Summary This week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira as they discuss ‘What you wish you knew’.   Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 2 Ep 6 02:00 – Alison – I’m feeling very frustrated just now that I am still continually telling people the same things about Noah over and over again 04:20 – Moira you mentioned that . If we don’t understand our kids how can we expect others to . One of the challenges with Callum is that he is extremely verbal but he doesn’t really communicate which would be confusing for someone who can see him chatting away but when they talk to him he is oblivious sometimes and not always able to have a back and forth conversation or take on board what someone is saying. He may strike lucky on one of his standard responses fits the question and the person will go away none the wiser but often I’ll be obvious he’s not understood or listened and they wont know what they have to do to make sure he is engaged with him and understanding them. 06:00 – What about Haider, Huma? He is also extremely verbal but is also usually involved with a story in his head.I sometimes 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 understand Huma? 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 with neurotypical children. And 9/10 the autistic child doesn’t even want a friend. It’s the parent who needs the other parent to be friends with. 14:00 – Moira have you experienced leaning towards friendships with autism parents – Of course! At the beginning our circle consisted of Orla’s friends and parents but quickly I gravitated towards you guys and people who could relate 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 with differences into new groups. 18:00 – Huma, my experience of a child with autism with more behaviours than my child is probably the same experience for friends of neurotypical children with my child! I don’t ever want to put me or my family in a situation where 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 just ends 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.     --- 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

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

This week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira to talk about the excitement around the World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Topics 00:00 - 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

This week Alison is joined by Huma and Moira to talk about navigating big events with autistic children. Topics 00:00 - 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.   --- 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

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 explore how 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 emotional awareness 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 your family – 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 a good break and then getting the family ready to get back to routine, its important that you find time to energize yourself 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 in your 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

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!   --- 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:

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!   --- 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:

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! --- 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:

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. --- 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:

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     --- 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:

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 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 17 – That’s not inclusion! 01:20 – Can you just share with us Huma, what is the current situation? 04:40 – What was the lead-up to this happening? 08:30 – What accommodations have the school put in place over the years to assist Haider? 16:00 – Why was your shadow teacher so upset and unable to handle the situation, what was her feedback? 17:00 – Shadow Teachers often feel powerless and disrespected. 18:00 – When children on the spectrum are triggered repeatedly they go into fight or flight mode. 19:00 – I felt terrible for shouting at him when we got home and I wasn’t cross with him I was fearful for his future. 24:00 – I did so much for the school, volunteering, raising money organizing events 25:00 – Ambushed during the meeting with a long list of situations that I had no heads up on. 28:00 – Where is the school's accountability for this situation. With a child who has been at the school for a number of years, who is still being put into situations that trigger his behaviours that they could easily have avoided. 29:00 – I feel like I’m on trial every time I have a meeting at school. 31:00 – He has been continually excluded from opportunities at school because the teachers assume a situation will happen, even if there has been no history of such behaviour. Neurotypical children at the school get into worse situations but somehow are not subject to the same scrutiny. 33:00 – How do you feel now about the situation and the future? 34:00 – How is Haider now and what have you told him about the situation? 46:00 – There are excellent laws within education in Qatar in favour of SEN, however, they only extend to local schools. Private schools are able to continue to take extensive fees and have no accountability for the neurodiverse children they are paid to educate. Unfortunately, this particular school has taken full advantage of this.   --- To learn more about navigating the school process, watch Learn Autism’s video: Finding the Right School 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:

Summary This week Alison is joined by Reen, Moira and Maha to discuss Travel Tips. How do we manage our anxiety and stress when making a long journey? How do we prepare to deal with scrutiny from other travelers?   Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 16 – Travel Tips. 01:20 – In the past what was the most stressful part of the journey? 02:30 – Do you think it helps that we are frequent travelers? 04:10 – Traveling is made easier these days by having identification cards that show Autism as a hidden disability that can allow you to avoid stressful situations like long queues and busy noisy areas. 05:30 – Have you experienced scrutiny from other travelers over any behaviors from your child and how have you managed it? 08:30 – A friend of the podcast carries a pack of cards with her that details her son's condition which happens to be Fragile X and what behaviors may or may not occur. She gives these out to the people around them on the plane to make them aware and hopefully more understanding instead of possibly annoyed at any disruptions. An example of which will be available at the bottom of these show notes for you to print out. 10:00 – What about the other end of the journey when you arrive at your destination? 11:00 – Reen recounts a stressful story of traveling alone with two toddlers? 14:30 – What were the must-do preparations for the holiday? 16:50 – Kids clubs are not for everyone! 20:00 – Covid and the lack of travel for 2 years brought about some anxiety on the first trip. 21:00 – Top Tips for travel: Build a social story book for your child to prepare them for an upcoming trip showing them pictures of destinations and things they can do when they are there.A step up from the social story as your children get older is to involve them in planning the trip and have them research the location and things they can do.Make sure you have the snack they like to each packed and airplane food doesn’t cater to the average child.Prepare an information card about your child to hand out to people sitting around you as you feel appropriate. --- To learn more about traveling with kids on the spectrum, watch Learn Autism's video: Managing Transitions. 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:

