Carrie Cariello on Empowering Relationships: Navigating Autism and Building a Family

In this episode of the Turn Autism Around® podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carrie Cariello, an incredible author and advocate in the autism community. She is the mother to 5 children, her second oldest, Jack was diagnosed with autism at just 18 months old. I couldn’t help but praise Carrie’s exceptional writing skills, which are evident in her latest book, “Half My Sky.” She joined me to discuss her journey as a parent to Jack, her other children, and as a wife. Raising children with autism can be stressful for a marriage and I loved Carrie’s insights on this. So come join me as we learn more about her journey.

YOU’LL LEARN

Introduction of Carrie Cariello and her book “Half my Sky”
Carrie’s experiences raising a son with autism alongside her typically developing children
Transition to adulthood for individuals on the autism spectrum
The decision to have more kids
Autism and marriage, the impact on relationships and strategies for maintaining a strong partnership

Autism College Programs

Carrie opened up about her personal experiences raising a son with autism and the challenges they faced along the way. From the early signs they noticed, and navigating the early stages of therapy to managing relationships and sibling dynamics, Carrie shared valuable insights that resonated deeply with me. I loved hearing about the type of program they found for Jack outside of the home and how she has transitioned him into his college program. So even if you are just starting this journey, you won’t want to miss how Jack’s college experience is going.

Autism and Relationships

We had an engaging conversation that covered various topics related to autism and relationships. How her marriage was affected by both autism parenting and typical parenting and how they are doing now. Carrie Cariello’s authenticity and vulnerability in sharing her journey were truly inspiring. We go into questions such as what she wishes she knew when she first started this journey, and explore if you should have more kids after an autism diagnosis that you won’t want to miss. We share that managing marriages alongside parenting children with autism can be tricky but doable.

I can’t wait for you all to listen to this insightful episode with Carrie Carriello. Her perspective and experiences will undoubtedly offer valuable insights into autism, marriage, and siblings and offer support to anyone navigating the world of autism. Stay tuned for the upcoming release in January, and don’t forget to leave your comments and questions for us to address!

Carrie Cariello on Turn Autism Around Podcast

Carrie Cariello is the author of What Color is Monday, How Autism Changed One Family for the Better, Someone I’m With has Autism, and Half my Sky. She lives in Southern New Hampshire with her husband Joe and they five children.

Carrie is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY Parents, the TODAY Show, Parents.com, Love What Matters, and Grown and Flown. She has been interviewed by NBC Nightly News and has a TEDx Talk. She speaks regularly about autism, marriage, and motherhood, and writes a weekly blog at www.carriecariello.com

One of her essays, “I know what causes autism,” was featured as one of the Huffington Post’s best of 2015, and her piece “I know why he has autism,” was named one of the top blog posts of 2017 by the TODAY show.