Mother's Guide Through Autism

Send us Fan Mail Janeen Herskovitz is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida and owner of Puzzle Peace Counseling, LLC. Janeen has a unique perspective on the grief that parents go through from her own experience of raising a child with autism and also from being a licensed mental health counselor who helps parents raising children with autism. Listen to Janeen share her own co...

Send us Fan Mail Christine Goulbourne is a special needs mom, advocate, and writer. She shares her experience of going through the cycle of grief that arose from the autism diagnosis of her son. The emotional challenges Christine discusses in each stage are very relatable to most, if not all, autism moms. She shares the strategies and tools she adopted to handle them. Listen to this episode and di...

Send us Fan Mail If you are struggling or have dealt with difficult feelings (anger, fear, grief, etc.) arising from the autism diagnosis of your child, you are not alone. Kathy Heath, a blogger and a mom of three with one autistic child, openly shares the complexity of feelings she experienced after receiving her middle son’s autism diagnosis several years ago. She talks about the transformationa...

Send us Fan Mail Stella Spanakos is the founder of the nonprofit organization the Nicholas Center and three social enterprises called Spectrum Designs, Spectrum Bakes, and Spectrum Suds, where 60% of the staff are individuals with Autism. Stella created the Nicholas Center to offer life-skills programming, vocational skills training, and supported employment to her son Nicholas and other adults on...

Send us Fan Mail Eileen Lamb is a writer, photographer, podcast host, and a mother of three. She brings a unique perspective of raising a severely autistic child while being on the spectrum herself. Eileen talks about the grief she experienced from her son’s diagnosis and the vulnerability of talking about it publicly because of the bullying and harassment she receives on social media. Eileen and...

Send us Fan Mail In this first episode of the Grief Series, I talk with Lisa Jo Rudy, a mother of an autistic son, writer, and consultant. Lisa and I talk about the grief, the joy, and the struggles she experienced as a mother raising a son on the spectrum. Lisa also talks about the value of developing meaningful skills like her son did with the clarinet as well as why we need to make museums and...

Send us Fan Mail The grief that Mothers go through when they get the autism diagnosis of their children is often not talked about. There is a lot of complicated feelings that come with this type of grieving, along with some criticism that might come our way for sharing these vulnerable feelings. Listen to this brand-new series on grief where I and other mothers share our perspectives, insights, an...

Send us Fan Mail Karen Thomas started taking her son to therapists one after the other at age 5 for his sensory overload issues, anxiety, tantrums, and OCD. The response they got from the therapists was that they as parents were not being stern enough and that if they were more strict he wouldn’t behave the way he did. After years of searching and trying, one therapist said he might have autism. H...

Send us Fan Mail Lois Letchford’s autistic son Nicholas was called “the worst child ever” by his first-grade teacher. School testing suggested that he had no strength and a “low IQ.” Not accepting what the teacher and school said, Lois started teaching Nicholas at home. Although she initially failed, she eventually found learning methods that worked for her son. Nicholas graduated in the top 20% o...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of moms with kids on the autism spectrum don’t feel they have possibilities. Too often, their mindset keeps them stuck in doom and gloom instead of feeling the possibility of what they daydream about.  I share with you a powerful exercise to shift from feeling stuck to feeling the possibility of what you’re craving on this episode.  Enjoy! Purchase my book A Mother's Gu...

Send us Fan Mail I know many moms don't want to hear anything about self-love when they're knee-deep on their autism parenting journey. But I've discovered self-love practices are truly crucial if you want to live lighter and happier, and be the calm and joyful mom you want to be. Listen to this episode if you are feeling exhausted and don't feel much joy on your autism parenti...

Send us Fan Mail It is so hard for many moms to ask for help, even when they need it desperately! Oftentimes, they'd rather do it themselves than to have to deal with guilt, disappointment, and feeling rejected. But the thing is, you can’t do it alone on this autism parenting journey. I'm going to show you how to shift the negative feelings that come with asking for help so that you can...