Summary This week Hasna and Alison talk about standardized tests. They explore what standardized tests measure, how schools filter students using these tests, consequences of the tests on parents and kid and wrap up with talking about the DSM-5.   Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 15 – Standardized Testing with Hasna. 00:01 – What is standardized Testing? 01:50 – Why was Standardized Testing created? 02:30 – When would it be appropriate for our neurodiverse children to have such testing? 03:00 – Standardized Testing immediately puts a non-Standard child at a disadvantage 04:00 What does the test consist of? 07:00 – What are the consequences of these tests for our children? 09:00 – Current tests are so outdated they do not reflect what the child is actually capable of. 09:30 – A huge shift in testing is required, how do think this can be done? 10:20 – DSM – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders – This manual is periodically updated, for example between version 4 and 5, Autism and Aspergers were redefined. Constantly evolving according to research. 13:00 – There are no current accommodations with the standardized tests for special needs children they are being compared to neurotypical children. --- To learn more about navigating the school process, watch Learn Autism’s video: Evaluation process and effective school inclusion 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:

Summary This week Huma, Karina and Alison continue their chat about sibling rivalry! They explore how to balance their family's needs, understanding your neurodiverse children's dynamics, how to help your children develop and maintain a healthy relationship and much more!   Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 13 – Sibling Rivalry, Part 2. 00:30 - Alison kicks off the show 00:40 – How do you deal with negativity and judgment from others when out with your children? 02:50 – How would you deal with that kind of situation now? 03:30 – Why do I have to still explain/justify my child’s behaviour? There is still a huge lack of awareness of the condition. 08:00 – How do siblings manage having friends over to play? 15:00 – Do you make plans for your children as a unit? At what point do they become individuals with different needs and different schedules? 20:00 – Top Tips for getting the balance with the siblings? - Tell your kids to be comfortable with their home situation and not to be embarrassed by it but it is something to benefit and grow from. - To not feel guilty if the sibling has lost out on some attention but to recognize when they need you and when their behaviour is just them asking for attention. - Talk to the siblings about any situation they may feel uncomfortable about, for example play dates and having friends over. Making a plan for new situations and how to accommodate everyone’s needs. Make sure that they know they are all equally important within the family unit.  --- To learn more about Sibling Rivalry, watch Learn Autism’s video: Supporting Your Child in the Home 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:

Summary This week Huma, Karina and Alison chat about sibling rivalry! They explore how to balance their family's needs, understanding your neurodiverse children's dynamics, how to help your children develop and maintain a healthy relationship and much more!   Topics   00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 13 – Sibling Rivalry, Part 1. 00:30 - Alison kicks off the show 1:45 – Tell us about the dynamics in your family Huma. Do you think any rivalry is typical or does Autism play a part? 4:40 – Now they are older, how has their relationship changed? How have you balanced their needs? 6:40 – Have the two youngest built an alliance? 7:15 – Do you ever see your middle child being a guide for the oldest? 7:55 – Karina, how about your boys, you have a different dynamic as they are twins. 9:00 – Autism has been the norm in the family so his sibling accepted everything as normal. 10:15 – What is the official line on our situation Mum? What should I tell my friends? 11:30 – Alison describes her family dynamic between her 3 children. 12:40 – Do you think the older child would speak up if she was frustrated? Do you think the youngest challenges her brother more than you would have? 15:30 – Do you think you were so focused on your neurodiverse child that your other child lacked the support they needed? 19:45 – Are girls more emotionally aware? Do the sister behave differently to the brothers of neurodiverse siblings? 22:05 – Karina with boys the same age and with the same peer group, have you or the sibling found difficulties with others?   To be continued in Part 2   --- To learn more about Sibling Rivalry, watch Learn Autism’s video: Supporting Your Child in the Home 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:

