When Autism Grows Up STRONG

Dr. Megan Anna is a clinical psychologist specializing in the support and empowerment of neurodivergent adults through her expertise in neurodivergent affirming care and assessments. This episode is Dr. Neff reading the the chapter, "Discovering the Power of Self Advocacy” from her book, Self-Care for Autistic People, available March 19, 2024 I'd love to help you and your family flourish. I'm...

Our anxiety alarm is sounding and we need immediate relief. We just need to get through this! What do we do? Here are 12 ways to silence the alarm. They don't heal only help short term. Still, we need lots of ways to press pause on our natural catastrophic thinking and feel the feelings in our bodies to ground ourselves in the present. That's a tall order, so let's practice, practice, practice all...

Here's the second video  in a series that takes what I've learned from Dr. Kennedy and other teachers to suggest a path to  heal anxiety for good. I outline the 3 steps we practice to get relief from chronic alarms caused by anxiety. Alarms hurt so we avoid them. We distract ourselves (often on screens) so we don't feel their pain. Let's heal anxiety so we all can out...

In his book, Anxiety Rx, Dr. Russell Kennedy describes how he cured his anxiety in his 50s without pharmaceuticals or therapy, because those didn't work for him. He believes that, "to truly overcome anxiety, we must address both the mind and the body." I've seen our autistic graduates experience chronic anxiety that gets in the way of outsmarting struggles and increasing independence. It seems tha...

When you are at odds with your autistic graduate, you're unhappy with what the time they spend on screens or they haven't kept their promise to do a chore, what do you do? Here's a constructive way to respectfully complain. To outline what went wrong and what right would look like. Here's how to move from disharmony, through repair and back to connection in a respectful way. There's a prologue, 5...

How often do you get an automatic no? You've made a suggestion. You've offered an option. And the answer is no. Here's how to deal with it. It's the best solution I've ever found. It's from Susan Jeffers, whose book, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" inspires me every day. It has sold more than 15 million copies. It's dynamite. Here's a 15-minute overview of her entire book and encourage you to rea...

I've noticed that I sometimes attack others when I'm stressed and in defense mode. I've seen others in my family do the same thing. What's going on? We put others down to make ourselves feel better. One-up is the opposite of one-down. It's what we do when we're stressed and our self-esteem is fragile. When we act like a child. Terry Real calls it grandiosity in his recent book, US: Getting Past Yo...

Young adults in the U.S. report twice the rates of anxiety and depression as teens. They report feeling on edge, lonely, directionless. They worry about financial security. Many are ‘achieving to achieve’ and find little meaning in either school or work. That's according to Harvard Graduate School of Education's study of seven hundred 18-25 year olds. What they didn't study is how autistic graduat...

We covered how to outsmart anxiety:  3 characteristics of people with high anxiety LISTENING is always the first step to help 7 Essential Habits of Highly Adaptable Adults

How do we decide what to do next? What happens when we procrastinate doing it? How do we stop walking on eggshells afraid we'll upset them? I offered explanations and options in the second day of Flourish On Their Own. Do you have questions about Day 2? Join me most Wednesdays at 11 am Eastern and I will answer them LIVE. Here's where you sign up for the Zoom link and email reminders: https:/...

We'd love to see our autistic graduates flourish on their own. We'd like to flourish, too. Introducing the autistic adulting roadmap that turns into our life GPS taking us step-by-step into the life we want so everyone can flourish. Here's the first part: identifying our strengths so we can re-craft our life to use them more each day. The second part is when we get clear on what we will do ne...

Here's a 10-minute summary of 12 ways to support our alternative learner's executive function from Seth Perler, founder of The Executive Function Online Summit (TEFOS). Seth is also an executive function coach who truly understands the challenges our kids face. Join me for a quick overview of practices that really help us support our autistic graduates. Download the PDF Summary of Seth's 12 Great...

Today's episode is all about the 7 pitfalls to avoid that undermine independence. I love talking about these mistakes because I've made them all. Thank goodness my graduates forgive me. I'm ready to share my hard-earned wisdom as it might help you avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Here are the seven biggest mistakes that could undermine your autistic graduate's quest for independence. I...

Susannah Cole holds a MEd in developmental psychology and has grown her expertise throughout the past 25 years working in the field of education. She has taught at all levels from preschool through college. For decades, she worked in educational settings as an early childhood educator, integrated middle school teacher, a specialized autism therapis t, learning support teacher and college professor...

Tom Welch is a psychologist and co-owner of a middle and high school dedicated to the growth of autistic and 2e students, Tom knows a lot about what works to help our young adults increase independence. "Success both during and after high school requires the development of initiative, motivation, determination and resilience. The fundamentals of these skills will not develop within a vacuum. Inste...

Were you told that welfare makes people lazy? I was. It was part of the thinking that I was raised with. Today I've changed that thinking. I used to be reluctant to apply for benefits for my kids. And I almost missed a window of opportunity to get them the support that they need to support their independence. Now I believe that the welfare programs, the ones that were created by wise people b...

1. What parents need to know about Executive Function 2. What change actually looks like versus what parents expect it to be 3. How to get buy-in even when your child is resistant 4. Why parents must tolerate chaos to achieve transformation 5. How to confidently navigate through obstacles that keep most parents stuck 6. How to know you're on the right track even if things seem to be getting worse...

After all these years loving my autistic graduates, I found it so helpful to read a book by someone who gets it. Not only does Barbara get it, she also explains what's happening so well. Her words just ring true. Her explanations make sense. Her suggestions are doable. She's helped autistic people and their families for over 30 years. She says, "Information can be calming. It is the uncertainty an...

Dr. Sharon Saline is a tireless advocate for alternative learners. Her education and experience as a psychologist and mom gives her insights that are spot on. Here are her 12 GREAT Ideas outlining how we encourage them to get things done. Click HERE for a PDF Summary of these 12 GREAT Ideas.  

Emily Kircher-Morris says the number one skill to encourage out autistic high school graduates to practice is self advocacy. She's a mental health counselor and author of two books including Raising Twice Exceptional Children: Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids. And a podcast host of the Neurodiversity Podcast. Here are her 12 Great ideas to help us encourage self advocacy. #1 When...

Dr. Stephen Porges believes that our reaction to our bodily sensations that inform the way our nervous system responds. He argues that the words "stress" and "anxiety" are disrespectful to our nervous system. We're not honoring what our body is trying to tell us when we name it those things. We’re in a psychological state of threat and defense. Our body is broadcasting to our conscious brain. We t...

At this year's TEFOS (The Executive Function Online Conference), Dana Abraham presented, "Navigating Adulthood." She's the author of both the "Calm The Chaos" compassionate framework and recent book. She's also and the parent, with her with her husband, Jason of two neurodiverse sons. She's amazing. I'm one of over 200,000 parents who have taken her online class where she clearly outlines for pare...

It's tough to transition from schooling to adulting. Both big and little transitions are uncomfortable. I often want to escape them by eating, screening, or daydreaming. Here are the aspects of transitioning that apply to both of us and how to minimize the discomfort, handle the stress, so that we stay on track building the life we want. Here's the link to Jody Moore's podcast episode on Transitio...

Professor Shelly Gable from UC Santa Barbara did research on what predicts a strong relationship. She studied those that last, where the ties are strong. She found that when our loved ones share a victory, a triumph and other good things, how we respond either builds or undermines our relationship. An active constructive response builds connection and enhances well being for both of us. https://li...

When we see our autistic graduates suffer, we know that compassion is the key to help them. Here's a 7:00 podcast outlining the 5 Levels of Compassion To Face Struggles Together, build their independence skills so they will flourish on their own.