Tag: autism tribe

Episode #35 | Regression

Episode #35 | Regression

As special needs parents, we celebrate milestones that other parents might take for granted when raising a neuro-typical child. However, with progress often comes periods of regression which can be heart wrenching and depressing to endure.  In this episode of ISAAC’s Autism in the Wild we talk about regression and how it looks for different families AS WELL as some positive experiences that parents have encountered from periods of regression.

Episode #34 | Guilt of Working Parents

Episode #34 | Guilt of Working Parents

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.

Episode #30 | Self-Advocate Taylor Crisp

Episode #30 | Self-Advocate Taylor Crisp

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.
Episode #24 | What advice would you give a new parent or your younger self?

Episode #24 | What advice would you give a new parent or your younger self?

Two common sayings you might here me say are: hindsight is 20/20 and wisdom is wasted on the old.  There are so many times that I have looked back at a moment or phase in my life wishing that I could change my response to a situation or that I could somehow share some of my current wisdom with my younger self. In this podcast a group of parents joined me to share some advice and words of wisdom that they hope might help other parents along their autism journey.

Episode #21 | What to do when you suspect autism, but their parents don’t see it

Episode #21 | What to do when you suspect autism, but their parents don’t see it

This is a question that I am often asked by teachers and close friends.  What do you do when you notice red flags for autism in a child, but the parents don’t seem to notice or are in denial?  A group of parents joined me in this podcast episode to explain ways they’ve encountered these complicated questions and how they handled the dilemma of whether to tell or remain silent.

Episode #20 | Stages of Grief

Episode #20 | Stages of Grief

Many parents experience grief after an autism diagnosis. These stages of grief mirror the same stages that grieving parents experience after the physical death of a child. In this podcast, we talk different stages of grief and its impact in our lives and relationships around us.  We also talk about how we circle back to grief phases at different stages of development.

Episode #17 | Parent Guilt

Episode #17 | Parent Guilt

I think that all parents feel guilt in some capacity when it comes to raising children.  Unfortunately, the feeling of guilt sometimes runs a little deeper when your child has special needs. In this podcast, a very authentic group of parents joined me to discuss ways that parent guilt (and a bit of rage) has manifested in their lives. We hope that this podcast helps normalize any feelings of guilt you may be feeling. We will continue to podcast on this important topic moving forward as we discuss other ways guilt manifests within a family. In the meantime, we hope this podcast episode helps you feel that you are not alone.

*we apologize for the poor audio quality of this podcast.

Episode #14 | Strategies for Picky Eaters

Episode #14 | Strategies for Picky Eaters

This is one of my favorite podcast recordings so far.  In this laugh-out-loud episode, a group of autism parents joined me to commiserate about the challenges of  having a picky eater. We shared a variety of stories and strategies such as:

  • The ‘wonderful’ advice people have given us over the years about correcting picky eater behaviors.
  • Successful strategies for expanding the diets of picky eaters
  • What not to do when you have a picky eater
  • How to handle advise from those well-meaning friends and family members.
  • Parent guilt for accommodating strong food preferences
  • How picky eaters effect the dynamic with other children at home.

If you listen to the end, I shared a recent account of my last family dining debacle in at Denny’s.

Episode #13 | Extended Family Conflict

Episode #13 | Extended Family Conflict

Conflict is never easy, especially when it arises within your own family.  In this podcast a couple of dads spent time with me talking about how conflict within their extended family arose related to:

  • Denial of the autism diagnosis by extended family members;
  • How family members dealt with food aversions and limitations of their child’s diet;
  • Adjustments family members had to learn in their interactions with their child with autism;
  • Therapies and diets that family members didn’t agree with;
  • Regrets in how these conflicts were handled; and
  • Suggestions shared for how better to navigate these conflicts within the extended family.
Episode #12 | Family Activities

Episode #12 | Family Activities

We set a new guest attendance record for this fun podcast recording where we all shared stories about family activities that may not have gone exactly as expected.  Trust us, it does get better with time and some therapy interventions under your belt.  In this podcast you will find some insight into some family activities that you might find will work for your special needs family such as:

  • Geocaching
  • Food Courts and Mall Activities
  • Barnes & Nobles
  • Swimming
  • Biking
  • Sporting Events
  • Family friendly restaurants
  • AMC Sensory Friendly Movies