38. S3, Ep7: Raising and educating an autistic child as an autistic single parent

Lottie Jones was diagnosed as a result of her son being identified as autistic PDA in 2018, when he was eight. She is a single parent in her late thirties, and lives in Pembrokeshire in Wales, where she home educates her son, makes macrame and sells vintage items. This conversation came out of a discussion we had on one of my Instagram posts about parenthood and autism, and the particular challenges of being an autistic single parent of an autistic child. In our conversation we talk about  ➡ Her son’s difficulties at school, having to advocate for him, and her decision to take him out of the school system  ➡ The struggles she faced herself when she was at school ➡ Her recent burnout, and the issues at work that fed into it ➡ Being an autistic single parent of an autistic child ➡ The challenges of home educating her son and how they’re navigating it together Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes. I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences. I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.   EPISODE LINKS: You can find Lottie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildlingsofwales/ And shop at this week's sponsor, Stimology, here: https://www.stimology.co.uk/discount/SQUARE30  The discount code is SQUARE30   If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/  Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/    THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS! A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast: Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast