How did this autism mom expert end up on Good Morning America?!?
This morning, as I sat in the car service that picks up the Good Morning America guests and experts, I reflected on how the heck did I even get here!
Initially I was hesitant to say “YES” because the invite!
Do you believe that I thought of saying no, because I was already scheduled to be in St. Lucia for vacation! Plus, I was not being asked to come as the guest expert or anything even related to being an autism expert, autism parenting strategist or even as the author of my #1 best seller Au-Mazing Gift: A Journey to Autism Acceptance! Then the reality HIT ME…after I spoke to my coaches and mentors, that this was a BIG DEAL!
1. It was an amazing honor to be selected.
2. It also allowed me the visibility to many other “autism moms” to SHOW them about au-mazing opportunities that are possible as an autism mom.
3. It was an opportunity to learn behind the scenes and to meeting actual producers and other behind the scenes key people in GOOD MORNING AMERICA. My “YES” as a model for this segment came from these three applied success lessons that are in Au-Mazing Gift:
Accept being different: The Good Morning America segment was a spin off from responding to a model call for a magazine, First for Women for a summer makeover. I have never done professional modeling before, but decided to accept that I was a different type of model, an autism mom expert with an edgy look! First, I had to accept my own differences before I expected anyone else, especially AMERICA, to see and accept me.
Unique Strengths: Even though I wasn’t the average size 2 or 4 model sizes desired for magazines or television, choosing the do a makeover entry and appearing on Good Morning America was going to require GUTS! Identifying my beauty and the fact that I have a beautiful, smile, personality and was READY as I have from been a motivational speaker, trainer and positioned in front of audiences in different ways. These were some of my unique strengths.
BE a Noise Maker: In Au-Mazing Gift and the masterclasses I teach autism moms, caregivers and families is to use every moment and access as an opportunity to educate, raise autism awareness and transform the world into accepting the beauty and gifts across autism. Years of hard work, consistency and thinking outside of the box, especially as an autism mom and communication expert, lead to my reaching on Good Morning America. To learn more about the actual steps to the “how” I created this experience and many more sign up to receive updated information, autism parenting strategies and more.
It’s important to teach our child important life skills that they need to succeed. Life skills are some of those items we do every day in order to get ourselves prepared and ready for the day. Getting dressed, brushing our teeth, showering, putting on our clothes- those are all important life skills.
Every child accomplishes different milestones in different timeframes and it’s important you set realistic goals based on YOUR specific situation, not necessarily someone else’s measure of success. Below I have provided three ways to identify what life skills to work on and how to go about it.
The first step is to identify where your child is at now. Where are they in terms of milestones? What is it that they CAN do well? Which life skills can they do fully independently already? Before you get started, you have to figure out where they are present – so you know what the next steps are. So once you find out where they are, figure out how do I get them to that next level.
A great way to go about doing this is to break it up by morning, lunchtime, and dinner time routines so it’s easier for you.
For example, with Zachary we began with the morning routine.
We had to go through getting up and brushing your teeth. Learn the steps
1) Open Toothpaste
2) Put on Toothbrush
3) Brush Teeth
After we mastered this, and Zachary was going about this routine independently, we moved on to how to brush your teeth properly.Â
The second step is to choose one area first so you’re always consistently moving towards independence. Identify one area in each part of the day to work on so you aren’t spreading yourself to thin.
The last step is to make sure you are giving them praise throughout the process. Sometimes we get so caught up in making them reach independence that we forget to praise them for doing a good job. Say things like, “you were able to get your toothbrush this morning!” All of the steps leading up to the completion of the goal also count- this is the beginning of independence. Every stage of working towards that higher level of independence is success so we as their cheerleaders, parents, and role models have to let them know that we’re proud of them all along the way so they can appreciate the value of doing it on their own.
Every child is different, every child learns differently, and every child moves on to different levels at different times so comparing them to anyone else is not going to help you.
