Information Overload

When we finally received the diagnosis of PDD-NOS for our son, we thought "this is it! Let's get him the help he needs!"

Yeah, that didn't happen.

What followed was the onslaught of information about what that diagnosis meant, what services may or may not be available, and ultimately what wasn't relevant to our situation.

What we learned early on is that what worked for other kids on the spectrum, may not work for ours. Yet we kept on searching for more information, more understanding.

You see, just having a diagnosis is just the beginning. It's easy to get too far ahead in terms of what you'd have to look into, what next steps you have to take - and what steps you don't need to worry about.

Over the years I've talked with many parents who have dove in headfirst into various research studies, and followed the same path as we did - and like us - often with little to nothing to show for it.

When we received that diagnosis, we became mission bound, diving into different methodologies, different diets, different therapies - all trying to discover what in the world would work for our kid. And like most autism parents, we did this with little to no knowledge of where even to begin.

We came to terms with the fact that with all of this information, we were stressing ourselves out. Our own mental health, and our relationship, was suffering during this search for what to do. Suffice it to say: this effort can take a toll, and often can add unnecessary stress.

We realized in this process that we had to strip away things that weren't relevant, and focus on what actually made practical sense in our situation. Self-care started to become a major priority, as this journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

In this Friday's episode, I'll share some of what we experienced, and offer some basic tips on what worked for us to help address some of the self-care fundamentals.

I look forward to sharing more on this topic of Information Overload in this week's Autisable Dad's Episode.

Podcast News...

Of course, Autisable Dad's is available on most streaming services where you can find podcasts, we're always growing and expanding our efforts.

As shared in last weeks newsletter, we were starting to migrate some content to YouTube.

Well, we have created a NEW YouTube channel for Autisable. We are in the process of migrating episodes, especially the older ones, to this channel - so you can start catching up.

Here's the promotional video for the podcast, and we will begin creating a playlist on this channel for the Autisable Podcast very soon!

I'm also incredibly grateful for our Patrons, who know more about this journey, and know that this effort still needs to keep moving forward. If you'd like to be a patron, please visit our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/Autisable

Sponsor Highlight

I'm always on the hunt for sponsors for the podcast. Sponsors get highlighted in the podcast, along with our website and social media channels.

Here's a little note as to why I'd love to have a coffee sponsor, but I'm not limiting anyone from supporting this effort (I just like coffee):?https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/hunt-podcast-sponsor-joel-manzer/

And now, for more!

Sometimes an individual and organization need a bit of a shoutout, as they are making great strides in helping the autism community in some way. Here is this week's highlight:

1. Paul Cimins at Autism Radio . Autism Radio is the home of the Hope Saves the Day show as heard on iHeart Radio worldwide, and Paul hosts this radio show and the podcast weekly. Autism Radio is a non-profit that offers various different programs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and assists in other autism initiatives around the world. Paul, like me, is an autism dad and has worked tirelessly to help the autism community wherever he can.

If you have a company or individual that needs a shout-out, leave a comment.

Thank you for subscribing and being a part of this journey.