With one out of every 68 children in the U.S. having an Autism Spectrum Disorder, the likelihood is high that you and your children know a family who has received this diagnosis. And while you may know some things about the suspected causes and some of the current research around Autism, how much do you really know about supporting these families, being a better friend or simply being more considerate with your actions and words?

Today's podcast features friend of the show, Deanna Segrave-Daly. Outside of her title as registered dietitian and food blogger, Deanna is "Mia's Mom." Mia was diagnosed with autism before age 3 and for me, learning about her struggles and successes has actually taught me a number of things about being a better parent to my own children. In this episode we discuss: 

• How to explain Autism to your children 
• Why finding commonality is a concept that resonates with children 
• How "social stories" can be valuable for all children suffering from anxiety over certain situations
• The "what to say and what not to say" to parents of children living with Autism
• Deanna's recommendation for fave Facebook accounts to follow: Diary of a Mom and Special Books by Special Kids

To close out the show, I briefly address the quirky phenomenon that is "internet feedback" or more specifically, the propensity of people to leave negative feedback and not positive feedback. I offer a small plea to listeners of this and other podcasts to please, leave a review if you can. Your feedback is important and valued (and a real pick-me-up when it's positive)! 

If you've been listening to the show for a while or are a new listener and have thoughts about what you like/don't like, I'd love for you to share them with me through this very brief LISTENER SURVEY. Thanks for your feedback! 

And as always, you can either  Tweet Me @ReganJonesRD, leave me a voicemail, join the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group OR submit a show idea here! 

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Until next time,

~Regan

Never miss another episode! This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn and Spotify.

This week’s episode is sponsored by HealthyAperture.com — the web’s first and only dietitian-curated recipe discovery site.

Musical support provided by Ben Williams at Kudzu Studio. Website support provided by Katy Widrick at MakeMediaOver.com. Additional support provided by Robin Plotkin of RobinsBite.com.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com