Dr. “Ali” Alisha Griffith is an Autism Mom, Communication Expert (Audiologist and Speech Pathologist), Best Selling Author, IGNITE Coach and Transformational Speaker and Trainer. She provides coaching to teach individuals and caregivers how to become effective listeners, foster stronger relationships and get ignited and focused.Â
Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders with a shared core of symptoms. Autism spectrum disorder appears in infancy and early childhood, causing delays in many basic areas of development, such as learning to talk, play, and interact with others. It’s not always easy to identify the early signs of Autism, and many of us as parents or caregivers sometimes don’t want to welcome the chance that it may be present in our loved ones.
The signs and symptoms of autism vary widely, as do its effects. This is not intended to tell you that your child has Autism, but is more to serve as a helping guide to help detect whether or not they exhibit the symptoms. Some of the key signs and symptoms that are consistent among most children on the spectrum are problems:
Issues communicating verbally and non-verbally
Issues relating to others and the world around them
Problem thinking and behaving flexibly
Step 1: Follow your intuition
Some of the first signs Dr. Griffith noticed with her own child, Zachary, was that he was constantly switching lights back and forth. He was constantly staring at the trees. He would line his trains up and look at them with the sides of his eyes. He would not let her touch him for very long. He would look away quickly when she made eye contact with him. In groups, he would not socialize much with other children when they were around. Other signs she noticed included flapping of the hands, spinning in circles or just not being able to sit still for long. She also noted that delayed language or no language at all is a big indicator.
Dr. Griffith went through the common phases of denial, not believing that her child could possibly have Autism. She would try to sway his behaviors and try to regulate what he was doing to try to disarray from all of the signs lining up together. In her own way, she knew something else was going on. Being an audiologist, speech pathologist, but more importantly a mom, she knew something else was going on.
Common restricted and repetitive behaviors
Hand flapping
Rocking back and forth
Spinning in a circle
Finger flicking
Head banging
Staring at lights
Moving fingers in front of the eyes
Snapping fingers
Tapping ears
Scratching
Lining up toys
Spinning objects
Wheel spinning
Watching moving objects
Flicking light switches on and off
Repeating words or noises
Step 2: What are you seeing? Start documenting this down and then research.Â
Dr, Griffith recommends monitoring your child’s development for any developmental delays and if they are hitting the key social, emotional and cognitive milestones. While this doesn’t always point directly to Autism, these signs may indicate a higher risk. She believes the best way to monitor progress is by documenting the signs that seem irregular and then doing your research. Are they showing 4 or 5 symptoms on the list? This will raise your awareness that something more is going on. Educating yourself is the best way to acknowledge whether or not the signs and symptoms your child is exhibiting are normal or not.
Signs of Inflexibility
Follows a rigid routine (e.g., insists on taking a specific route to school)
Has difficulty adapting to any changes in schedule or environment (e.g., throws a tantrum if the furniture is rearranged or bedtime is at a different time than usual)
Unusual attachments to toys or strange objects such as keys, light switches, or rubber bands. Obsessively lines things up or arranges them in a certain order.
Preoccupation with a narrow topic of interest, often involving numbers or symbols (e.g., memorizing and reciting facts about maps, train schedules, or sports statistics)
Spends long periods watching moving objects such as a ceiling fan, or focusing on one specific part of an object such as the wheels of a toy car
Repeats the same actions or movements over and over again, such as flapping hands, rocking, or twirling (known as self-stimulatory behavior, or “stimming”). Some researchers and clinicians believe that these behaviors may soothe children with autism more than stimulate them.
Step 3: Make an appointment:Â
 When it comes to assessing healthy development, it’s important to remember there’s a wide range of what is considered normal. It’s crucial to remember that children develop at different paces, and some are a bit later than others to walk or talk. If you feel as if you’re concerned that your child isn’t meeting milestones, or is exhibiting symptoms of delayed development, the best way to ease your mind is to seek a professional opinion. Go book an appointment with a Pediatrician or a general practitioner. Dr. Ali Griffith recommends going to developmental pediatricians if they are available. “Get a second or third opinion to get some answers to get some confirmation in the direction you’re going. If you’re still not happy, go get physiological testing done. They’re the ones that can really give you a full array of tests to let you know what is happening. The key is… knowing is half the battle.” says Griffith..”
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