Not Your Average Autism Mom

Many of us find ourselves judging ourselves when our kid's actions or behaviors take us right to the end of our rope, right?  Have you ever been there? I know you have because all kids, whether they are on the spectrum or not seem to find a way to get on our very last nerve sometimes, don’t they? I want to help you not only get through those times without losing your mind or at least thinking...

Think about all of the sounds in the world, not just speech, but the sounds of the environment, the birds, the crying baby, the motorcycle, the garage door opening, and the wind, those sounds all have to be filtered throughout our day and that doesn’t even include our words or people talking to you. Some of our kids struggle to take in information verbally even though they don’t have a hearing pro...

In order for you to embrace your relationship with your autistic children, you have to first accept that it isn't going to look like or probably even resemble the relationship you have with your other child or children or the relationship you have with your own mother.   The mother-child relationship is a unique bond that lays the foundation for a child's physical, emotional and social develo...

Today we have our very first guest on the podcast, and who better than my daughter, Jordan's sister, Madison?   Maddie and I talk about her experience growing up with a brother with autism and a single mom. It is a candid and open conversation and she shares her perspective on what it was like and the differences she sees now as a young adult.   What was the most difficult part for you g...

It isn't uncommon to feel like you are losing yourself in this parenting journey and you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, and alone, right? You might have even had thoughts that you aren’t cut out for this autism parenting thing and you constantly feel like you aren’t doing enough.  Caring for a child on the spectrum takes a lot of time and energy parenting isn’t easy...

Ever hear that inner voice telling you that you weren't made for this autism parenting journey?  It's too hard and you don't have enough patience to withstand it?   What about this? Do you ever feel guilty because you just want time away from your kids?  Do you feel guilty for loving your job and going to work and you think that those stay-at-home moms must be much better moms than...

An autism diagnosis can definitely take a toll on a family and very well could be a contributing factor to divorce and on the other hand, some couples come together and grow stronger every day. For parents like us, raising autistic children, our life can be pretty crazy and unpredictable.  Having an autistic child does not mean that your marriage is going to fail.  I have worked with som...

We harbor so many unspoken fears, anxiety, and often hopelessness not to mention wanting to be the perfect parent to our child and then the guilt that comes along for the ride when we feel like we are falling short, right? I know, I’ve been there too.  In this episode, I am going to talk about something that every single one of us comes up against along this autism parenting journey and that...

Sometimes, in our autism homes, the holidays are as stressful as they are joyful but much of that comes back to you and how willing you are to do things differently.  Most people assume that everyone enjoys receiving gifts, especially children right? But if your child exhibits more stress and difficult behaviors when they receive gifts, maybe it is time to try something new this year. I spent...

The holidays can be a magical time, but for us who are parenting a child on the spectrum, there is often additional pressure from so many different directions.  We all likely have family members who don’t understand, right? In this episode, I am going to focus on giving you permission to do the Holidays however it works for you and your family. There are no rules… the holidays can be whatever...

Today I am talking about placement decisions on an IEP, Least Restrictive Environment, and Prior Written Notice.  I also side note on supplementary aids and services as it pertains to the placement in the gen ed setting.   A child’s placement in a general education classroom is always the first placement that should be considered when the IEP team is determining placement.  The prim...

Grief can be complex for all of us. Everyone responds to grief differently. Some may be angry, some may be sad, others may withdraw and some might seem totally unaffected. For our kids with autism, there could be a variety of emotional, behavioral, or physical reactions to grief. There might also be a delayed response because of their processing delays so their reactions are delayed or they may ha...

Being Not Your Average Autism Mom means we embrace our lives as they are right now. Whatever that looks like for each of us, we accept that this is our life. What about you? Do you embrace your life as it is? Even in the chaotic and uncertain times or do you find yourself still wishing and hoping and dreaming it was different? So the question is when you should accept what is? If you are putting a...

Delayed gratification is the ability to give up immediate pleasure to get a greater reward in the future.  The good news is that delayed gratification is a skill that anyone can learn although, for our children, like so many other things, their learning curve is sure to be greater, and mastering the skill will likely take considerably longer to accomplish. The first thing I want to do is reco...

Is this how you imagined parenthood to be?  Of course not, it isn’t how any of us imagined parenthood to be.  None of us planned for this journey, yet here we are.  When you constantly remind yourself that this wasn’t how you imagined parenthood to be you are creating your own suffering. And here’s the thing… the reason for your suffering is that you think you know how life is suppo...

Misinformation across social media platforms is becoming increasingly prevalent.  I see countless posts with comments from numerous people who aren't experts in the specific area of the question.  When you look to social media as a source of information it can be harmful because it creates misunderstandings and confusion on important topics that can impact your child's future.   In...

In this episode, I am talking about how many of our children have sensory challenges with their tactile system.   Our tactile system is the nerves under our skin surface that send information on touch and how we perceive our environment to our brains.  Tactile defensiveness is a condition in which a person is extremely sensitive to even light touch.   Their brains may find some type...

Hyperlexia is a term that refers to children who begin to read and decode language and numbers at a very young age or when a child can read at levels far beyond what is expected at their age.  Typically, a child with hyperlexia will have communication or speaking skills that are below their age level. There are actually three levels of hyperlexia, hyperlexia l, hyperlexia ll, and hyperlexia l...

We know that every person, you and I included, we all have strengths and weaknesses, yet, along this autism parenting journey, somehow the conversations about our children always seem to find their way to focus on their deficits. I want us to change that narrative and that change begins with you and me. As our knowledge and understanding of autism as a whole continue to grow, so does our insight i...

When our children are asking the same question over and over, it can be frustrating and it is important to try to figure out the reason for their questions. As with any behavior, it can be very helpful if you play detective and try to determine what has prompted the repetitive question. Because many of our children engage in repetitive behavior or echolalia, this repetition of questions may have t...

Whether we like it or not, stigma has a role in predicting how challenging our life raising an autistic child or children will be.  There are so many people who are still naive to autism and what it means and how it is different for all of us. When your child is having a meltdown in the produce section of the grocery store or is scripting very loudly at a family event, those are the moments w...

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is any type of communication that does not include speech.  The use of AAC for children with autism does not prevent a child from speaking and in fact, the research shows that it may actually increase their speech.  AAC programs and AT devices are not exclusively for non-verbal individuals, they can also be used for individuals with emergi...

It's a BIG DAY here at Not Your Average Autism Mom!   It's our 100th podcast episode and we are so proud of this huge milestone and so grateful for the work that we do and that we have the opportunity to improve the lives of families raising a child or children diagnosed with autism.  We wouldn't be where we are today without our amazing followers and faithful listeners who come back wee...

This time of year isn't easy for many of us as our children transition from summer to back-to-school.  Just that word transition makes us a little uneasy so just imagine how our kids feel.   The school environment can present so many challenges for our students with autism and that in itself can create challenges with their learning not to mention that if their classroom environment isn’...

Why it is important that we embrace the chaos along this journey? There are going to be times that are unpredictable and full of uncertainty, there just are.  When we accept that this is our life and we are navigating it the best we know how with what we know at the moment, it becomes way easier to live in it.  There are things that we must let go of in order for this to happen.   Y...