June 21, 2026: to strengthen and grow the Special Fathers Network as well as give away copies of our new book.

Special Fathers Network –
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: “I wish there was something like this when we first received our child’s diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through.”

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Join the SFN U.S. Tour in one of 60+ locations all across the U.S. from May 21st to June 21st. Go to www.21stCenturyDads.org for additional informaiton.

Please conisder hosting, co-hosting or simoly joining the tour near your home.

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videos

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Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/