Moms Talk Autism Podcast

Life updates and our usual chaotic conversations. Ya know, just another MTA day. Brittney doesn’t like the sound of birds and offers some sage medical advice. Tash needs a break from social media and we are all on board. Jean is literally on the move. Our kids are growing up, so we are all trying to figure out the early parenting stages and puberty stages. Fun. Advice on IEPs, Title 9, and teen angst. Let us know if any of these subjects resonate with you!

Topics:

Today Tash & Doug chat with Harry Psaros, a father and autism advocate. Harry shares his journey as a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, discussing the early signs of autism in his son Gus, the challenges of the diagnosis process, and the importance of community and support for parents. The conversation emphasizes the need for fathers to be involved in advocacy, the significance of self-care, and the hope of seeing children thrive in their journeys. Harry's insights and experiences provide valuable lessons for parents navigating the complexities of raising children with autism.

We discuss the story behind his book, "From Struggle to Strength: A Father's Journey with Autism and the Power of Hope and Positivity" and how important it is for the fathers of autistic kids to have support and community as well as the mothers. 

website: HarryPsaros.com

Facebook: Harry Psaros

Instagram: Harry Psaros

Twitter: @PittGuru

LinkedIn: Harry Psaros

It is thought that experiencing joy and experiencing grief are two mutually exclusive emotions or houses of emotions. In this episode, through an authentic conversation, we debunk that isn’t the case and prove the two can coexist and WHY it's important to embrace joy with grief.

Stacie Sherman is a journalist from New Jersey and the mother of two adult children on opposite ends of the spectrum. She recently published a book about raising her two autistic kids while juggling a full-time career as a single mom. Stacie shares openly about both the blessings and the hardships of being a mother of autistic children in many different areas of her journey, including the most recent one of acquiring the conservatorship of her daughter.

Instagram: @stashermie

Book: My broken road: the tangled and twisted musings of an autism mama 

This is the final installment of our version of the stages of grief. We bring it all together and discuss what happens during and after the process of grieving an autism diagnosis. You've reached a level of acceptance and peace...now what?

There is a wheel of adaptation with grief, broken down into four hemispheres, all intersecting and overlapping. Dr. Nancy B. Miller first presented this concept in the book, Nobody's Perfect: Living and Growing with Children Who Have Special Needs. We hope you find her research and our discussion insightful.

You can purchase Dr. Miller's book HERE

Tell us what you think:

Why Title IX? What is an IEP or 504?

In this episode, we ask our specially informed and expert guests and attorneys about those uber-critical things. Let's meet our guests, shall we:

Susan Stone, Student & Athlete Defense, Co-Chair

Susan Stone co-chairs KJK’s Student & Athlete Defense/Title IX Practice Group. Recognizing the need for legal services to protect students, professors and individuals with disabilities, Susan handles matters ranging from special education issues to student disciplinary matters and Title IX investigations.

Kristina Supler

Student & Athlete Defense, Co-Chair

Kristina Supler is co-chair of KJK’s Student & Athlete Defense / Title IX Practice Group. Her experience is regularly enlisted for complex cases involving allegations of sexual assault, and she has worked on national defense teams representing students and executives facing prosecution in the United States and abroad. 

Enjoy the mini tool kit on Understanding IEP’s & 504 Plans here!

The idea of acceptance can give a false impression that everything is ok or that you are not struggling anymore. A better way to look at acceptance is that you have reached a certain level of resolve or can see the reality of your life for what it is now.

In this episode, we discuss the first time we reached a level of acceptance with our autistic children and how we strive to return to that place in various ways. It's a great discussion, real and raw, about the difficulty of the journey and the goodness and growth that can come from it.

We'd love to hear about your take on this discussion:

Today, we are joined by Emily O’Laughlin, one of our community members. We discuss her family’s story, trials, and triumphs. We also discuss how they helped their son create a T-shirt company and sparked his entrepreneurial spirit!

You can reach Emily here:

Website

Depression is an appropriate response to processing any grief. It is often portrayed as unnatural, something to be fixed, or to get rid of as quickly as possible. The truth is, it would be unusual NOT to feel it. There are times and circumstances when a longer period of depression may be part of your life and having discernment to recognize and know when you are depressed is essential to your grief journey. This episode explores the many sides of depression and how it has shown up in our lives. We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences as well.

Instagram: @momstalkautism

Calling all families of non-speakers or minimal speakers!

Dawnmarie Gaivian and Dr. Dana Johnson discuss the amazing breakthroughs they and others have been experiencing using spelling to communicate.

Is communication a motor skill or cognitive? Both? What is apraxia, and how does it affect a person? How does vision and reflex integration affect communication for nonspeakers?

Biggest takeaway: Always presume competence with nonspeakers. We had a great chat about what that exactly means for you and your family.

Want to learn more? Here’s ALL the links:

https://spellers.com/

Instagram

Facebook

Facebook Group

Spellers San Diego

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-johnson-phd-66056a2b/

YouTube: Spellers The Movie

Docuseries Episodes: https://www.underestimated.tv/

Underestimated Book

Ido in Autismland Book