Mother's Guide Through Autism

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When I began the autism journey with my son Joseph, I decided to speak about anything and everything I learned about autism to help my son. And I continue to do so to this day.

The more we share our stories and offer knowledge, the more we are making a difference in our society.

Let's come together not only for the month of April but each and every day to give opportunities for our children to shine their light.

Happy Autism Awareness Month!

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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In this episode, I talk about the importance of having self-compassion on the autism parenting journey.

I myself lived many years without practicing self-compassion on my journey as a mother and I want to encourage all mothers to incorporate this powerful practice.

I can honestly say that if I had the understanding of what self-compassion meant and how to practice it, I would have lived a much happier life! I want you to live a happier life!

I'm going to guide you through a practice of self-compassion in this episode.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to my newsletter. 

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When I started advocating for my son Joseph, sometimes I hit a wall. Some educators and administrators at his schools were defensive or wanted nothing to do with my son.

Perhaps they were fearful or intimidated or had their own negative experiences with disabilities in the past.

Whatever the reason, what I decided to do was that I was going to be kind.

I thought if I entered a meeting with kindness, perhaps I would be heard. I knew that my requested strategies would be a win-win for all of us.

Were there times that kindness didn’t work in certain moments? YES! But what I noticed over time was that although fear was greater than kindness for some, eventually kindness would offer each person an experience that helped heal and lessen their fears.

I left those meetings being who I wanted to be, a kind person with my goals met. 

In this video, I want to offer you some practical advice on how to advocate for your child on the spectrum.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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Why is kindness essential on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder journey?

Well, you probably have noticed that this autism parenting journey is no cakewalk.

It comes with a lot of daily frustration, fear, guilt, and overwhelm that can cause heavy wear and tear on your mind, body, and soul, and because of that, you need to bring a massive amount of kindness to yourself.

I talk about why you should practice kindness to yourself and guide you through one of my kindness practices in this video.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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"My child was just diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, now what?"

This is a question that is often asked by newly diagnosed parents. I can remember the immense feeling of overwhelm taking me hostage when my son Joseph’s diagnosis was confirmed.

To say my mind, body, and spirit were overloaded with fear of the future is an understatement.

There was so much to process. I processed what this diagnosis meant for my son, my family, and myself. I decided to put myself on the back burner and move to what was most important to me at the time, which was finding ways to help my son.

So I got to work--finding help for my son and advocating for him.

As you begin this process of finding help for your child, I want to share some important tips in this video.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter.

More episodes of the Mother's Guide Through Autism Podcast are available on Apple Podcast here: https://apple.co/30UFFW3

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The days following hearing the words “Joseph is autistic,” were some of my darkest days. I was living with the deepest pain I had felt in my 32 years of life.

But along the way I found hope. And hope was what got me out of the deep dark forest of pain. I learned that hope is the north star. When I found hope, I learned to hold on to it.

In this episode, I show you how you can do the same to find your way out of the deep dark forest of pain. 

Enjoy the episode!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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In this episode, I talk about the grief that mothers go through when they receive their child's autism diagnosis.

Once you hear the words “Your child is Autistic,” you may feel like your world has been shattered or you may feel relief to know what you have suspected all along.

For me, it was daunting to hear that my son was going to live with a lifelong disability (this was back in 1995).

I believe grief is a part of the autism journey. I encourage developing a relationship with grief because becoming familiar with grief will strengthen your healing journey.

Enjoy this episode!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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There were so many times in my life I wished I had a handbook on parenting (I still do at times!).

I was fearful about making the wrong decisions for my child and it got even scarier when my son Joseph was diagnosed with autism.

There were so many therapies to choose from and I was constantly seeking things to help my son.

When I connected to my love for Joseph, I was able to listen to my heart which gave me instructions on how to proceed.

I share my process and guide you through this step by step in this episode.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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In this brand new episode of 2022, I talk about using joy as a guide on this journey of raising our kids with autism.

It's so hard to have any goals or set New Year's Resolutions when you are in survival and trying to cope with the autism diagnosis of your child. (I know, because I've been there...)

My message is that you will be okay. Your child will be okay. Have hope and connect to the joy that is inside of you to carry you through.

I share some tools to connect to your joy even through life challenges.

Enjoy!

If you would like to get news and updates from me, go to https://www.mothersguidethroughautism.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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In this week’s episode, Brigitte interviews Marcelle Ciampi, a respected autistic author of Everyday Asperger, to talk about her life as a late-age diagnosed woman on the spectrum and her work to promote workplace inclusion.

Marcelle is the Senior Manager at Ultranauts Inc., a fully remote engineering firm with an Autistic hiring initiative where she is credited for architecting a universal design approach to workplace inclusion.

Her knowledge is shared through training and consultancy work at Fortune 500 companies. She serves as the founder of Spectrum Suite LLC, the Co-Founder of The Diversity with Dignity Global Roundtable, and Co-Executive of neuroguides.org. Marcelle is also a contributor to the book Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism. 

Marcelle shares her story of struggling with her middle son and his eventual diagnosis of autism and her own late-age diagnosis that came much later. 

She started writing about her experience of living on the spectrum and what it was like to receive a late-age diagnosis as a woman, which she turned into a blog and later, a book.  

She talks about her motivation behind her advocacy work which stems from her desire for autistic people who have been bullied and told they need to be different than they are to know that they’re valuable and worthy. 

She also talks about workplace inclusion and the universal design approach that she helped to architect to consider the challenges of every team member and to support them through all life circumstances and capabilities.

They discuss the obstacles to employment that autistic adults face and the broken systems that were not set up to support neurodivergent people and in what ways we can improve our recruitment process.

In addition, they talk about the importance of vulnerability in the workplace that encourages everyone to feel accepted and supported and to be able to have mature, kind, and uncomfortable conversations where everyone can express themselves safely. 

Enjoy this episode!

Resources/Links:

Marcelle email
[email protected]

Spectrum Suite
http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/everydayaspergers/

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com

Mother's Guide Through Autism Private Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersguidethroughautism

Brigitte Website
https://bmvlifecoach.com/

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