Welcome to Autism Blueprint Quick Tips; A mini episode where I share a quick nugget of knowledge to help you on your autism journey.

This episode is sponsored by the Autism Blueprint Classroom where you can download free resources, and purchase online courses and videos to help you survive and thrive as an autism parent or professional.

Join the conversation in our private Facebook group: Our Autism Blueprint Private Facebook Page

Today’s Topic: How to Build Your Parenting Village

• What is a parenting village and why do you need one?
• How to choose the people and resources that will be part of your village.
• Lesson’s learned from Janeen’s life about the importance of a village.

---

Transcript of Episode

Before I get started today I want to respect that there may be a few stories and topics in this one that could be triggering. I’ve come to realize both as a autism parent and as a professional trauma therapist, that just talking about difficult things can be triggering to some people. SO I want to take a moment and recognize that because many autism parents have post traumatic stress responses because the nature of our parenting is so stressful and may include some of the events I’ll be discussing today. SO if you are triggered at all by stories of kids going missing or family members getting critically ill, this may not be the show for you today.

SO I just wanted to start with that so you know what to expect.

Why is building a village important?

I often talk about taking care of yourself as an autism parent. And one of my biggest suggestions is to build your village. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a bigger village to raise a child with autism and this village is more for your sake than anything else. Building your village is crucial because autism is hard enough- then life happens; a loved one dies, a job loss, an unexpected diagnosis, a major global pandemic...lots of things can happen and when they happen on top of our already complicated lives, they are even harder to handle. But if we have our village in place, this gets just a bit easier.

There are two times in our family’s life when having this village in place was necessary; when my son was 13 and he went missing behind our house in the woods, and two years ago when my husband had a heart attack and required bypass surgery. I’ll describe how our village helped in these two situations in a moment but first I want to address HOW to assemble your village, then I’ll weave in some stories about how it helped.

Identify the key players

These may include Doctors, sitters, respite workers, family you can trust, safe people, therapists for your child and for you. When my son Ben was younger, Our personal village includes a functional medicine doctor, a pediatric dentist that specialized in working with kids with disabilities, the grandparents, my friends, my husband’s softball/poker playing buddies, pharmacists, and my church prayer group; these players all have different roles and it’s important to be very intentional about defining these roles. Let’s talk about that next ...

So when my husband had a heart attack in the middle of the day two years ago, I was at work and he was home with our son- who just so happened to be taking a nap at that time. Luckily he called both his mother and 911 and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. During this time we had the support of friends and family who knew our situation, and came to our aid very quickly. Our parents and respite workers were already in place to come over and help with Ben so I could get to the hospital and know he was taken care of. We had friends drop off food, and come to the hospital to make sure we had the support we needed. These were people I knew I could count on.

Family and friends who didn’t live in the area sent texts daily, called and sent cards, which really makes such a difference when you’re going thru something like that you don’t think it does when you’re doing it for someone but I can tell you on the receiving end it was wonderful. Then there was a neighbor who the day after my husband’s heart attack came over to borrow something- when I told him what had happened, he said “Wow, hope he feels better”...and he never checked in again to see how we were doing. Never even asked how Joe’s surgery went. But that was okay because I already knew he was not one of my key village people. So because my expectations were realistic, I wasn’t surprised or disappointed when that happened and instead of dwelling on it was able to focus on my own family as they got support from th...

We’re in the family room today talking with parenting expert, Samantha Moe about how to handle challenging behaviors in your children.

In this episode you will discover:

• How your emotional state can affect your child’s.
• The difference between meltdowns and tantrums, and how to approach them.
• What could be going on in your child beneath the surface when they act out.
• How to help your child learn to regulate their emotions.

Meet Samantha Moe

Certified parent coach and speaker, Samantha Moe, has coached parents on how to help their children calm, connect, and cooperate since 2004. She now provides continuing education, advanced training, and parent coach certification for family service professionals who support intense kids and their families.

Samantha is the creator of the Mad to Glad Blueprint, a revolutionary brain-and-nervous-system-based approach to positive communication and parenting that works to soothe and even preempt intense kids’ most challenging behaviors.

She holds a Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Minnesota and possesses a background in interdisciplinary training in sensory integration, play therapy, and emotional integration.

Mentioned on the podcast:

• Join the conversation in our private Facebook group: Our Autism Blueprint Private Facebook Page
• Samantha’s Website: https://samanthamoe.com/
• Free report: Beneath the Behaviors: 11 Reasons Emotionally Intense Kids Act Out
• Previous episode with Samantha:

Listen to this episode:

The post Beneath Behaviors | A conversation with Samantha Moe about the challenges of parenting kids on the autism spectrum appeared first on Puzzle Peace Counseling.

We’re in the kitchen today talking with Denise Voight about food and nutrition. Denise is a clinical nutritionist who specializes in helping individuals with autism and ADHD, and she knows a ton about how nutrition affects your child’s brain.

In this episode you will discover:

• What is functional medicine and functional nutrition?
• What are toxic foods and how to eliminate them.
• Why food has such an impact on the brain and how it processes.
• How food can influence behavior in children.
• Where parents should start in making changes to their child’s diet.
• How to talk to your child about eating healthier foods.
• How to read labels on the foods you feed your family.
• How to choose high quality supplements, and how to know if your child needs them.

---

Meet Denise Voight, MS

Denise Voight, MS is a Clinical Nutritionist with a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine specializing in Nutritional Intervention for autism spectrum disorders and ADHD. She is an expert in applying scientifically proven food and nutrition therapies to improve health, symptoms, and behavior in children.

