The Chronicles of Autism Moms

What You Wish You Knew

SummaryThis week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira as they discuss ‘What you wish you knew’.
 
Topics00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 2 Ep 602:00 – Alison – I’m feeling very frustrated just now that I am still continually telling people the same things aboutNoah over and over again04:20 – Moira you mentioned that . If we don’t understand our kids how can we expect others to . One of thechallenges with Callum is that he is extremely verbal but he doesn’t really communicate which would be confusingfor someone who can see him chatting away but when they talk to him he is oblivious sometimes and not alwaysable to have a back and forth conversation or take on board what someone is saying. He may strike lucky on one ofhis standard responses fits the question and the person will go away none the wiser but often I’ll be obvious he’s notunderstood or listened and they wont know what they have to do to make sure he is engaged with him andunderstanding them.06:00 – What about Haider, Huma? He is also extremely verbal but is also usually involved with a story in his head.Isometimes rely on his brother to go and check if he was doing what he was asked!10:00 – What are your experiences or expectations of other autism parents, at the very least they should understandHuma? We can empathise with the feelings of another parent when their child displays certain behaviours.Its funny that we assume, Oh your child has autism, they can be friends with mine!! We wouldn’t do that withneurotypical children. And 9/10 the autistic child doesn’t even want a friend. It’s the parent who needs the otherparent to be friends with.14:00 – Moira have you experienced leaning towards friendships with autism parents – Of course! At the beginningour circle consisted of Orla’s friends and parents but quickly I gravitated towards you guys and people who couldrelate to what we were going through at the time. Not that our original friends didn’t accept Callum or our situation,they were great but as they grow up and friends change its different and more difficult to integrate children withdifferences into new groups.18:00 – Huma, my experience of a child with autism with more behaviours than my child is probably the sameexperience for friends of neurotypical children with my child! I don’t ever want to put me or my family in a situationwhere we might be judged.21:00 – We push for our kids to have friends for our benefit and because we feel it’s the normal thing to do but justends up causing stress for us and the child.23:30 – Mum, Technology is my friend, technology wont hurt me.25:00 – We should stop apologizing for our childs behaviour and just say, are you ok with this?27:00 – Also we possibly just shouldn’t intervene and let the child decide if they are happy with a situation.28:00 – Non verbal cues make it almost impossible for someone outwith the childs immediate circle to understand.Our expectations of society to accept and understand are too high.
 
 
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
---
Download the new FREE Learn Autism app today. 
If you had our previous paid app installed on your phone, please delete that before downloading the new FREE version.
 
About Learn Autism
As the leading FREE digital Autism resource led by Dr. Stephen Shore, author of Autism for Dummies, who himself is on the Autism spectrum, and our team of OT's (occupational therapists), SLP's (speech language pathologists), behavioral therapists, play therapists, sensory experts, educators, Autism parents and advocates, we are committed to providing diverse perspectives on the common issues that Autism parents, caregivers and educators may encounter. 
Learn Autism answers your questions through quick, on-demand video tutorials and downloadable workbooks that can be accessed on any device, when it's convenient to you. Watch our videos and get a deeper understanding of Autism with our multi-language subtitle options. We provide all of this and more at no cost…this resource is absolutely FREE!
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3yU49Np
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gluYDA
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3s5Oerv
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yWaOXn
Online:  www.LearnAutism.com
 

Prepping for Large Events

Topics
Our experiences of families attending large events, vacations, concert theater etc.
01:45 - What are the things you consider that make such events manageable for you and your families?
02:04 - Moira-length of time (travel, entry, event, time of day) need to be considered and planned.
04:40 - What sort of situations have you been in?
04:45 - keeping a check on my child and his actions 
05:20 - appropriate behavior and growing age 
05:50 - high expectations on a child to behave a certain way in public 
06:10 - take fast track option to cut queuing time 
07:20 - hunger, toilet needs monitored while travelling. The anxiety and pressure of keeping up appearances in public.
09:33- Alison- My son picks up on my anxiety. I am used to controlling the situation in order for things to go smoothly, in anticipation of their needs. the anxiety of how your family is perceived by others remains. 
012:55 - how have our kids put us in a spot?
13:54 - they don't read the room, if they are frustrated or overwhelmed, they will express themselves with full force, no matter what the environment or situation.
18:08 - using a standard response as an answer, not being aware of their surroundings, being in mid story mode might cause misunderstanding.
20:15 - unexpected risky / hilarious questions are asked at unexpected moments.
 