Send us Fan Mail The holiday season can be a very stressful time for many families with kids on the spectrum. From routine disruption to food sensitivity to non-understanding relatives, there is a lot to navigate during the holidays. I myself have many stories of stress over the holidays. I share my tools and strategies on how to navigate the holidays with less stress and more ease. Enjoy! Purchas...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's interview, I talk to Patti Andrich who is an internationally honored occupational and vision therapist, researcher, and author. Patti shares her personal struggle of learning to read as a child with Dyslexia, which led her to pursue a career in helping people with learning differences.  Find out why including vision therapy might change the path of your child&a...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Julie Logan DC is a physician who specializes in working with children with the symptoms of Autism, ADD/HD, PANDAS/PANS, and food sensitivities. She shares her personal journey of recovering from Hashimoto and one of her sons recovering from autism. Find out what treatments and therapies he used to successfully resolve the symptoms of autism.  Enjoy! Purchase my book A Mother&...

Send us Fan Mail If you are wondering if college is an option for your child on the spectrum, this interview is for you. Alex Morris-Wood is the Associate Vice President of Transitions & The Student Experience at Beacon College in Florida. Alex helps neurodiverse students to prepare for college and works to create systemic change to increase college retention for students who learn differently...

Send us Fan Mail It is very frustrating and overwhelming when your child's needs are not met at school. Your kid is being bullied and you feel like you’re doing the teacher’s job at home all night long. There is a huge gap between teachers, parents, and professionals when it comes to supporting our kids that have disabilities. Parents are overwhelmed and looking for resources to help their ki...

Send us Fan Mail There are seasons in our lives when the level of chaos is exceptionally great and our exhaustion seemingly endless.  I want to assure you that these times don't last forever and share with you some tips to stay calm in spite of the chaos that's present in your life. Purchase my book A Mother's Guide Through Autism: https://amzn.to/3mO1fmS Sign up to get news and upd...

Send us Fan Mail When you have young kids, daily life can be chaotic. And even more so when you have a young child on the spectrum. I remember feeling so overwhelmed when I had an infant son and a 5-year-old Joseph to care for, even though I kept a stoic face and seemed like I had it together. I stopped pretending to have it all together since then but have learned some tools to stay calm and cult...

Send us Fan Mail Joseph and I get together for this special 100th episode of the Mother's Guide Through Autism Podcast! We share reflection and insight and we also talk about self-soothing methods and employment for people on the spectrum. Purchase my book A Mother's Guide Through Autism: https://amzn.to/3mO1fmS Sign up to get news and updates from me: https://www.mothersguidethroughauti...

Send us Fan Mail For this week's podcast episode, I talk with Becca Hopson about how to tap into your inner urge to create the life you're thirsting for. Becca Hopson is a feminist wellness coach. She helps to empower women to create change and take action to create the life they are thirsting for. We talk about some of the struggles many moms face to create the change they desire in the...

Send us Fan Mail When you get the autism diagnosis of your child, it's easy to get stressed out and let life be a checklist of endless to-dos. When I got my son's diagnosis, my life became exactly that: a checklist of all the therapies, looking for resources 24/7, and advocating for my son. I was a ball of stress much of the time and having fun or being kind to myself was not on my list...

Send us Fan Mail When you have a child with special needs, it's easy to focus on the difficulty and challenges of daily life. I have found that the daily practice of gratitude made my life happier and deepened my joy in spite of the challenges I faced as a mother raising a child with autism. Practicing gratitude will open up more possibilities for you and I'm sure that it will deepen you...

Send us Fan Mail No parent plans to have a child with special needs when they're starting a family.  So when they get their child's autism diagnosis, there is quite a bit of adjustment they have to make in their expectations.  Making adjustments to their expectations is also true as the kids get older. We have our plans for them and they have their own.  I share my story of letting go of...

Send us Fan Mail The moment you have a child, advocating begins. But even more so with a child on the spectrum. It can be very frustrating navigating the school system, healthcare, or any public places when you are dealing with people who might not be well-versed in autism.  I want to tell you why we should always advocate with kindness even when it's hard and how we can approach difficult si...