Inchstones with Sarah | Autism Advocacy & Caregiver Stories

Autism parenting at the severe and profound end of the spectrum often reveals a reality that systems are not built to support. In this conversation, Autism Mom Sarah Kernion speaks with Jackie Kancir, Executive Director of the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA), about the growing gap between what families need and what existing structures provide. Drawing from both personal experience and na...

Parenting profound autism reshapes identity in ways few people outside the experience fully understand. In this conversation, Autism Mom Sarah Kernion and Tyler Hudson, Dad to teenage son Lyric with profound autism, engage in a candid discussion about autism parenting, grief, advocacy, and the tensions within modern autism discourse. The dialogue centers the lived realities of families raising chi...

Autism parenting often requires mothers to live at full capacity—emotionally, physically, and mentally. In this conversation, Sarah Kernion sits down with Jess Daily, coach, podcast host, and mother of a child with profound autism and a rare genetic condition, to explore what it means to build a life that is not just survivable, but sustainable. Jess’s journey into motherhood began unexpectedly th...

Autism parenting often means navigating systems that focus on behavior before biology, compliance before connection. In this conversation, Sarah Kernion sits down with Dr. Timothy and Jackie Beck of NeuroFit Connections to explore a developmental approach to autism and nonspeaking autism that begins deeper—at the level of primitive reflexes, sensory integration, and foundational neurological patte...

Communication is not an accessory skill in autism support, it is foundational. In this conversation, Autism Mom Sarah Kernion speaks with Rose Griffin, speech language pathologist and BCBA, about the intersection of speech therapy, ABA, and AAC in supporting students with autism and complex needs. Rose’s work lives at the overlap of two fields that are often siloed: speech therapy and applied beha...

Few topics in autism parenting generate as much emotion as ABA. For many families, it represents hope, structure, and support. For others, it carries controversy and concern. In this conversation, Sarah Kernion speaks with Susan Marcovsky, Hand over Hand ABA education center owner and parent of an autistic adult, about the evolution of ABA and what individualized autism education truly requires. R...

Trauma does not disappear simply because love is present. For mothers parenting autism and special needs children, trauma often lives alongside devotion, strength, and responsibility. Autism Mom Sarah Kernion and Kit Perez examine the layered realities of emotional processing, resilience, and the difficult choices caregivers make daily. This conversation refuses simplification. Trauma is not just...

The Telepathy Tapes Season 2 is out now!  Ky Dickens, creator and producer of The Telepathy Tapes—one of the most talked-about and shared podcasts of 2024 and 2025—joins Autism Mom Sarah Kernion for a conversation that sits at the intersection of autism, non-speaking communication, and caregiver belief. Her work has reignited global discussion about how intelligence, awareness, and connection are...

Motherhood—especially when parenting autism—demands presence, flexibility, and a willingness to be honest about what’s hard. In this episode, Sarah Kernion and Meaghan Murphy, editor of Women's Day and a 25+yr vet in the media industry, explore the emotional terrain of motherhood, focusing on vulnerability, routine, and the unexpected ways joy shows up in everyday life. Through shared caregiver st...

Parenting autism can be deeply isolating—even when surrounded by people. Inchstones is the #1 Voice of Moms and Caregivers of Children with Profound Autism.  Season 2 of the Inchstones Podcast opens with a powerful roundtable conversation featuring the MOMS TALK AUTISM moms—a reminder that parenting autism doesn’t have to happen in isolation. In this episode, Sarah Kernion explores how caregiver s...

Autism and disability inclusion don’t begin with policy—they begin with people willing to create spaces where families feel welcome. In this episode, Sarah Kernion speaks with Jeff Mayerson, founder of Wolves Basketball Academy , about how an inclusive basketball program became a powerful source of connection for families navigating parenting autism. Jeff shares how his unexpected path into autism...

Parenting a child with autism often requires stepping into roles you never expected—advocate, strategist, negotiator, and sometimes the only person in the room who truly understands your child. In this conversation, Sarah Kernion and fellow autism mom Deisare Rogers unpack the emotional labor and the fierce determination behind advocating for autistic children within an education system that often...

There are parts of profound autism parenting that most people will never witness and many would never believe. In this episode, Autism Mom Sarah Kernion and Jamie Hrobar, a mother navigating one of the most extreme and misunderstood forms of autism, speak openly about her 21-year-old son, whose life is shaped by relentless self-injury, aggression, fragile communication, and complete dependence for...

