Autism Interview #186: Megan on Autistic Motherhood, Supports, and Disclosure

Megan is a mother, Aspie, and a lover of people, music, books, and writing. Megan’s blog is a creative outlet that shares her experiences with Asperger’s Syndrome, among other stories in the hopes of uplifting and starting meaningful conversation for those who seek it. This week she discussed a variety of topics including her diagnosis story, inclusion, disclosure, and supports for new mothers.

Autism Interview #170: Rhi on Autistic Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

Rhi is a late-diagnosed writer, playwright, public speaker, and mother of five from Wales. She started her own theater company, Autact Theatre CIC, and her award-winning play, The Duck, has been performed at theaters across the UK. She also delivers training workshops and talks on a range of topics surrounding autism, such as autism in women, health and wellbeing, supporting Autistic people in the workplace, creativity, and the value of a diagnosis. This week Rhi shared her experiences advocating for herself during childbirth, managing life in the middle of the pandemic, and her current advocacy interests.

Autism Interview #168 Part 1: Aria Sky on Late Diagnosis, Self-Diagnosis, and Barriers to Diagnosis

Aria Sky is a late-diagnosed Autistic mother of four. She blogs at Mamautistic on a variety of her personal experiences as an Autistic adult. In Part One of her two-part interview, Aria shares her path to diagnosis and how that process differed from the diagnosis of her children. She also discussed common barriers to diagnoses and ways to make access to a diagnosis more equitable.

Autism Interview #137: Alicia Trautwein on The Mom Kind

Alicia Trautwein is an Autism Advocate, Writer, Motivational Speaker, and dedicated mom of four. Alicia’s desire to advocate for Autism comes from her own autism diagnosis and that of her three children, niece, and brother. Her life’s mission is to educate on autism acceptance and change the world for future generations of autistic individuals. This week she discussed her website The Mom Kind, a resource hub offering a unique perspective to parenting children on the autism spectrum (especially multiple children).

Autism Interview #19: Lana Grant on Advocating for Autistic Mothers

Lana Grant

Lana Grant is a specialist advisor and advocate for people with autism and their families. Lana has worked within the field of autism for nearly twenty years. Lana specializes in autism and females, particularly pregnancy and motherhood. Her book “From Here To Maternity, pregnancy and motherhood on the Autism Spectrum” was published in March 2015 by Jessica Kingsley publishers and is the only book that focuses on this issue. Lana is a trained birth partner (doula) specializing in supporting pregnant women on the autism spectrum and their partners. Lana has recently contributed to the Scottish Autism Right Click Women and Girls Programme. She is a passionate advocate for female empowerment and speaks for the NAS and other organizations about female issues. She also has a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.

This week Lana shared with me some of her background and advocacy work for mothers on the spectrum.

Considerations for Autistic Mothers

autistic mothers

Motherhood has dominated my conscious thought lately (especially mothering infants) since the birth of my fourth child last week. Mothering a newborn brings both exceptional joys and significant challenges for neurotypical and autistic mothers alike. I hadn’t thought about the challenges unique to women on the spectrum until I interviewed Lana Grant who has written a book on this topic and consults with autistic women. She will be sharing some of her advice with us next week. Since then I’ve read more about this special stage of life and learned how it uniquely impacts women on the spectrum.