21. What it’s Like to Parent a Child with Autism – Jackie Shea
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:43 — 65.0MB)
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Katayoun and Marcello Marciano, mother and child
Autism:
In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I had Katayoun Marciano on to speak about her experience parenting her beautiful, non-verbal, 17 year-old autistic son, Marcello. Autism is a bio-neurological development disability that usually appears within the first stages of life. How autism presents differs greatly from patient to patient— the spectrum is wide (to put it mildly). Little else is known about autism—the most controversial and mysterious piece being the cause—making it an upsetting and disorienting process for parents. In this episode, Katayoun tells all about raising Marcello, from getting his diagnosis to tantrums that take the whole family hostage. She gives parents new to this journey a lightly sketched road map and a hand to hold.
To contact Katayoun:
IG: @katswrite
Weekly Challenge:
DO ONE NEW AND FUN ACTIVITY AND SEE IF IT CHANGES YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR REALITY.
This is a FUN one! Around minute 45 we begin discussing this challenge, and we throw out tons of ideas to people who are active and to those who are bed bound. There are endless possibilities. Katayoun suggests making a list of 25 things that you could do for fun (that you’ve NEVER done) and then pick one for this week and give it a shot! This is a way to beat martyrdom and self-pity, my friends. You create the world you live in…create a fun one! Follow me on IG @sheajackie to find out what I do this week!
Discussed in this Episode:
- Kristin Neff
- Katayoun’s theory on the cause of Marcello’s autism
- Sever apraxia of speech
- Ideational apraxia
- Marcello’s signs of autism
- The tantrums
- The diagnosis
- Behavioral and floor time support
- What Katayoun would have done differently in retrospect
- Self-care
- Total acceptance
- Spirituality
- Lack of control
Resources in this Episode:
Happy Listening!