Connect with Denise:

Website: https://www.denisevoight.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denise.voight/

---

Mentioned on the podcast:

• Join the conversation in our private Facebook group: Our Autism Blueprint Private Facebook Page
• My Spectrum Heroes Supplements
  • enter the code: autismblueprint for 20% off your order!
• Denise’s course: Nutrition Intervention For Autism

---

Listen to this episode:

The post Food For Thought | A conversation with Denise Voight about how nutrition can help your child’s brain work better appeared first on Puzzle Peace Counseling.

We’re in the classroom this week talking with Caitlin Sweetapple. Caitlin is the Director of Education at Shrub Oak International School, and will be talking about how to get the right educational support for your child.

In this episode you will discover:

• How Caitlin’s experience working with students on the autism spectrum, fueled her passion for helping our kids.
• Why play is important for learning.
• What every parent should make sure is part of their child’s educational plan.
• Advice for new homeschooling parents during the COVID-19 quarantine.
• How to deal with school refusal, anxiety, and fears of regression.

---

Meet Caitlin Sweetapple

Caitlin Sweetapple has been working with students on the autism spectrum for over 10 years. Caitlin is one of the founding teachers at Shrub Oak International School and is ecstatic about her new role as Director of Education. Her mission has been simple; foster positive relationships with students, in order to lead them into a lifetime of learning and success. Caitlin has taught students aged 3-21 years old in various special education settings. She has also taught undergraduate courses at her alma mater, Manhattan College. Caitlin received her Master’s Degree in Belgium from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where she had extensive training from some of the top leaders in the field of special education and adapted physical education.

---

Mentioned on the podcast:

• Join the conversation in our private Facebook group: Our Autism Blueprint Private Facebook Page
• Shrub Oak International School

---

Listen to this episode:

The post Exceptional Education | A conversation with Caitlin Sweetapple about getting the right educational support for your child with autism | ABP Episode 83 appeared first on Puzzle Peace Counseling.

Welcome to Autism Blueprint Quick Tips; A mini episode where I share a quick nugget of knowledge to help you on your autism journey.

This episode is sponsored by the Autism Blueprint Classroom where you can download free resources, and purchase online courses and videos to help you survive and thrive as an autism parent or professional.

Join the conversation in our private Facebook group: Our Autism Blueprint Private Facebook Page

---

Today’s Topic: How To Help Your Child With Autism Sleep Better

• The importance of sleep for your child and for YOU.
• How sensory issues can affect sleep.
• The reason my child wouldn’t lay back down in the middle of the night.
• How your child’s gut plays a role in sleep.

---

Transcript of this episode

One of the biggest problems I hear about from parents is getting their children to fall asleep and stay asleep. My own son would stay up for days without sleep when he was younger, and that meant that I wasn’t sleeping either. I probably don’t have to go into the importance of sleep for you, the parent, but in case you need a reminder, sleep is necessary for all our bodily functions to run properly; your emotional state, attention span, moods, and even your immune system, are all affected by the amount of sleep you get- or don’t get. It’s definitely important for your child to get the sleep they need, but I think it’s even more important for you, the parent to get the sleep you need.

There are lots of reasons sleep can be difficult for the average person; and while these are important, I don’t want to dwell on them too long, because the reasons kids with autism have trouble sleeping could be different. But these are worth mentioning, because somethings we can’t see the forest for the autism trees- we spend a great deal of time thinking it’s the autism when it could just be something very simple.

Sleep and screen time

The amount of screen time your child has before bed, what they’ve eaten or not eaten, and the temperature of the room can all be things that will affect anyone’s sleep- Let’s remember that melatonin, which is a hormone made by your body- affects our ability to sleep. Our bodies are designed so that when it gets dark outside, our eyes notice and send a message to the body to release melatonin. This in turn makes us sleepy. Which is why fixating your eyes on a screen- computer, tv or brightly lit tablet- can affect our body’s natural response to want to sleep. I find it helpful to stop screens about two hours before bed and instead have a different activity such as reading, or listening to soft music. It’s also helpful to have a bedtime routine, where your child will begin getting themselves ready for sleep- epsom salt baths, soft pajamas, choosing books to read together and teeth brushing are just a few activities they can include in their routine. I also recommend you create a checklist of these steps so they can rely on them and so they will be the same each night. Eventually, you’re helping the brain understand that when the body engages in these activities, your brain is settling down to sleep.

To sleep with, or not to sleep with

While it’s ideal to get our kids to sleep in their own beds, without us, it’s often very difficult for our kids on the spectrum. So, there is absolutely no judgement here if you lie own next to your child to help them sleep, or if they even sleep with you. The key is to really think about what makes more sense for you, the parent- there was a time when it was more important for me and my son to get a full 8 hours of sleep so I could work and he could get up for school in the morning, rather than teaching my child to be self-sufficient in his sleep habits. So for several years I would lie next to him so he could settle down, and when he was asleep, I would sneak out of his room and go to my own bed. Often I would be so exhausted I would fall asleep next to him and not bother to get up. If you’re doing this, please don’t let a doctor, behaviorist or anyone else shame you about it. You need to do what you feel is best for you. Now, there came a time when I got tired of this, and made it a point to help my son fall asleep on his own. But this will ebb and flow for us based on how he feels. Ben has some autoimmune and digestive issues which flare up at times, making it even more difficult to get his body to regulate when he needs it to. So this brings me to my next suggestion, which is to give you child the benefit of the doubt.

Aim for understanding

Remember that your child is not purposely trying to make your life miserable. And while kids often w...