Top Tips on how to navigate the world of outdoor entertainment and traveling.
 
1- charged devices, food, promise of ice cream at the end. Avoid massive crowds.
2- try not to stress out about it too much as the kids can read your energy and you can ruin your time anticipating some ill event that might not even happen.
---
To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
---
Download the new FREE Learn Autism app today. 
If you had our previous paid app installed on your phone, please delete that before downloading the new FREE version.
 
About Learn Autism
As the leading FREE digital Autism resource led by Dr. Stephen Shore, author of Autism for Dummies, who himself is on the Autism spectrum, and our team of OT's (occupational therapists), SLP's (speech language pathologists), behavioral therapists, play therapists, sensory experts, educators, Autism parents and advocates, we are committed to providing diverse perspectives on the common issues that Autism parents, caregivers and educators may encounter. 
Learn Autism answers your questions through quick, on-demand video tutorials and downloadable workbooks that can be accessed on any device, when it's convenient to you. Watch our videos and get a deeper understanding of Autism with our multi-language subtitle options. We provide all of this and more at no cost…this resource is absolutely FREE!
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3yU49Np
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gluYDA
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3s5Oerv
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yWaOXn
Online:  www.LearnAutism.com
 

World Cup Excitement

This week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira to talk about the excitement around the World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
Topics00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 2 episode 4 – World Cup Excitement
00:34 Introduction Alison : Hello and welcome to episode 2 of our world cup special , we are joined by Moira and Huma , welcome ladies . To those who don't know , Qatar will be hosting the football world cup. The tension is building , the flags are up and there is excitement all around.we are excited that it is coming , the kids might not be excited but I will make them excited .
1:28 Question : Will you be going to the game ?
1:33 Answer by Moira: of course , we haven't been in the city for 10 years to not to go.
1:42 Answer by Huma : I swear , i mean there is a stadium stones throw  from our place and even though i am not that sporty , i have to go to a match , we deserve this . I will be going to one game .
2:04 Question by huma: what about you ? Are you attending a lot of games ?
2:06 Answer by Alison : I will be attending , my husband is a die hard fan. We will attend some with kids and some without.
2:27 question by Alison : Moira , will you be attending ?
2:30 Answer by Moira : yes we will , a couple of matches .
3:03 Question : What are the things you are most excited about this event?
 3:10 Moira : It is more about experiencing the atmosphere than the game , and hopefully it won't be so crazy that we can't go about.
3:28 Huma : I don't think we will get a chance like this again , I don't think we will fly off to another country to watch a match. 
3:45 Alison : It has been in the local and international news that this will be the most accessible world cup to date , there will be sensory rooms at the stadiums and at the fan zones , so what are you hoping for with regards to the accessibility they have talked about ?
4:47 Moira : Well we have standard tickets , so it will be interesting to see how outside of this specific area , how accessible the rest of the stadium will be . I don't know where we will be sitting, but I am hoping we will be swept along with the atmosphere of the event and the long walk or wait won't be traumatic. 
5:27 Alison : As this is a small city , the event will be very concentrated , there will be long lines getting into the stadium , there will be trained volunteers to help and assist families like ours , there will be extra seating , in case a child or an adult has to take a break. So a lot of thought has been put into this.
7:09 Alison : What do you feel about the sensory rooms in the stadiums ? How do you think they will help the families ?
7:16 Huma : It's a lovely idea and I'm happy that there is a space for kids who's challenge isn't so obvious.
8:30 Alison : There will be a lot of entertainment during this time and it might be reassuring to the parents to know that there are areas in the fan zones where their child can take a break from all the noise and activity . 
10:48 Moira : A full stadium with full voice is an experience like no other .
11:15 Alison : Having sensory spaces is a massive step for our families , what are you most looking forward to ?
11:48 Moira: well scotland didn't qualify ( so not so excited )
12:05 Huma : Are you cheering for a specific team?
12:15 Alison : She would go for Wales rather than England.
12:30 Alison : What about you Huma ? What are you most excited about?
12:32 Huma : Just want them to experience a match in a big stadium. they might not appreciate it now , later they will.
14:06 Alison : I'm looking forward to a more immersive experience , my husband is a die hard fan , me and my kids are looking forward to the England game and enjoying the atmosphere . and we are fortunate that it is at our doorstep and we are planning about it , thinking of football songs etc.
15:24 Huma: Are you going to have the whole Tshirts and face paint ? 15:25 Moira and Alison: of course !
16:00 Alison : im looking forward to the concerts , some big stars coming so we just need to get information , the kids will be off school. There has been a lot of time and effort put into this . This is a once in a lifetime thing.
16:46 Alison : Thank you so much for joining us today , see you soon. 
 
