Understanding the Levels of an Autism Diagnosis and Their Unique Challenges

Fifteen years into our autism journey, my husband and I finally took the plunge and started our daughter Mara on medication. Pursuing medication for your child is not a decision parents should take lightly, but sometimes its a necessary step. 

In Episode 87, we share our personal pros and cons after starting our daughter on Risperidone. If you have a child on the spectrum and you have gone back and forth in your mind on this topic, you dont want to miss this episode. 

Full Spectrum Parent is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network.

To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.Christianparenting.org

The term PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance and its a proposed disorder on the spectrum that involves an extreme resistance to everyday demands.

I had never heard the term before until my friend Karen Dorsey mentioned some struggles with her grandson. As she shared her story, my eyes were opened and I began to understand my youngest daughters behaviors in a way I never considered before. 

If you have a child that continually resists demand and you may have chalked it up as defiance, you dont want to miss this episode. 

Full Spectrum Parent is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.Christianparenting.org

Im not a huge movie buffbut when I catch a film that moves meespecially when it centers around autism, I cant help but recommend it. There is something about a story that causes you to drop your defenses and sneaks into the backdoor of your heart. 

In Episode 85, we share two autism films that everyone should watch and why, whether youre parenting a child on the spectrum or not. 

Full Spectrum Parent is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.Christianparenting.org

As parents, its so easy to sacrifice our own mental health in order to care for the high needs of our kids on the spectrum.

Our guest, Craig Holbrook, coined this life motto: Boys live. Men sacrifice as he cared for his 15-year-old daughter with Level 3 Autism. But that very motto drove him to burnout as he attempted to be everything to everyone. 

Listen in as Craig opens up his heart and shares transparently about the seasons of life autism has dragged him through and how he has learned to care for himself while continuing to be the best dad he can be to his two children.

If you find yourself emotionally and physically exhausted as a parent, you dont want to miss this episode!

Full Spectrum Parent is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.Christianparenting.org

As a special needs parent, when I think of the future it scares me. 

Parents of kids on the spectrum often wonder what will happen to their children and fear what transition into adulthood will look like. 

In Episode 83, we interview Carrie Cariello. Carrie is a mother of five and her son Jack is on the autism spectrum. He recently graduated and is now thriving as an adult. 

Being a few steps ahead of many of us on this autism journey, Carrie shares her wisdom on how to navigate this difficult transition. You wont want to miss this episode! 

Carrie is the author of 3 books on parenting. Her latest is, Half My Sky: Autism, Marriage, and the Messiness That is Building a Family. Learn more at www.carriecariello.com 

Full Spectrum Parent is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network.

To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.Christianparenting.org