Summary This week Huma, Karina and Alison chat about mates and playdates! They explore how to introduce their neurotypical children's friends to their autistic child, how to manage your own anxiety when introducing your child with Autism to someone new, how to prep your child for a playdate and so much more!   Topics 00:00 - This Life, The Chronicles of Autism Moms podcast, series 1 episode 12 – Mates & Playdates 00:27 - Alison kicks off the show 01:25 - Huma, What are your highs and lows of playdate experiences? 02:45 - Were you worried about how you're feeling or about how you would be perceived as a parent? 05:15 - After the dust settles, can your child see that his behavior resulted in not having the friends he wants? 06:22 - I was heartbroken to see that my son is not part of the group 07:05 - Karina: My son doesn't feel the need to be with friends.  He's older now and they play with video games so he doesn't mind as much, but when he was younger and they played with toys, he was there because I wanted him to be there. 07:42- Do we organize playdates because our kids want them to are we fulfilling our own needs and desires because we want to encourage social skills out of those? 08:13 - Alison: I organized playdates because I wanted to encourage his social skills 08:54 - How do we arrange playdates for our neurotypical children, how do we make that a successful, positive experience for the children? 10:09 - Alison: I always feel I have to prepare for family or friends coming to my home for the first time to try and stage the interaction between them.  I don't know if it's the right thing but I feel more calm if I prepare. 10:50 - Karina: I feel very blessed that I have a great group of friends who accept my family 11:38 - Alison: I want to protect my family from judgement that may come out of the experience 11:55 - Huma: The birthday story. I remember the pain and embarrassment 13:55 - Organizing playdates with really young kids or older adults and that's fine. 15:40 - Huma: my main goal is for my son to be accepted by his peers 16:04 - How do you manage anxiety with situations where you find unpredictability? 18:30 – Top Tips for navigating Mates & Playdates --- To learn more about playdates, watch Learn Autism’s video: Playground Games 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:

Summary This week Maha, Suzana, Hasna and Alison chat about social interactions! They explore managing their own anxiety, how to guide their kids through navigating social situations and practicing social skills with their kids.   Topics 00:00 - This Life, The Chronicles of Autism Moms podcast, series 1 episode 11 – Social Interactions 00:27 - Alison kicks off the show 01:13 – Suzana, tell us about your experience with uncomfortable social interactions with your son and how that looked for you in the past 01:49 – We didn’t have the issue of not wanting to interact with people, but more of how do I interact with people. 04:11 – What was the reaction from the other moms when your son came to get help from them when dealing with social situations with their kids? 04:50 -  Maha, as a parent, has navigating your child’s social interaction every became overwhelming for you so much that you’ve decided not to attended a gathering? 06:31 – I have to get myself into a good state before heading into a new social situation because I’m not sure what my child’s reaction would be. 08:14 – Work on skills when you’re not limited by time or if you need to be somewhere or not. That takes the pressure off. Make sure you have patience. 09:16 – We’ve all done the iPads! 10:16 – I’m happy for my son to go out with friends but when I’m with him I can help steer the situation a bit more. I’m not embarrassed of him, I want to protect him from people who are not understanding of his behavior or make fun of him.  I want to teach my son to disclose so that he can advocate for himself 11:23 – Some days you’re willing to face that anxiety and other days its just too much 12:25 – I need everyone to understand our situation and I want people to understand that my child has Autism. Disclosure is power and people tend to understand once they know. The problem is that a lot of people are not compassionate. 13:45 – Social skills are learned through practice 14:19 –That is my fear with social interactions: that my son gets bullied, he gets hurt, he doesn’t understand the situation. 15:10 – There’s always a fear if it will always be like this, it’s very stressful 16:00 – There’s not enough compassion, awareness, effort etc, by the schools 17:44 – Maha tell us about a “crash and burn” situation. 20:20 – Sometimes we have to pick our battles and say that’s not the right thing for him right now 20:51 – You definitely start to accept that that’s how your child is. I always have a plan b if plan a doesn’t work out. We have to become more flexible when maneuvering more situations. 23:40 – We want our kids to be in situations where they are comfortable and sometimes uncomfortable so that they can push themselves 25:13 – Outwardly, my son doesn’t look like he has Autism. It’s so annoying to have to explain ourselves all the time.  26:43 – It’s hard to deal with the judgement from others on if I’m parenting well. 27:32 – What it’s like navigating doctor visits 30:50 – what helps me is to keep regular appointments so that the people and places are familiar and it becomes easier and more predictable for my son. It’s all practice and it gets easier. 33:38 – Top Tips for navigating social interactions --- To learn more about Social Interactions, watch Learn Autism’s video: Child-to-child interactions to promote social skills. 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:

