Autism Podcast Review: Embracing Autism

Imagine yourself as a first-time parent with an adorable baby girl.  Suddenly, she starts regressing. She stops hitting her developmental milestones, experiences significant motor and communication delays and seems to be in her own world, lacking any interaction with or connection to you.

This was the reality facing Lia and Matt McCabe, the founders of AutismWish and hosts of the Embracing Autism Podcast.

The McCabe family

Lia's and Matt's concerns led to their daughter's early evaluation, assessment and autism diagnosis at 20 months. They were then referred to a social worker who just handed them a pamphlet. They knew little about autism and had to dig in and learn what to do and where to access resources, primarily by themselves. As Lia says, "It was a lot of high-speed processing. We were driven to identify, understand and take action."

The following year, Lia and Matt's second daughter was also diagnosed with autism. While regression was their older daughter's main issue, their younger daughter didn't even attain many developmental skills. Although happy, she was non-speaking and was an extreme sensory seeker who jumped around and crashed into anything in her way, to the point of danger.

Their older daughter was additionally diagnosed with hypotonia (low muscle tone) and anxiety, in addition to the likelihood of ADHD for both children.

Today, the girls are 5 and 6 years old. Lia insisted on being involved in their therapy sessions from the beginning, which allowed them to practice at home and progress rapidly until COVID. Therapeutic approaches have included Floortime, a relationship-based therapy where the parent gets down on the floor with their child to play and interact at their level, and Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA).  In addition, the girls are in physical, speech and occupational therapy, and their older daughter participates in autism-certified play therapy (Aut-Play) to help with her social anxiety.

They both attend public school in an inclusion classroom in rural Georgia.  They are experiencing some behavioural issues ranging from meltdowns and Pica (eating substances not usually considered food, such as chalk, toys or crayons) to fecal smearing and feeding issues.  Regrettably, the school seems unable to meet their needs, and the McCabes are considering homeschooling next year.

Lia and Matt both work full time, Lia as a UX researcher and Matt as a background investigator and government contractor.  Can you imagine the load of working full-time, raising two autistic children and homeschooling them?  I can't!

Observing the girls, Lia and Matt noticed several commonalities with their daughters and began wondering about their neurodivergence. Lia was diagnosed with autism three years ago, and they both have ADHD.

Their third daughter was born this April. In response to being asked why they would have a third child after having two autistic daughters, Matt says, "She is very much loved and accepted. If she is autistic, we'll laugh. We're already there. Autism no longer has the same power and negativity it once had. It's now an everyday part of our family."

AutismWish

Having struggled to find suitable support and services for their daughters and themselves, Lia and Matt created the charitable initiative AutismWish in 2021 to empower families, promote a neuro-affirming environment, fight stigma and help build a more accepting and inclusive community.

AutismWish fulfills autistic children's wishes by providing them with needed therapeutic, sensory, and special interest items. Every month, the mom-and-pop charity project gifts one child up to $100 worth of sensory and therapeutic items from their Amazon wish list.

In the future, they plan to build more of a local presence to give their community a greater understanding of autism, with the hope of helping others replicate it in their own communities across North America. They point out, for example, that special needs teachers get very little training in and exposure to autism. They want to dive deeper with more speaking engagements and activities such as their parent support group and noise reduction earmuff drive for the July 4th fireworks. They are also about to launch an Embracing Autism Back to School preparedness event in their county.

The Embracing Autism Podcast

To further inform and inspire caregivers, as well as to spread awareness and acceptance, Lia and Matt also started their podcast. They had listened to a number of autism parenting podcasts and found too much negativity. To counter the narrative of "What did I do to be cursed with an autistic child?", they provide hope and empower listeners to embrace and celebrate their child's individuality while acknowledging the significant challenges involved and caregiver burnout. They want listeners to leave each episode with greater optimism and a sense of community. They call their listeners Embracers.

Recent episodes have included:

• The Blame Game, which confronts the belief that parents are to blame for their child's autism diagnosis
• Murphy's Law acknowledges how raising an autistic child can lower mental and emotional thresholds for dealing with hard times and provides advice on finding healthy ways to manage stress
• The Harm of "High Functioning," which counters the notion that "high functioning" autistic individuals require fewer supports than they actually need

Each episode focuses on a topic that caregivers commonly face, such as coping with medical appointments, meltdowns, or anxiety. The McCabes openly share their own story, which they believe has further strengthened their marriage, and they invite autistic guests and allies, such as Dr. Temple Grandin.

Lia and Matt want their children to know about autism. Lia's father died before the girls were born, and she wishes he had left a recording with his values for them. The podcast, therefore, acts as a legacy to their daughters. They want them to feel confident in both their autism and in their parents' advocacy and passion.

Embracing Autism is unique in that it is led by neurodivergent parents who have autistic daughters. They understand the journey, both from their own lived experiences and from raising their girls.  Lia reminds us to be open to the idea that situations can change and that we need to embrace a growth mindset.  Matt concurs: "Don't take the here and now and project it indefinitely.  Today, tomorrow, and this week might be rough, but what you feel now is not necessarily what you will feel in the future.  Change your mindset today, keep swimming, and the future will be brighter."

Embracing Autism has enjoyed over 98,000 downloads and can be found on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.  A new episode airs each Friday across 110 countries.