Family – Isaac's Autism in the Wild

Episode #56 | Do parents have a reason to fear CPS (Part 1)

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | July 24, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

My long-time friend, Meg, joins me to share her knowledge as a social worker within the system of Child Protective Services (CPS). She shed a lot of light on:

What constitutes a mandatory report
Who are mandatory reporters
How do mandatory reporters determine whether abuse or neglect is taking place
The difference between the types of actions taken by CPS
Factors that CPS considers when following up on reports
How parents can help to prepare for the potential of a mandatory report in the future
What happens to a mandatory reporter if they report too often and reports are found to be unfounded/unsubstantiated
Training for CPS social workers

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Episode #48 | If autism was curable, would you?

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | May 26, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

In this episode of ISAAC’s Autism in the Wild, a group of autism parents join me to discuss this very emotionally charged topic: if you could cure your child from autism, would you? It was a fantastic discussion of parents respectfully sharing their thoughts and feelings on this sensitive topic. Our hope is that this podcast sheds light on both sides of this discussion and may help individuals who sit at one end of these two extremes to hopefully see the perspectives of those who live in the middle or even the other end of this debate. Our hope is that we can all grow in empathy and compassion of others within our autism tribe.

*This podcast is intended to be a respectful discussion. Rude and hurtful comments will be removed out of respect for our guests who were brave enough to openly share their perspective in this podcast.

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Episode #45 | Where could there be more community inclusion?

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | May 4, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

This week we discussed where parents would like to see more community inclusion and, in an ideal world, what would that look like.

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Episode #44 | Protecting Your Child from Leaches and Bad Influences

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | April 27, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

In these complicated times, it’s easy to be taken advantage of with out without a disability. Family members join me to share examples of times their loved one has been socially prayed upon by those who lack good intentions. These families share:

Successful ways to deal with friends who are taking advantage of their family member
Silver lining experiences
Lessons learned and steps to take to protect your child

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Episode #41 | A is for Autism… and sometimes …

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | April 7, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

This week’s podcast may not be what you expected. Just because our loved ones are affected by an autism spectrum disorder, doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of being naughty like every other kid. This week, a group of autism parents join me to share their laugh-out-loud stories we hope will improve your mood.

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Episode #34 | Guilt of Working Parents

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | February 20, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

For years I have struggled with complicated emotions of whether to work outside the home to earn an income to help support my family and the added expense of raising a child with special needs versus staying home to be able to dedicate more time to my children and pursue additional interventions for my struggling child. It was no surprise that there was a tremendous amount of parent interest in participating in this topic discussion. In this podcast you will hear different parent pro and con perspectives related to working outside the home as well as perspectives from parents who staying home to focus their attention on raising their children.

*this episode contains adult language.

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Episode #33 | Step-Parent Challenges

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | February 11, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Marriage takes work. This is a common sentiment that rings true for most couples. In prior episodes we have discussed the toll that can be taken on a marriage while parenting your own children with special needs, but on this special episode we focused on an additional niche, parenting a step-child with autism. Or on the opposite side of this topic, working with exes and new step-parents to your child. Emotions can run high when discussing health/safety/discipline needs with an outside yet permanent second party.

Listen in as our panel of autism parents discusses their personal journey through parenting their children/step-children with special needs and maintaining/rebuilding their personal relationships.

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Episode #32 | Autism & Divorce

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | February 3, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

It is no secret, having a child with autism can be hard. Hard on your emotional health, family dynamics, and ultimately can be hard on your marriage. With the average divorce rate in America hovering around 50% adding the strife of chronic doctor/therapy appointments and the stress of paying for said appointments can bring many couples to the brink of divorce.

On the flip side, many parents say that the need for constant communication regarding their children with special needs has strengthened their marriage by forcing them to delve in to the uncomfortable topics and promoting healthy communication across the board.

Listen in as our panel of autism parents discusses their personal journey through parenting their children with special needs and maintaining/rebuilding their personal relationships.

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Episode #31 | Coffee Chat with Tanya Holmes

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | January 27, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Tanya Holmes has been a regular guest on ISAAC’s Autism in the Wild podcast since it’s launch in 2019. Each time she joins me, she brings her unique experience as not just a mother, but also a primary school counselor and teacher. While Tanya’s demeanor is soft and more reserved, she is not afraid to challenge her school district when it comes to advocating for the needs of her child in the classroom and fighting for the IEP she knows her child is legally entitled to have. Tanya has taken more IEP workshops of any parent I know – which is why I refer so many of my struggling families her direction. I call her my IEP legal eagle.

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Episode #30 | Self-Advocate Taylor Crisp

By isaac-autism-in-the-wild | January 21, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

I have had the pleasure of getting to know self-advocate Taylor Crisp since the summer of 2019. Don’t let Taylor’s quiet demeanor fool you. While timid at first, Taylor is not afraid to open up about her experiences growing up in a time where fitting in with her peers meant hiding her autism diagnosis from her friends. Taylor is also a mother and shares some of her experiences raising her young daughter.

In this episode, Taylor and I talk more about:

labels and the struggles of wanting to be liked by others
how she came out of her shell in high school
fears and things she wishes she could do differently
recommendations for parents who are raising children with autism.

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