Summary This episode includes Hasna, Suzana, Maha and Alison sharing their own unique experiences of getting their child with Autism to eat different foods and their frustrations with seeing them go from eating everything to just beige foods.  These moms chat about what that was like for them and how that affected them and their lives as women, mothers, and professionals. 00:00 - This Life, The Chronicles of Autism Moms podcast, series 1 episode 10 – Food Frustrations 00:27 - Alison kicks off the show 01:00 - Suzana, tell us about your son’s eating habits and how they make you feel? 05:05 - Apart from his general health and wellbeing, and how much anxiety you get from that, how else has that caused you anxiety and stress? Perhaps it started as a toddler/picky eater scenario but is now something more.  I wish there was something who could have put me in the right direction from the start. 06:08 – Should I hide fruits and veggies in his food?  I completely dropped the ball on exposing him to foods, that’s still necessary. 07:54 – This is not something that will work itself out 09:36 – The stress of traveling with a picky eater 10:06 – What would happen if someone gave you advice, meaning well, just to leave them and not let them eat if they won’t eat what’s offered? 10:50 – You’re dealing with your own anxiety and that of your child’s frustration who hasn’t eaten 11:10 – What has been your experience, Maha? 11:30 – My son’s brain processes that food in a completely different way to the way you or I do. 12:09 – Exposure is key, just having food on their plate, even if they don’t eat it, is good 12:36 – Kids sharing food with strangers 13:36 – Being a foodie, it’s hard having a beige eater and wanting to go and try new things? 13:44 – Associating food with memories 14:56 – It’s ok to say no to invitations, it’s ok to manage a situation in the best way you know how. Ipads are ok sometimes! 16:59 – we put so much emphasis on how things “should” be 17:33 – Alison’s lunch story: bring out the ipads! 19:38 – Hasna’s story: Autism and Type 1 Diabetes 20:39 – Not every autistic person doesn’t like food 22:50 – Top Tips for dealing with food frustrations --- To learn more about SEN Education, watch Learn Autism’s video: Picky eaters and problem feeders. 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:

Summary This episode includes Moira, Huma, Reen and Alison sharing their own unique experiences of getting their child’s SEN team together including their teacher, shadow teacher and therapists, for the most effective approaches to get the best out of their child in school, therapy and home. These moms chat about what that was like for them and how that affected them and their lives as women, mothers, and professionals. Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 9 – Getting your team together. 00:30 - Alison kicks off the show 02:15   Moira, how did you go about assembling your team? 04:30   How did you go about identifying that a team was more important than individuals? 06:00   Reen, how did you manage being here when there was no early intervention? 07:00   Did your therapists ever suggest they should contact the other therapists? 09:30   How did you suggest to them and how did they react? 12:00   Huma, what is your experience of a team not going to plan? 14:15   Why do you think you had pushback from school? 16:00   What have been your shocking stories? 25:00   Do you think the shadow teachers feel valued? 38:00   What’s your best piece of advice for assembling your team? --- To learn more about SEN Education, watch Learn Autism’s video: Autism and Education: Surviving vs Thriving 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:

Summary The episode includes Suzana, Maha, Reen and Alison sharing their unique experiences of choosing a shadow teacher (learning support teacher), or not,  for their child and how that affected them and their lives as women, mothers, and professionals.   Topics 00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 8 – To Shadow or not to Shadow. 00:30 - Alison kicks off the show 01:40   Reen, can you explain why you felt it was necessary to have a shadow teacher for your son? 06:00   Do you think there should be a specific qualification for a shadow teacher? 08:00   Maha, what’s your experience of shadow teachers? 12:00   How have things improved for you now? 13:20   Suzana, what’s your experience of Shadow Teachers? 19:00   Do you think a child would develop more independence without a shadow teacher 20:20   What are you top tips for selecting a shadow teacher?   --- To learn more about SEN Education, watch Learn Autism’s video: Evaluation Process and Effective School Inclusion.   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: