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 – M ..read more

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 ..read more

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 count ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 – Ma ..read more

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 ..read more

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 stress ..read more

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-St ..read more

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 hav ..read more