It’s a new year and exciting new content for Moms Talk Autism! This is going to be a big year for our families as some of our kids transition from elementary to middle school. Scary, exciting, and most likely a few bumps along the way.

Big changes for the podcast as well: a brand new merch collection is almost ready. We are NOW also offering ad-free VIDEO recordings of every episode via Patreon! We can’t wait to connect with you on this platform! We can comment along with you and create chats.. Come and join the fun!!! You can find us HERE on Patreon!

Exciting collaborations, professionals, guests, community member interviews, guest hosts, and new topics coming our way this year. As always, we’ll have honest, real conversations about caregiving and disability. Connecting, commiserating, crying, and laughing at ourselves are all included, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks for being here.

You don’t want to miss our last segment on this episode. We read some of your funniest “I’m That Mom” story submissions. Send us more, they are our favorite emails!

An autism diagnosis can be life-changing for your child. It can also greatly impact your family and what the future holds for family planning. In this episode, we tell our personal stories of when we decided to have or not have more children after diagnosis. It's a very personal decision and we hope hearing our stories will help you along your family's autism journey.

Instagram: @momstalkautism

Email: hello@momstalkautism.com

Today we had the opportunity to sit down with Katja Piscitelli and chat all things gestalt language processing! Katja, also known as @BohoSpeechie on Instagram, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist. She owns her own practice called Total Spectrum Speech. We talked about what gestalt language processing even MEANS, how it applies to our kiddos, and ways that we as parents, teachers, and providers can help our exceptional children. This was such a great episode and we are so excited to share it with you! If you don't already follow Katja on IG, be sure you go find her! Her content is so helpful!

In addition, we mentioned a few apps: TD Snap, Proloquo2go, Touch Chat, and Nova Chat.

We also mentioned a few other notable items/people/websites:

Katja Piscitelli - www.totalspectrumtherapy.org - @bohospeechie

Marg Blanc - www.communicationdevelopmentcenter.com

Lisa Baskin Wright (@lisabaskinwright)

Meaningful Speech (@meaningfulspeech) - Meaningful Speech Course

You have a limited offer you can use now for Magic Mind, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with code MOMSTALKK20 at checkout!

You can claim it at: https://www.magicmind.com/MOMSTALKK20

Take a walk with us back through our 2024 year, what a ride! We talk about our favorite kid/family moments, along with some funny stories that have happened to us lately. We just all hope the giant fish at Bass Pro Shop are okay. If you’re looking to listen to some of our older episodes, we each give our recommendations from this past year, highlighting some of our favorite guests of 2024.

Happy holidays and onto a new year! We’ve got some fun guests, topics, and more ways to connect with us in 2025. Let’s go!

It’s so easy to spiral down in the “what if” game and second-guess ourselves. When it comes to our exceptional children and their care, it can feel even more stressful, like if you screw up this one therapy, medication, opportunity, etc then I’ve failed as a parent.

We are here to tell you that’s NOT TRUE!

Today we look back and discuss what we wish we would have known. If you don’t remember anything else from this episode, remember Shannon’s advice: NEVER SAY NEVER. Because, if you do, you will definitely “never” sooner than you think. 😉

Instagram: @momstalkautism
Email: hello@momstalkautism.com
brittney@momstalkautism.com
jean@momstalkautism.com
shannon@momstalkautism.com
tash@momstalkautism.com

Today Brittney shares her personal journey through the legal process of establishing conservatorship for Austin. We also discuss parents' emotional and logistical challenges, the necessary legal documentation, and the court proceedings involved. Brit also shares insights about the courtroom experience, the emotional weight of legal decisions, and the responsibilities of being a conservator.

Tash, Britt, and Shannon ask each other the tough questions today. Actually, we all came up with some funny scenarios, laughed, and got to know each other a little better. We all need a break sometimes and we hope this episode can be that for you too. What would you do if you got stuck in an elevator with your besties? Hopefully not what Tash does!

In today's episode, Jean and Tash welcome Amy McCoy, an autism parent, award-winning children's author, and disability educator. We discuss the unique challenges faced by siblings of children with autism, the importance of literature in fostering understanding, and the need for community support. Amy shares her experiences as a parent and educator, emphasizing the significance of creating connections and providing resources for families navigating the complexities of autism. Amy also discusses the importance of community connections for families with children with disabilities, the struggles faced by siblings, and the positive traits that can develop from these experiences. She emphasizes the need for advocacy and planning for lifelong services as children transition into adulthood. Lastly, she shares her journey as an author, creating literature that supports understanding and acceptance of autism in educational settings.