Inchstones with Sarah | Autism Advocacy & Caregiver Stories

Autism Parenting, Marriage, and Caregiver Burnout with Tash Dillmon of Moms Talk Autism

Autism parenting, caregiver burnout, and caregiver stories are at the heart of this episode of Inchstones as Sarah Kernion talks with Tash Dillmon of Moms Talk Autism about grief, marriage, mental health, and parenting autistic children after profound loss. In this raw and deeply personal episode of Inchstones, Sarah sits down with Tash Dillmon for an honest conversation about autism parenting, surviving the loss of a child, navigating marriage through trauma, and the emotional realities many special needs caregivers silently carry. Tash shares the story of losing Jack’s twin brother, Jameson, during pregnancy and how grief shaped her experience as an autism mom from the very beginning. Together, Sarah and Tash discuss autism diagnosis journeys, caregiver burnout, maternal mental health, suicidal ideation, neurodivergent parenting, identity loss, and the pressure many mothers feel to keep moving no matter how much they are carrying internally. They also explore the power of partnership in marriage, the emotional depth autistic children often possess, and how parenting autistic children can radically transform the way families experience empathy, love, resilience, and presence. This episode is for autism moms, caregivers, and parents navigating profound grief, emotional exhaustion, disability advocacy, and the complexity of raising neurodivergent children while trying to hold themselves together. In this episode: 00:00 – Autism parenting and finding humor inside hard seasons 01:20 – Receiving an autism diagnosis after the loss of a twin 03:12 – Grief, therapies, and becoming a full-time autism caregiver 05:00 – Losing your identity while parenting autistic children 08:30 – Caregiver burnout and hitting emotional rock bottom 09:00 – Suicidal ideation and maternal mental health in autism parenting 11:45 – Childhood trauma, expectations, and emotional survival 14:15 – Marriage, grief, and surviving profound loss together 18:00 – How autism parenting transformed their relationship 20:00 – Faith, healing, and rebuilding identity through motherhood 21:30 – Why autism parenting can feel deeply unfair 24:10 – The emotional depth and empathy of autistic children 27:00 – How parenting autistic children changes the way you see humanity Listen to more episodes of the Moms Talk Autism Podcast and follow Inchstones with Sarah Kernion, an autism podcast sharing caregiver stories, autism advocacy, profound autism, and neurodivergent parenting. Tash Dillmon lives in the Portland, Oregon area with her husband, her two children, Jack, her neurospicy one, and Sloan, her typical one, and her rambunctious dog, Kiki. She is a solo parent most of the time while her husband is putting out fires in the next city over, #firewifelife! Everyone in the family loves being outside, hiking, kayaking, and enjoying nature. Tash loves to exercise, be in her yard, and volunteer in Children's Ministries at her local church. While she’s not being her kids' Uber driver, she loves a good murder documentary and is happiest watching her kids play sports.

Autism Parenting, Grief, and Finding Yourself Again with Jean Mayer of Moms Talk Autism

Autism parenting, caregiver stories, and neurodivergent parenting are at the heart of this episode of Inchstones. Sarah Kernion and Jean Mayer of Moms Talk Autism share a raw conversation about parenting autistic children, grief, identity, disability advocacy, and finding yourself again after diagnosis. In this deeply honest episode of Inchstones, Sarah sits down with Jean Mayer of Moms Talk Autism for a conversation about the hidden grief many autism parents carry, the loss of expectations, and the slow rebuilding that happens after your child’s diagnosis changes the life you imagined. Jean shares what it felt like to move through Rory’s autism diagnosis, give up the career and identity she once expected, and become the manager, advocate, and steady presence her child needed. Together, Sarah and Jean explore caregiver burnout, autism family support, emotional regulation, ableism, disability inclusion, and the reality of living in what Jean calls “the forever trench.” This episode is for every autism mom, special needs caregiver, and parent navigating neurodivergent parenting who has ever felt unseen, overwhelmed, or changed by the journey. It is a conversation about grief, yes, but also clarity, growth, advocacy, sisterhood, and the truth that joy and grief can coexist. In this episode: 00:00 – Why autism mom stories matter 01:37 – Jean Mayer shares Rory’s autism diagnosis journey 02:32 – The grief and identity shift after an autism diagnosis 04:50 – How family systems shape disability expectations 07:49 – The emotional energy of autism parenting 10:53 – Giving up a career to become your child’s advocate 11:28 – What feels unfair about raising an autistic child 13:28 – Why autism parenting can feel like “a forever trench” 18:05 – Talking honestly about autism grief without shame 20:35 – Ableism, motherhood, and learning to see differently 24:58 – Why disability belongs in every equity conversation 30:11 – What Jean would tell a mom with a newly diagnosed child Listen to more episodes of the Moms Talk Autism Podcast and follow Inchstones with Sarah Kernion, an autism podcast sharing caregiver stories, autism advocacy, profound autism, and neurodivergent parenting. Jean Mayer is a dedicated school board trustee in Pflugerville ISD in Texas, where she serves as Chair of the Government Relations Committee, a role she has held for consecutive years. With a strong commitment to governance integrity, transparency, and student-centered policy, she works to ensure that district decisions reflect both fiscal responsibility and the diverse needs of the community. Jean also serves on the Board of the Autism Society of Texas and actively collaborates with disability advocacy organizations across the state to advance equitable and inclusive policies. In addition to her governance work, Jean is deeply engaged in family and systems-level advocacy. Through her work with Texas Parent to Parent, she provides medical training to first- and second-year medical residents, helping future physicians understand what it means to parent a child with complex needs through a trauma-informed lens. She is also a co-host of the Moms Talk Autism podcast, where she brings together professional insight and lived experience as the parent of a child with profound support needs. Across all of her work, Jean is committed to moving beyond awareness toward true inclusion, belonging, and meaningful systems change for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Autism Diagnosis and the Pressure to Do Everything Right with Brittney Crabtree

Autism motherhood often begins with a moment that shatters the future you thought you were building. Sarah Kernion and Brittney Crabtree of Moms Talk Autism reflect on the early shock of diagnosis, the grief of watching expectations collapse, and the pressure many autism moms feel to sprint into every possible intervention. This is Part 1 of 2 with Brittney sharing what it was like to hear the word “autism” nearly 18 years ago, how she immediately moved into research and action mode, and why she now realizes she needed more balance and grace during those early years. The conversation explores the emotional intensity of autism diagnosis, the pressure surrounding early intervention, and the evolving grief that can come as the developmental gap between autistic and neurotypical peers becomes more visible over time. Sarah and Brittney also discuss what happens when autism parenting forces mothers to let go of rigid future planning and instead learn how to live more fully in the present. Through honest reflections on isolation, support systems, burnout, and acceptance, this episode captures the emotional complexity of rebuilding motherhood after diagnosis—one inchstone at a time.

Caregiver Stories and Autism Advocacy: How Invictus Bakery Is Changing Autism Employment with Molly Sebastian

caregiver stories, autism advocacy, inchstones, autism parenting, nonspeaking autism, inclusive employment autism, autism adulthood, disability employment, social enterprise autism, autism community support, autism motherhood, spelling to communicate, neurodiversity, meaningful work disabilities, autism employment opportunities Find out more about Invictus Bakery here: https://invictusbakery.org/

Inclusive Employment with Autism Mom Kelly Castro with Carson’s Cookie Dough

Autism motherhood often carries an unspoken fear about the future: what happens when childhood services end and adulthood begins? In this conversation, Sarah Kernion speaks with Kelly Castro about how that fear became the foundation for something larger than survival—a social enterprise creating meaningful employment and community for young adults with disabilities. Kelly shares her journey as a mother, caregiver, and entrepreneur after realizing her son Carson deserved more than limited options and lowered expectations. What began as worry evolved into Carson’s Cookie Dough, a business rooted in inclusion, dignity, and purpose. This episode centers caregiver stories and the reality many autism parenting families quietly hold: adulthood can feel uncertain, especially for individuals with higher support needs and nonspeaking autism. Through inchstones—small but meaningful steps—Kelly built opportunities not only for her son, but for an entire community of young adults too often excluded from traditional employment spaces. The conversation explores autism motherhood, caregiving, entrepreneurship, and the power of community support in creating sustainable paths toward belonging and independence. At its core, this is a story about refusing to let fear define the future. Kelly Castro is a mom and the founder of Carson’s Cookie Dough [https://www.carsonscookiedough.com/] and Just a Taste of NJ, mission-driven businesses challenging how the workforce includes individuals with disabilities. Inspired by her 9-year-old son Carson, who is on the autism spectrum, and the reality that nearly 80% of autistic adults are unemployed, she set out to build a business where intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals are essential, not an afterthought. What started as a small bakery has grown into a multi-channel operation. Kelly is now building  scalable model to bridge the gap between education and employment, proving inclusion is not charity, but smart business.