The Parenting Spectrum ABC listen

How do you look after yourself? Like, seriously? Parents of autistic children often talk about the need to live a long life to be there for our children. Yet, the reality is, plenty of parents eat badly, don’t get enough exercise and put themselves last.

Fiona and Travis give themselves 100 days to go from fat to fit and take care of themselves so they can gain a new lease on life and be the best parents possible to Patch.

There’s a huge focus on supporting children and teens diagnosed on the autism spectrum but what about when they grow up? Autistic adults share what’s helped them find independence and feel secure and excited about the future.

Fiona and Travis ask parents for advice on some of the toughest questions of all including how you can make sure your child will be okay when you are no longer here.

Everyone knows travelling with a child can be challenging. And rewarding. And challenging again. What about flying to the other side of the world, getting on a pushbike and cycling 5,600 kilometres across the USA as a family? That’s exactly what Fiona, Travis and Patch did. And they loved it. They share their tips on how to embrace the ups and downs of travel, meet other families who agree it’s one of the most rewarding things they’ve ever done, and catch a train with a young autistic man who hopes to make travelling his career. 

Dreaming of a good night’s sleep? Grab a coffee and join the club. A high percentage of autistic children find it hard to go to and stay sleep every night, meaning there are a lot of very tired kids and parents struggling on a day to day basis.

Finding a school to support your autistic child can seem impossible. What are the different education options available and why do many parents end up home-schooling? Fiona and Travis explore whether mainstream schools should be more inclusive, get tips from parents about how they are tackling education and ask autistic kids what helps them at school.

Ask parents of autistic kids what their greatest fear is and many of them will say drowning. For good reason; autistic children are 160 times more likely to drown than the general population. Many autistic children like to wander and seek out rivers, lakes and swimming pools, often with devastating results. Fiona and Travis ask parents and experts for their strategies on keeping kids safe at home and out and about. Warning: this episode contains discussion about childhood drowning, that some listeners may find confronting.