Seeing the Child, Not the Diagnosis with Jenn Bailey

About this episode

Leah Gross speaks with Jenn Bailey about parenting and the importance of seeing the child beyond their diagnosis.

What does it look like when a parent stops fighting the diagnosis and starts seeing the child more clearly? In this episode of The Autism Roundtable, Leah Gross speaks with children’s author Jenn Bailey about parenting, perspective shifts, sensory overload, inclusion, and how stories can help children better understand themselves and each other. Leah Gross welcomes author Jenn Bailey for a thoughtful conversation about autism, parenting, and the power of literature to foster empathy. Jenn shares her family’s experience navigating her child’s diagnosis, the supports that made a difference, and the mindset changes that helped her parent with more understanding. She explains how that journey inspired her to create books centered around Henry, a child whose perspective opens a window into the inner world of kids who may experience friendship, school, and sensory input differently. Together, Leah and Jenn explore inclusion, introversion, regulation, curiosity, and the importance of seeing each child as a whole person. About The Guest: Jenn Bailey is a children’s author and mother of three whose work has brought meaningful representation of autism into children’s literature. Inspired…

People in this episode

Host: Leah Gross

Guest: Jenn Bailey

Topics covered

• autism
• parenting
• perspective shifts
• sensory overload
• inclusion
• literature
• empathy

Keywords

• children's literature
• Henry
• mindset changes
• support
• representation

Mentioned in this episode

Products: A Friend for Henry, Henry's early reader series

Books & works: Seeing the Child, Not the Diagnosis, The Autism Roundtable, A Friend for Henry, The Diagnosis & What, Supporting Regulation & Emotional Needs

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