Autism Podcast Review: Autism Journey

One of my favourite autism parenting podcasts is Autism Journey. Stephanie Friedman is a one-person wonder who creates, produces, and hosts each episode herself, in addition to being the mother of an autistic son.

Meet Stephanie Friedman

Stephanie and her husband lived a storied life as newlyweds in Toronto with plans for a beautiful future. After their son Max was diagnosed with autism, however, their worlds were shattered. They didn't know anything about the condition and viewed it as negative and "scary."

By the time Max was one, Stephanie had started to become concerned about his behaviour. He spun objects around wildly, constantly ran back and forth, didn't wave or point, and wouldn't come when called. As a two-year-old, he was non-speaking and erupted into screaming meltdowns.

At a cousin's birthday party that year, the developmental differences between Max and another child his age shocked Stephanie. She googled his behaviours, and the word "autism" glared back at her.

Max was quickly diagnosed, and Stephanie's world fell apart. She knew nothing about autism, neither she nor her husband had any autistic family members and they didn't know any other family with an autistic child.  She was bereft.

Stephanie had hoped the doctor would tell her Max was fine. Instead, all her plans, dreams and goals seemed to dissipate as she was thrust into a new world, regularly bursting into tears, particularly when she was near other children. She was told, erroneously, that children could outgrow autism, so she kept the diagnosis mainly to herself, hoping that Max would "normalize." Her husband, on the other hand, was more accepting and open.

The healthcare team diagnosing Max didn't provide Stephanie with any resources or path forward. She had no idea where to look or start.  Fortunately, Max was already in speech therapy, and his therapist suggested Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) as a starting point.

ABA was instrumental in helping Max in the early years, particularly with basic life skills. After a few years, however, it became less effective for him, and Stephanie decided to take a break.

Max is now 12 years old. Stephanie is incredibly proud of his progress, and he continues to benefit from speech therapy and ABA-type therapy that focuses on his social skills. Max tends not to show interest in others and instead talks about his own interests; he is currently hyper-focused on cars. He is also a sensory seeker who loves flashing lights and staring at the washing machine.

Stephanie no longer considers Max's diagnosis earth-shattering. She and her husband, whom she lovingly describes as a great father who adores Max, do not know what the future holds and are taking it one day at a time. She still has "her moments," particularly when she is around friends' children, but she is a resilient warrior mom who perseveres.

The Autism Journey Podcast

During Max's diagnosis, Stephanie scaled back her full-time career as a lifestyle and entertainment TV producer. She felt it was important to be with him, particularly given his endless appointments, but she continues to freelance part-time today.

Shortly after the diagnosis, she decided to start a parent support group to bolster caregivers like herself who knew no one else with autism. Participants started emailing her their own stories, leading her to create a blog in 2015, followed by her Instagram account. She currently has well over 44,000 social media followers.

Several of these followers also urged Stephanie to start a podcast, and she filmed the first season last year. She explains, "I named the podcast Autism Journey because everyone is unique and different, and our stories are our journeys." She seeks to foster a more inclusive and compassionate society by interviewing parents, caregivers, and self-advocates. Stephanie plans to expand the breadth of autistic individuals on the podcast, as she wants to represent the full spectrum, not only those who are articulate and can adeptly share their stories.

I was honoured to be a guest on Autism Journey last year and formed an immediate bond with Stephanie. There is a reason this is one of the highest-rated autism parenting podcasts in Canada. Stephanie is knowledgeable, understanding, and empathetic and gives hope to listeners while being realistic and pragmatic.

A sample of episodes includes interviews with:

• Cameron Mitchell, diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (now subsumed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-5-TR under the autism diagnosis), who has faced feelings of estrangement and isolation due to his social interaction and communication challenges
• Shalita Thomison, a single mother in a continuous battle with her autistic son's school
• Mishka Sibert, the founder of Happy Autism, has an autistic, non-speaking younger brother, Samko

Stephanie took a break from the podcast this winter to refuel but is now gearing up for season two, which she expects to air in the fall.

In addition to the podcast, which can be found on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, Stephanie's website provides advice to families new to autism and showcases both her blog and podcast.

If you want to share your story on Autism Journey, please email Stephanie through her website at autismjourney.org.  She would love to hear from you!