Practical Parenting Archives - Learn From Autistics

A Preview–What Your Child on the Spectrum Really Needs: Advice From 12 Autistic Adults

October 22, 2019Jenna2 CommentsIn the News, Practical Parenting

Stories That Need To Be Told

I love listening to stories. The idea for this book came from my passion for storytelling and a special interest in the authority of personal experience. I studied the personal essay in graduate school and have continued using the transformative power of storytelling in a variety of different ways. My interest in autistic storytelling comes from living alongside my autistic brother and son.

When my son was diagnosed with autism at four, my husband and I sought the advice of every “expert” we were recommended to: doctors, therapists, psychologists, etc. But there was one problem with these professionals that left a big gap in our pursuit for the best support for our son–they weren’t autistic. I grew tired of the media stories about what I should or should not be doing as a parent of an autistic child. Avoid milk! Extra doses of vitamins! Try this really expensive supplement! Don’t eat broccoli in your first trimester! So…the broccoli reprimand I haven’t actually heard yet, but you get the idea. When I first started this project, I wanted to find out what autistic people thought of the overwhelming amount of therapy, behavioral, and diet advice out there. I soon realized this is where I should have started.

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Autistic Education: Back to School Tips from Actually Autistic People

August 6, 2019JennaPractical Parenting

How do we get our children pumped for a new school year? If the excitement doesn’t come naturally (or, even if it does), there is plenty parents and teachers can do to help autistic students better prepare for a return to school at the start of a new year and also maintain a healthy schedule and routine throughout the year. This article summarizes some ideas about autism and education as summarized by actually autistic individuals. If we give them the proper tools to begin a new routine and navigate a new schedule and environment, our messages of positivity, hopefulness, and excitement about the future are more likely to be embraced by our children.

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Are We Friends? Exploring Autism and Friendship

May 28, 2019Jenna1 CommentPractical Parenting

How well do you know your child’s friends? Is the friendship mutually beneficial? How do you know? There’s no recommended magic number of friends or amount of time spent with them, but having some kind of healthy friendship is beneficial for everyone. I spoke with two adult female autistic advocates (Lydia Wayman and Amy Gravino)…

Lists of Autistic Representation in Literature

March 5, 2019JennaAutism Acceptance, Practical Parenting

Autistic representation in literature is growing, but all portrayals are not universally favorable. There are many different ways autistic people live, so no one representation should be accepted as truth. Other controversy arises when one portrayal is so narrow that it leads to damaging misconceptions. This is a complex issue, but increasing the amount of autistic portrayals and greater exposure to autistic-authored literature featuring autistic characters should at least get our society moving in the right direction.

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Autistic and in Love: 3 Simple Guidelines for Parents

February 12, 2019JennaAutism Acceptance, Practical Parenting

Autistic romantic relationships may look different than neurotypical ones. The best way to understand how autistic individuals can create successful romantic relationships is talking and listening to autistic people who have been in them. This article offers a simple overview for parents of three fundamental principles to remember regarding autistic involvement in romantic relationships and cites additional relationship resources for further reading.

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Eye Contact..For The Recipients Validation Only

January 8, 2019JennaAutism Acceptance, Practical Parenting

This article was written by Emma Dalmayne, an autistic advocate, activist, and writer from the UK. It was originally published on her website and is reprinted here with her permission.

Imagine if you will a quiet world, well ordered as long as everything has its place..

Imagine a warmth, cozy and comfortingly familiar. Your own warmth, just your own.

Now imagine headlights, bright and intrusive as in a winters night, burning and intense. They glare through the warmth and safety you have and push your eyes deep into their sockets until it’s unbearably painful.

Those headlights are someone’s eyes making intense eye contact with yours.

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Autistic Christmas Readings

December 25, 2018JennaAutism Acceptance, Practical Parenting

Merry Christmas to you and yours! I wish you the warmest, most joyful and blessed holiday season. My prayer for all readers is that you have an opportunity to experience peace and love in your homes and communities as the year comes to a close. May your sacrifices and struggles reap rewards and may you be blessed with love and acceptance.

As always, it’s best to gain insight into the autistic condition by listening to the voices of autistic people. Here are a selection of articles on Christmas that are authored by individuals on the spectrum.

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Autism Interview #84: Mikhaela Ackerman on Advocating for the Autistic Perspective

December 18, 2018Jenna3 CommentsInterviews, Practical Parenting

Mikhaela Ackerman is an autistic writer and speaker. She blogs at Edge of the Playground where she shares resources for individuals on the spectrum and the families who support them. Mikhaela earned her Juris Doctorate in law in 2016 and plans to use her legal skills to advocate for others on the autism spectrum. This week she shared information about her advocacy work and how neurotypicals can be more aware and accommodating of sensory sensitivities.

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Moving forward while glancing back…

November 27, 2018JennaPractical Parenting

This article was written by Emma Dalmayne, an autistic advocate, activist, and writer from the UK. It was originally published on her website and is reprinted here with her permission.

Parents often ask with concern why when their child has made a gain of some kind in development do they seem to reverse in others?

As an Autistic I can tell you that if your child has, for instance, become toilet trained recently, they may revert to a previous special interest or sensory seeking behavior for comfort and reassurance.

There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, it makes perfect sense, any progress is still a change even if it is good. More recognized is the regression Autistic’s display if there has been a traumatic experience.

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