Motherhood in the autism community is not about perfection, it’s about connection. Autism Moms Sarah Kernion of INCHSTONES and Jess Carrawa of 'If You Know One', open a deeply honest conversation about the courage it takes to be vulnerable, especially in a world that often misunderstands both parenting autism and autism motherhood. Their exchange moves through discomfort and into understanding, sh...

Autism parenting isn’t a race, it’s a reorientation. Autism Mom Sarah Kernion and fellow Autism Mom and author Kathleen Somers unpack the quiet revolution of slowing down in a world that rewards speed in their autism parenting journeys. Through honest reflection, they question inherited expectations and challenge the myth of “catching up.” Their conversation illuminates what happens when parents s...

If you’re an autism parent, you already know autism doesn’t come with a tidy instruction manual—it comes with plot twists, hard truths, and surprising joy. In this episode, Autism Mom, Sarah Kernion, and Kit Perez  (writer, intelligence analyst, therapist, behavior analyst!) delve into orientation and the beautifully complicated reality of raising autistic kids and how it completely rewires your s...

Autism and parenting performance are at the heart of this conversation between Profound Autism Mom Sarah Kernion and  Dr. Cynthia Anderson,  Chief Clinical Officer at Avela Health. Together, we unpack what performance really looks like in everyday parenting, for us and for our kids. Together, we explore how context, expectations, skills, and capacities interact, and what happens when there’s a mis...

Autism parenting and consciousness intersect in this incredible Inchstones episode!  Cognitive neuroscientist and consciousness researcher Dr. Julia Mossbridge joins us to explore her new book "have a nice disclosure" which invites you on a journey that unites science, spirit, and wonder into one life-changing exploration of who you truly are. Autism Mom Sarah and Dr. Mossbridge share the deeper c...

Autism and autism parenting guide this week’s Inchstones Podcast as Autism Mom Sarah Kernion sits down with Brittany Vecero and Jada Watkins, two compassionate therapists in the field of ABA therapy, to discuss the heart of behavioral education, therapy, and care + the importance of trust, and the joy of working with children in special needs education and development. Together, they explore how c...

Autism and autism parenting take center stage in this Inchstones Podcast episode, as host Sarah Kernion speaks with Peter Sullivan—a former Silicon Valley innovator turned health advocate—about how environmental factors influence the health and development of children with autism. Peter shares his personal journey from the tech world to health advocacy, uncovering the links between electromagnetic...

In this episode of the Inchstones Podcast, host Sarah Kernion sits down with Shahriar Afshar , autism parent and founder of the Autism Innovation Lab , to explore how technology, community, and unconditional love are reshaping the future of autism parenting and neurodiversity support. Together, Sarah and Shahriar discuss the emotional layers of parenting a child with autism—from grief and resilien...

Profound Autism Mom Sarah Kernion sits down with Olivia Rojo (@praying_though_autism), an fellow autism mom and advocate, to discuss the unfiltered truth of caregiving and the lived experiences of families navigating profound autism. Olivia shares what it means to be both mother and caregiver—to fight for inclusion, navigate systemic challenges, and still find beauty in small moments of connection...

Autism parenting is a journey filled with unique challenges and profound growth. In this episode of Inchstones, host Sarah Kernion talks with Jenny Briggs—author, autism mom, and advocate—about how love, neurodiversity, and inclusion can transform the experience of raising a child with autism. Jenny shares her heartfelt story of parenting her daughter Sarah, whose autism diagnosis inspired her to...

Parenting a child with autism demands deep reserves of energy, empathy, and endurance—and too often, parents forget to include themselves in the circle of care. In this powerful conversation, Sarah Kernion talks with Kat Riojas about what conscious self-care really looks like when you’re raising neurodiverse children. Fellow autism mom and advocate, Kat Riojas, shares how movement, mindful routine...

Episode 64 of the Inchstones Podcast, host & Autism Mom Sarah Kernion sits down with Erica Witte, mom and founder of Project Playground , to explore how her own advocacy sparked a movement for inclusive play spaces where all children (neurodiverse, disable, neurotypical) can play and connect together. Erica shares how her experience as a special-needs parent inspired her to design accessible p...