Autism Parenting and the Nervous System: Why Change Starts with Us with Sara Intonato
About this episode
The episode discusses the internal shifts required for autism parenting, emphasizing self-regulation and the role of the parent's nervous system in shaping the child's environment.
Autism parenting often challenges not just what parents do—but how they think, regulate, and respond. In this conversation, Sarah Kernion speaks with Sara Intonato about the internal shifts required to support a child with autism, particularly in the context of nonspeaking autism and emerging communication methods like open spelling. At the center of the discussion is self-regulation. The nervous system of the parent becomes part of the environment the child experiences, shaping engagement, connection, and communication. Rather than focusing only on external interventions, this conversation reframes change as something that begins within the caregiver. Sara shares her journey parenting her son Rocco, highlighting the role of community support, the emotional discomfort that often accompanies growth, and the moment parents realize they cannot return to previous assumptions. The dialogue also explores the tension between accepting “that’s just autism” and remaining open to possibility—without losing grounding or discernment. This episode positions autism parenting as both an external and internal process: one where advocacy, communication, and personal growth intersect. Through…
People in this episode
Host: Sarah Kernion
Guest: Sara Intonato
Topics covered
- autism parenting
- nervous system
- self-regulation
- communication methods
- community support
- personal growth
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- Autism Parenting and Travel: Real Strategies, Inclusion, and Caleb’s Courageous Travels
- Autism Parenting Isn’t Linear: The OODA Loop, Orientation, and Reality
- Severe Autism, Caregiving, and the System That Fails Families with National Council on Severe Autism's, Jackie Kancir.
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