---
To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
---
Download the new FREE Learn Autism app today. 
If you had our previous paid app installed on your phone, please delete that before downloading the new FREE version.
 
About Learn Autism
As the leading FREE digital Autism resource led by Dr. Stephen Shore, author of Autism for Dummies, who himself is on the Autism spectrum, and our team of OT's (occupational therapists), SLP's (speech language pathologists), behavioral therapists, play therapists, sensory experts, educators, Autism parents and advocates, we are committed to providing diverse perspectives on the common issues that Autism parents, caregivers and educators may encounter. 
Learn Autism answers your questions through quick, on-demand video tutorials and downloadable workbooks that can be accessed on any device, when it's convenient to you. Watch our videos and get a deeper understanding of Autism with our multi-language subtitle options. We provide all of this and more at no cost…this resource is absolutely FREE!
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3yU49Np
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gluYDA
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3s5Oerv
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yWaOXn
Online:  www.LearnAutism.com
 

Navigating Large Events with your Autistic Child

This week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira to talk about navigating big events with autistic children.
Topics00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 2 episode 3 – Navigating Big Events 01:00 – With the World Cup almost upon us the excitement is mounting here in Doha so we thought it would be a good idea to discuss the challenges that we face taking our children to large events.02:00 – Most accessible World Cup ever, sensory rooms available in stadiums and in the fan zones. 03:40 – So do you choose to go to big events or do you avoid them?04:00 – Moira – We have always gone to things that we want to. Always take into consideration how long the event is and whether we could leave before the end and play it by ear.08:00 – Alison – Going to the theatre, I’m conscious of other people being affected by sons exuberant singing and clapping, but shouldn’t be!10:30 – Huma – What’s your biggest fear about choosing to go to something? If its open air event I’m less stressed, my child actually enjoys loud noise.16:00 – Usually with a big even there’s a lot of waiting before the event begins with queuing to get in, queuing to get a snack etc Utilise any card you may have that would allow you to fast track a queue. More and more large events are becoming more accessible to all disabilities.18:00 – We need to remember our kids are now teens and tweens so our stories will be very different to those with younger kids but also stands as a reminder that things change and do get better. Situations you wouldn’t have been able to navigate before are now achievable.18:30 – Moira what did you avoid when Callum was younger? I don’t think we deliberately didn’t go to a show, I would always make sure we had seats at the end of a row for easy access and exit. Would always have his noise cancelling headphones in my bag. We, regretfully, would more often turn down invitations to events with friends rather than events with strangers we’d never see again!21:00 – Huma what would you avoid when Haider was younger? Well we haven’t had many stadium experiences but they are still open so manageable. Our issues would be going to someone’s house instead, Haider was completely overwhelmed being around unfamiliar people that he was expected to interact with. 23:00 – Do you think the exposure when he was younger has helped? Absolutely, he is far more able to deal with these situations now. Regular exposure is the key to being able to manage uncomfortable situations.
Top Tips-Accept all invitations to go to an event.
-Don’t regret not having the experience.
-Anticipation of what might happen is always worse than the reality, and even if it does go pear shaped.  C’est la vie! Try again next time.
 
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
 
Download the new FREE Learn Autism app today. 
If you had our previous paid app installed on your phone, please delete that before downloading the new FREE version.
 
About Learn Autism
As the leading digital Autism resource led by Dr. Stephen Shore, author of Autism for Dummies, who himself is on the Autism spectrum, and our team of OT's (occupational therapists), SLP's (speech language pathologists), behavioral therapists, play therapists, sensory experts, educators, Autism parents and advocates, we are committed to providing diverse perspectives on the common issues that Autism parents, caregivers and educators may encounter. 
Learn Autism answers your questions through quick, on-demand video tutorials and downloadable workbooks that can be accessed on any device, when it's convenient to you. Watch our videos and get a deeper understanding of Autism with our multi-language subtitle options. We provide all of this and more at no cost…this resource is absolutely FREE!
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3yU49Np
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gluYDA
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3s5Oerv
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yWaOXn
Online:  www.LearnAutism.com
 

Break From The Norm: Part 3

This week Alison is joined again by Huma and Suzana to discuss breaking from normal routines. What are the highs and lows of summer breaks like in your house? Do you stick to your routine?
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism Moms Podcast, season 2, episode 2: Part 3 – Break From The Norm
00:30 – Alison kicks off the episode
01:00 – When your kids are on break and free from the structure of school they have time feel more free to explorehow they feel.
01:20 – Kids can go into overthinking mode
02:00 – Parents have to be aware when this happens and decide if its appropriate to delve into an emotionalawareness discussion with them
03:00 – Susana talks about meditation
04:40 – When you’re back in your home from a long time away and you’re trying to re-centre yourself and yourfamily – what techniques do you use?
05:20 – Suzana discusses how she tries to practice mindfulness
07:00 – It’s so important that while you are making sure the family is ready for the break, the family is having agood break and then getting the family ready to get back to routine, its important that you find time to energizeyourself too.
08:00 – It’s important to make time for self care, and figure out what that means for you and making it a priority inyour day and accepting that its not a selfish decision, its necessary.
Top Tips
Let the kids be and explore their own thoughts.
It's ok to lie on the sofa and watch Harry Potter.
Keep your break flexible. Routines are good but not essential.
---
To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
Download the Learn Autism app today. If you had our previous paid app installed on your phone, please delete that before downloading the new FREE version.
 
About Learn Autism
As the leading digital Autism resource led by Dr. Stephen Shore, author of Autism for Dummies, who himself is on the Autism spectrum, and our team of OT's (occupational therapists), SLP's (speech language pathologists), behavioral therapists, play therapists, sensory experts, educators, Autism parents and advocates, we are committed to providing diverse perspectives on the common issues that Autism parents, caregivers and educators may encounter. 
Learn Autism answers your questions through quick, on-demand video tutorials and downloadable workbooks that can be accessed on any device, when it's convenient to you. Watch our videos and get a deeper understanding of Autism with our multi-language subtitle options. We provide all of this and more at no cost…this resource is absolutely FREE!
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3yU49Np
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3gluYDA
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3s5Oerv
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3yWaOXn
Online:  www.LearnAutism.com
 
 
 

Break From The Norm: Part 2

This week Alison is joined again by Huma and Suzana to discuss breaking from normal routines. What are the highs and lows of summer breaks like in your house? Do you stick to your routine?
 
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism Moms Podcast, season 2, episode 2: Part 2 – Break From The Norm
00:30 – Alison kicks off the episode
02:20 – Managing your child with Autism and their break from routine and your other children
05:30 – Suzana: Focusing short trips on the kids and their likes and needs
09:10 – Suzana: Some kids like to stay at home in routines and left to do their own thing on their own time
09:50 – Not traveling out of Doha in the summer, how was that Huma? What have you seen in your kids that's different about your kids? What were the highs and lows?
11:42 – Huma: I've put in my "time" and it's ok for me to sit back and enjoy doing nothing!
14:44 – Huma: It's ok for me to also step back and take a break! For the first time in my life I'm saying "I'm Tired!" I own it and I give myself permission to do that.
16:34 – It's a normal human behavior to snap sometimes!
16:12 – Autism moms are under pressure to get stuff done. And it's not just the "normal" stuff, it's the heavy stuff. It's another layer on top of the "normal" stuff.  You feel the pressure of the time-frame.
16:40 – With the experience, you have the "luxury" of remembering that you're human and they're human and that we're not perfect. You do your best. And when you're tired and you need to rest and not "do" but just "be", you pull a Huma and say "I'm Tired!" And then you can get your energy back up to start again.
18:24 – Huma asking her own mother: Mom, were we this difficult? Oh Huma, I think about you and am in awe of all that you do. Huma: That was still really nice to hear.
19:10 – Suzana: I think it's always nice to be validated but I think you'll always notice things nobody else does, you're always analyzing and on alert, it's hard to take on sometimes.
21:00 –We don't always celebrate the accomplishments of our kids, we are happy but we are always thinking about the next thing, what's next?  I need to learn about the next thing very quickly because I don't want to mess things up!
22:10 – Sometimes too much talking is exhausting!
 
Tune in next week for part 3!
 
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
Download the Learn Autism app today:

Break From The Norm: Part 1

This week Alison is joined by Huma and Suzana to discuss breaking from normal routines. What was your initial anticipation of summer break? How long do breaks last for parents? Do you keep up with what others are doing during breaks?
 
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, season 2, episode 2 – Break from the norm
00:30 – Alison kicks off the episode
02:30 – How does a break effect you as moms parenting kids on the Autism spectrum?
07:30 – Being expats, we don’t get to experience traveling to other countries as much because we always want to go to our home country to visit.
10:30 – We try to busy our kids because we feel like we should, not because there is a need. How did you get to a point where you were aware of recognizing that you don’t need to be busy to be busy’s sake.
18:06 – If we leave them to take a break from routine and school, they grow!  We don’t normally put them in different situations during our normal routines.
Tune in next week for part 2!
 
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
Download the Learn Autism app today:

Back to School Transitions

Summary
This week Alison is joined by Huma and Suzana to talk about preparing for the new school year:  How can you manage the transition back to school? How to help children adapt to new routines? And how to encourage positive relationships between school and parents.
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 2 episode 1 – Back to School Transitions
01:00 – Heading back into a new school year after the long summer break can be a turbulent time. A double-edged sword of relief of having someone else look after the kids for several hours a day alongside anxiety over what to expect. Getting ready to deal with whatever shit will inevitably fly our way!
02:10 – What can we do to prepare, if anything? Are you a planner or a fly by the seat of the pants type parent?
02:20 – Suzana – Most definitely a planner! 3 Key things I did before school started,
Firstly I came back with a week to spare before the first day so was able to slowly get bedtime back to a early enough time to allow him to wake up early for school.
I was mindful of his need now in secondary to have a proper place to do homework each day. I set up a workstation with everything he would need on hand.
I made a schedule in my head for after school, making sure he has enough time to relax and chose his own thing to do before sitting down at his workstation to do homework for an hour. We’ve been doing it consistently so he just knows now its part of life and it has to get done.
07:20 – Is this the first time you’ve put a schedule in place like this?
            It’s the first time we’ve stuck to it consistently, as the weeks have gone on its become easier.
08:50 – Huma, you’ve been home all summer, looking for a new school for Haider (which will be a topic for another episode!) How have you prepared?
Oh I am definitely a seat of the pants kind of parent! Every year I say I will plan everything but when it comes to it, it is a last minute rush. As long as I have the basics, as long as I have a child with a school bag and a reasonable uniform we are good. We can figure the rest out as we go.
The kids always have the worries about new class, new teacher, new work etc there’s lots of changes.
11:40 – One thing with International Schools is that not only do the kids get a new teacher each year but the classes are all mixed up each year so there may only be a couple of familiar faces.
12:30 – All the change can be quite overwhelming and exhausting, lots of early nights needed.  I’m not tired its just my eyes are tired!
19:00 – So how did the first few weeks go for you?
Suzana – Most of the anxiety actually falls on me, not my child. We are just anticipating issues based on what has gone before. Hope for the best but plan for the worst!
20:00 Huma – Younger two remained in same environment so mostly they stayed the same. Haider had to change school and actually he coped and settled far quicker that I anticipated. He exceeded all expectations. He was taken to school to acclimatize somewhat so he knew what to expect.
Top Tip for Transition
Sleep plan, start the year as you mean to go on.
Control is an illusion!
If you don’t let go of the kite you wont know if it will fly!
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
Download the Learn Autism app today:

Back To School

This week Alison is joined by Reen, Moira, and Maha to discuss going back to school. How do we prepare through the summer, or should we just let the normal day and bedtime routine go out the window? How to establish a routine for school? Tips for dealing with jetlag, and much more!
 Topics
00:00 - This Life, The Chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 18 –Back To School.
00:30 – Alison kicks off the episode
02:00 – In that last week of holiday, how do you feel about that transition and how do you try to get your kids ready?
03:53 – Maha, who do you think has the most anxiety: you or your son?!  I’m trying to not be anxious about being anxious!
04:30 – We can’t control what happens in the classroom but we can prepare beforehand.
05:12 – Moira, how about you? I need to get myself back into a routine, that’s what I’m stressing about!
06:19 – Reen, do you do anything different with your neurotypical and your neurodiverse kids before the new year starts?
08:00 – You want your kids to be in a relaxed atmosphere during the summer holidays
08:51 – Why is it important to let go of the “reigns” a bit with our kids on the spectrum during the summer holidays? Or do you keep them in a strict routine, the same as in the school year?
10:20 – They say very often that the downtime is when we see the most progress from our kids
11:42 – Alison, was always very stressed going away on a holiday away from my son’s therapists. And then I went into overdrive trying to find people in those places (you travel) to continue his therapy.
13:26 – I used to put a lot of pressure on myself but I don’t anymore because I can see the benefits of my son being out, socializing, having different experiences.
14:30 – It took Reen years to learn to let things go if everything doesn’t go her way on the first day of school. You have to be flexible.
16:00  – Top Tips for BTS (Back to School)
Relax! Don’t stress you or your kids out. Just go with it.
Holiday up to the last possible minute, everything will be fine.
Don’t relax! Keep your wits about you at all times. You’ll get through, regardless.
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To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com
To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.
---
Keep in touch with us on Instagram  @chroniclesofautismmomspod
Download the Learn Autism app today:

Biggest Back To School Fears

This week Alison is joined by Hasna, Huma and Suzana to discuss their biggest back to school fears. How do we manage our anxiety about the upcoming school year? How to have a line of open communication with your child’s school and teachers? and much more!
 
Topics
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 19 – Biggest Back To School Fears.
00:30 – Alison kicks off the episode
02:00 – Suzana, what gives you the most anxiety personally about your son going back to school?
03:59 – Hasna, what gives you anxiety? Is this educational or social?
05:13 – Maybe you don’t like the way you finished the school year
05:36 – this anxiety never goes away, it’s just heightened in the run up to the school year
05:51 – you’re exhausted before the school year even starts
06:00 – To handle anxiety, Suzana likes to have meetings at end and beginning of year
06:48 – Huma’s hands are sweating just at the topic of the conversation
06:50 – Huma, how do you handle the back to school stress?
08:00 – Suzana: Summer vacation alone stresses me out!
09:26 – How do you go into meetings with the school/teachers calmly and prepared?
11:05 – Hasna: we as mothers are so traumatized from this process, it always triggers really negative feelings
12:28 – Why is the school not passing on the file to the next team? Where is the communication happening?
13:20 – This trickles down to our children—that feeling of not belonging—there’s no validation for their struggle
14:07 – Huma, I was very docile with my previous school. I had no expectations. My son was made to feel like he was a bad boy because the system failed him.
15:46 – How messed up is it that you can’t stand up and advocate for your child for fear of him getting kicked out of school!
18:40 – We are absolutely being let down by the system. Our kids in the present system are not the “preferred” children.
19:52 – Who gives anyone the right to not give our kids a voice? Why aren’t any schools helping kids find their voice.
20:36 – After 5 years Huma was told her child cannot return to the school.
23:13 – Top Tips Handling your biggest Back To School Fears
 
Summary
This week Alison is joined by Hasna and Suzana to talk with Huma who is currently going through a particularly bad break-up with her son's school.
Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence that a lot of parents will experience
 
Topics
Topics
00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 19 – Biggest Back To School Fears.
00:30 – Alison kick’s off the episode
02:00 – Suzana, what gives you the most anxiety personally about your son going back to school?
03:59 – Hasna, what gives you anxiety? Is this educational or social?
05:13 – Maybe you don’t like the way you finished the school year
05:36 – this anxiety never goes away, it’s just heightened in the run up to the school year
05:51 – you’re exhausted before the school year even starts
06:00 – To handle anxiety, Suzana likes to have meetings at end and beginning of year
06:48 – Huma’s hands are sweating just at the topic of the conversation
06:50 – Huma, how do you handle the back to school stress?
08:00 – Suzana: Summer vacation alone stresses me out!
09:26 – How do you go into meetings with the school/teachers calmly and prepared?
11:05 – Hasna: we as mothers are so traumatized from this process, it always triggers really negative feelings
12:28 – Why is the school not passing on the file to the next team? Where is the communication happening?
13:20 – This trickles down to our children—that feeling of not belonging—there’s no validation for their struggle
14:07 – Huma, I was very docile with my previous school. I had no expectations. My son was made to feel like he was a bad boy because the system failed him.
15:46 – How messed up is it that you can’t stand up and advocate for your child for fear of him getting kicked out of school!
18:40 – We are absolutely being let down by the system. Our kids in the present system are not the “preferred” children.
19:52 – Who gives anyone the right to not give our kids a voice? Why aren’t any schools helping kids find their voice.
20:36 – After 5 years Huma was told her child cannot return to the school.
23:13 – Top Tips for handling your biggest Back To School Fears
 
 
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