Shawna on Parenting, Friendship, and the Autism Spectrum

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There’s always a solution to everything: it just takes a while to figure it out”

Shawna

This podcast episode introduces us to Shawna, from the blog, Thoughts of an Introverted Matriarch.

Shawna shares her thoughts with us, in this episode, about writing, discovering her diagnosis of Aspergers later in life, parenting children with autism, and friendship.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

how helpful writing has been in helping Shawna process her thoughts about parenting and life, and why you may want to consider writing in your own life
Shawna’s favorite inspirational quotes

“My religion is very simple; my religion is kindness.” Dalai Lama

“Don’t do/say something permanently stupid because you’re temporarily upset.”

Shawna’s thoughts and tips about parenting
The frustration of not being believed because you look too high functioning, and of not being supported when you are not, or people freaking out when they see you struggling – your either normal or crazy
How Shawna first found about being on the autism spectrum, the evaluation process, and coming to terms with the diagnosis
How Shawna copes with high noise levels at home during the day
Shawna’s healthy perspective on raising kids with autism
Shawna’s thoughts on friendship, both for her kids, and for herself

Links and Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Social Skills for Autonomous People (Blog)

S.R.Salas’ article, Alone versus Lonely

Lynne Soraya’s article, Figuring Out Friendship: How an Adult on the Autism Spectrum Experiences Friendship.

Get in Touch with Shawna!

Blog: Thoughts of an Introverted Matriarch

Follow Shawna on Twitter.

“Like” Shawna’s Facebook Page.

You can help support this podcast by checking out PEERS.

Here’s what John Elder Robison has to say about it, in his article, Making Friends:

The first talk I’d like to share with you concerned a program called PEERS, which was developed by Liz Laugeson and Fred Frankel of UCLA, and presented by Liz at this morning’s session.

PEERS is a science-based program that helps kids make friends. I say its science based because she actually tested and proved out the various concepts in PEERS through trials. By doing that, she was able to quantify what worked and what didn’t.

And that, folks, is a really important thing in the world of therapy.

Join the Conversation

What topics would you most like covered on the show? Who would you like me to interview? Share you answer in the comments below or Ask me a question via my Contact Page.