One of the most difficult aspects of parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder is the isolation that many parents experience.
Family excursions may be marred by meltdowns; playdates can be hard to come by; babysitters are tough to find; and parents with typically developing children don’t always relate to the challenges faced by special needs parents. While efforts toward autism acceptance and inclusion are gaining traction, long-standing stigma against people with disabilities remains a significant obstacle for many families.
Moms Lise Smith and Nicci Smith (not related), whose sons and families are profiled on Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning reality show, “Love on the Spectrum,” are using their newfound fame to help fellow moms of children with disabilities feel less alone.
In March, just before the third season of “Love on the Spectrum” aired, they launched “Talk to Me Sis”, a new podcast about their experiences with raising their sons, Connor Tomlinson (Lise’s son) and Tanner Smith (Nicci’s son), now 26. The men, who are members of the cast of young adults seeking love on the show, first appeared in Season 2 and became instant celebrities. Their mothers also gained large social media followings.
According to Disability Scoop, “both Lise and Nicci confided they had inboxes full of questions from viewers, mothers mostly, who wanted to know things like when their children were diagnosed with autism, what therapies they had, how the moms coped with the struggles and so on.”
After watching some Season 2 episodes, Nicci reached out to Lise. When the mothers met later, they shared an immediate bond. That’s when they decided to start a podcast geared toward other moms of children with autism and other disabilities.
In her interview with Disability Scoop, Nicci recalled how isolated she felt as a young mom with a child on the spectrum.
“I remembered feeling so alone with Tanner [when he] was a little boy, and I knew Lise felt the same,” said Nicci. “When our boys were diagnosed, Tanner at age 4 and Connor at age 5, there was nothing out there for us, no one to talk to, no support groups, no idea of what our future might look like.”
Both women wanted to provide the community they didn’t have, to other moms who might benefit.
“We’re not reporters, we’re not therapists, but we have real life experience, and we’ve raised these great gentlemen, so we feel like we have something to offer,” Lise told Disability Scoop.
New episodes of “Talk to Me Sis” air every Thursday and can be accessed on all podcast platforms.
