How Moms of Autistics Can Make Shifts to Grow and Strengthen Their Supportive Community

Thriving Moms of Autistics

Hi Moms! My son has been sick with the flu all week. He was struggling at school and ABA a couple of days before he officially became sick.

It was one of those ah-ha mom moments a week later when I put two and two together. Of course, he was feeling off just before he got sick. He usually does just before an illness, and everything has been going around this month.

It’s important for moms to not be so hard on themselves when they have these ah-ha moments. Sometimes the standards we set for ourselves are a bit high. We are human and have a lot on our plates.

In these moments, we get so busy that we forget about the resources we have to support ourselves and our family. Or perhaps, we don’t have resources and needs in some cases.

In this episode, I explore strategies for effectively utilizing available resources to overcome the unique challenges of raising an autistic child and offer practical ways to support you and your child in your autism journey.

Find the full transcript for this episode at http://thrivingmomsofautistics.com/51

Please share the podcast with other moms to help them grow in their autism journey. You can also do this by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I appreciate you!

When Autism Moms Get Overwhelmed by Obstacles

When autistics get sick, it often manifests behaviorally first. This can be overwhelming for moms and others who care for the child.

I felt so helpless at the onset of my son’s illness when his temperature shot up and he was feeling lethargic. He was dizzy, shaking, and couldn’t walk.

One of the obstacles that moms experience with their child’s illness is that autism is a neurological condition. It impacts their ability to communicate effectively.

It is difficult to tell if they are in pain or what level of pain or symptoms they are experiencing. They start scripting, and it’s difficult to tell if they are referring to something real or fictional.

My son was non-verbal for years. I spent so much time reading him in other ways. As moms, we become experts on our children, but even we don’t know everything going on with them.

I often think about moms of non-verbal children and remember that struggle. Even now that my son is verbal, there are still many barriers to figuring out what is going on with him when he is not well.

How Moms of Autistics Can Shift and Succeed in Their Journey

I talk a lot about surrounding yourself with a supportive community of friends and family to get through the unique challenges of raising an autistic. Your community is so much more than that, which is what I want to focus on more in this episode.

Looking back on the past week and the ups and downs we experienced as a family; I realized that I had not set firm boundaries regarding our support system.

In my state, parents can apply for a support waiver. This added a secondary insurance to our current insurance, which was nice, but our pediatrician could no longer see us because he did not accept our secondary insurance.

We were so bummed. We loved this doctor. We switched to another provider, who left the practice after one visit and inherited his partner.

I want to make clear that we are all different. My favorite saying is to meet people where they are at. Providers have different skill sets and are better with some groups than others.

We have been with this doctor for a while now but only see her once or twice a year. She is old school and has been practicing for many years. I noticed that she doesn’t have a lot of patience with my son and has high expectations.

I know what you’re thinking. Pediatricians should have a lot of patience, right? It doesn’t matter how long you have been practicing. We all have different strengths for different reasons.