SFN Dad To Dad 446 - David Aarestad of Champaign, IL An Adjunct Professor of Law at UIUC & Father Two, Including One With Down Syndrome

Our guest this week is David Aarestad of Champaign, IL who is a lawyer by education and training, an adjunct professor of Law at University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign and father of two, including one with Down Syndrome.   

David and his wife, Karen, have been married for 25 years and are the proud parents of two children: Brynn (20) and Sofia (22) who has Mosaic Down Syndrome, which impacts only 1 1/2% of those with Down Syndrome.  

Prior to moving to Illinois two years ago, the Aarestads lived in Denver for more than a decade.  While there they were involved in many many organization that supported Sofia and the family, including: 

• Adam’s Camp
• Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association, and 
• Global Down Syndrome Foundation

It's an uplifting story about a father's commitment to family and dedication to the welfare of other families all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Notes - 
Phone – (303) 514-5522
Email – davidaarestad@yahoo.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-aarestad-96163b9/  
Adam’s Camp – https://adamscamp.org/
Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association – https://rmdsa.org/
Global Down Syndrome Foundation - https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/
Gigi’s Playhouse – https://gigisplayhouse.org/

For the record, this episode was recordred at the Urbana Country Club in Urbana, IL, on day #31 and stop #65 of the SFN U.S. Tour, a month-long, 50-state, 60-plus stop tour to strengthen the SFN and distribute 1,000 complimentary copies of the new book: Dads Raising Children with Special Needs & Disabilities: A Guide For 21st Century Dads.

Special thanks to all those who supported the SFN U.S. Tour that took place from May 21 to June 21, 2026: 

Special Fathers Network –
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 900+ 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.

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

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

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