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The first half of life is for learning. The second half of life is for living.

The New Mid is a frank, funny look at women in mid-life and their day-to day-struggles and successes, as well as the big stuff - questions about meaning, fulfillment and happiness. It’s a place where women in their 40’s and up are breaking societal boundaries and expectations, while still dealing with real life issues such as caring for aging parents or restarting their careers.  You’ll get real talk with nothing held back about the topics you care about, with experts weighing in on health, sex, finances, relationships and everything in between.

Aug 31, 2020

In today's episode I speak with therapist Rachel Hansberger about the effect COVID19 has had on children with autism and teenagers. We break down the main concerns parents have with socialization, depression and lack of motivation. Also, we talk about how we are now wearing a lot more hats than we're used to and giving us coping skills. 

  • We are the role models for our children. They will follow our lead. 
  • It's important to create a loving, warm environment. 
  • Don't make academics the focus but rather the connection and relationships.
  • Parents need to engage in self-care. We are handling a lot and have many balls in the air.
  • You are not the teacher. You are a support role for school.
  • Ask for help from close friends just for a day.
  • Look for supportive mom's groups, churches with youth groups either in-person or over technology. Set up play dates either in-person or over zoom. 
  • There's also good advice on the Autism Society of America website.
  • Advice on how to help the sibling of an autistic child.
  • Teens need more encouragement now than ever. They've lost support from other adults now that they're not able to interact more with teachers, coaches and other adult role models.
  • Lock down has affected all our social skills.
  • We talk about how to help your child continue to grow and find new opportunities.
  • How to help your autistic child become independent so they're able to take care of themselves.
  • When your teenager has an outburst how to handle it.
  • How to handle teenagers that have severe depression.
  • Helping motivate teenagers during the pandemic.