Show Notes
Are YOU Autistic and wanting to have a child? What support is available to Autistic parents? What can you expect with an Autistic child?
The Aspie World (Dan) is a well-known YouTuber, Content Creator, Podcaster and Autism advocate with over 16.4 MILLION views and 207k SUBSCRIBERS at the time of this recording.
In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to The Aspie World about his experiences becoming an Autistic parent, what support is there for Autistic parents, and what difficulties or positives you may expect when having an Autistic child.
Breaking into the conversation, they talk all about The Aspie World's YouTube journey, why he started and some of recent videos that have gone viral on TikTok - a video about fluorescent light flickers which garnered over 500k views.
Thomas mentions that he is afraid of the duties that come with being a parent, as well as the issues an autistic child may face from mental health or negative life experiences. We know life-quality is a MASSIVE issue in the Autistic community, and it's not always something the parents can control fully. Dan talks about the experience of becoming a father and having that strong paternal bond with his Autistic child, the fear he got when his child was just born, and the anxious attachment he experienced due to the fragility of a newborn baby.
For The Aspie World... having a baby is like Autism Spoon Theory, whereby your child takes ALL OF YOUR SPOONS before it's even 9am (sounds tough). Managing sensory input from his child's verbal stims and need for attention and play has been a key difficulty for him. The initial part is the most anxiety provoking, so preparation is highly important.
He also talks about the positive effects it's had on his ability to function and cope during day-to-day activities - describing it as "putting on a bullet proof vest" when you do things that would usually cause you difficulty.
If you are worried about the parenting process, there are MANY avenues to support through: Lamaze classes, parenting workshops, walk-around's at the midwifery unit, pre-natal classes, not to mention the weekly support and active phone line for any questions during the parenting process.
Whether you are interested in becoming an Autistic parent, or looking for support as a current parent... this is the episode for you!
The Aspie World's Links:-
Website - https://www.theaspieworld.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TheAspieWorld/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAspieWorld
Song Of The Day (Listen Here) - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UDIyN5TSYN4zMcRoQPrG8?si=9255ed3480d840b5
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