Parenting isn’t easy. Autism parenting is even harder. And single autism parenting … well, to me, that’s a whole new level of superhero.

Yesterday, the autism expert parent panel talked about the added strain that raising a child with autism can place on a marriage. Today, they will share how to survive and thrive when single autism parenting.

I don’t have much to offer here – I am lucky to have a supportive partner to share the shit (figuratively and literally, as any autism parent can attest to). I can only say that I respect and admire single autism parents, and hope that they have a good support system in place. Because with autism, that really makes all the difference.

ASK THE EXPERTS

What is your advice to single parents raising a child with autism?

“Make time for yourself and find a good babysitter!“

KRISTIN says:

“If you can co-parent with your ex or significant other – regardless if you are married or not I feel that is the best for the child. Sometimes that means putting petty differences aside and not always having to be right (and swallowing your pride at times). Remember you brought this kid in the world together and your child needs both of you even if one parent has checked out of the marriage, or if you are not married anymore. Kids come first period is my best advice … and wine when needed, LOL.”

“I hope you have a live-in caregiver (like my mom is). I don’t know how you could do it alone.“

MARY says:

“Draw in a support network of caring friends, family and therapists. It is virtually impossible to handle the demands of autism alone. But the right kinds of supports can make even the bad days much more bearable. For dating, you need to keep your focus on your child first and explain to any would-be relationship that your role as the parent of your child will never be usurped. Seems like that should be a “no brainer” but I have seen relationships being challenged because the parent of the special needs child backed off on their parental role when they had a new relationship..”

“Ask for help! Ask for help! Ask for help! Autism is exhausting. Make sure you have some respite time.“

MEET THE EXPERTS

Erica Daniels is the author of Cooking with Leo: An Allergen-Free Autism Family Cookbook, medical cannabis activist, public speaker and is the single mother of Leo who struggles with autism and chronic health issues. Erica’s life changed and gained new purpose after her son was diagnosed with autism in 2007. Erica founded Autism Advisors LLC and #hope4Leo 501c3 after years of struggling to treat her son’s autism using conventional and biomedical treatments with little or no success. Eating a healthy allergen-free diet and using natural medicines such as medicinal cannabis have greatly improved Leo’s health and autism symptoms. In 2016 Erica founded the autism420 Project, an initiative for legal, safe and appropriate access of medicinal cannabis for use in autism.

Kim Stagliano is a nationally recognized autism advocate and lively speaker. She has three daughters with autism, ages 21, 19 and 15. She is author of the memoir All I Can Handle I’m Not Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism, the novel House of Cards and co-author of 101 Tips for Parents of Girls with Autism. Kim serves as Managing Editor of www.ageofautism.com, the nation’s first daily web newspaper about the autism epidemic. She writes for The Huffington Post, and The Autism File Magazine. She speaks at national autism conferences and has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News, Fox News, in The Chicago Tribune, The National Catholic Register, and on blogs around the world. A former sales and marketing executive, Stagliano lives in Connecticut with her family.

Kristin Selby Gonzalez is the mother of a child on the Autism spectrum. In 2008 she began serving as the Director of Autism Education at Enzymedica. Since then, she has advised numerous supplement companies with respect to their policies and product formulations for children on the spectrum. Kristin speaks all over the world, having educated tens of thousands of caregivers throughout the years on different strategies to help children on the Autism spectrum. Since September 2012, Kristin has been leading the Autism Hope Alliance where she serves as President and Chairman.

Laura Hirsch is an author and blogger for The Thinking Moms’ Revolution. Her TMR nickname is Oracle, and she wrote chapters for the TEAM TMR book, Evolution of a Revolution and the upcoming TMR puberty book, along with numerous TMR blogs. She has also written three books of her own: Widowed Too Soon, Foundation of Discovery: The Cause of Autism – Channeled, and The Other Side of Autism. She advocates for food safety and has been featured in the documentary Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives. Laura has two incredible children, one of whom has regressive autism and is the inspiration for her advocacy work. She lives in Reno, Nevada.

Mary Romaniec is a reporter and the mother of a child who recovered from autism by the age of four. In addition to mentoring hundreds of families around the world, her articles about autism have appeared in Mothering Magazine, Autism/Asperger Digest, Autism Today and Journeys Magazine. In her book Victory Over Autism,  Mary discusses the stages of grief associated with the diagnosis, followed by the winning attributes parents will either possess or adopt as they strive to the goal of better health or full recovery for their child, as well as a better future.

I’m so grateful to all of the Autism Experts for their input for these posts. Check out the rest of the posts in the Ask The Experts autism series:
The Best Advice For Autism Parents
The Most Effective Autism Interventions
How To Help Marriage Survive Autism
The Best Way To Handle ‘Autism Hard’ Days
How Autism Made Your Life Better
What People Need To Know About Autism
What You Wish You Knew (at the time of the autism diagnosis)