Introduction

Welcome Son of Saint Community

My name is Stacy Badon, and I grew up on the westbank near Algiers; I consider myself a true NOLA Girl! Therefore, I am excited about this partnership with Son of Saint, within a community I call home! I look forward to providing 1:1 coaching with our mentees who identify as Autistic. I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to empower their guardians with understanding Autism, as well as how they can best support the needs of their teen or young adult. My goal is to build a safe community of support for our guardians, mentees, as well as the Son of Saint staff. Training will be provided, including tangible resources, and empowerment coaching will be available to the guardians and mentees, to meet the needs of each individual.

*Remember: Autism is NOT a behavior disorder, it is simply a different way

of processing information! Understanding Autistic Identity facilitates Self-Advocacy, and Self-Advocacy leads to Independence!

The Autistic Author

Meet Torrin

Torrin Kearns is an author, entrepreneur, and autism advocate whose work has been published in The Great Lake Review. He is the co-founder of Dark City Publishing, an independent literary imprint focused on telling neurodivergent stories. In his free time, he indulges his autistic special interest, by taking long train rides around the New York metropolitan area, where he resides.

Torrin will contribute from the Autistic Perspective; he will serve in the role of mentorship. Torrin will help the mentees gain a better understanding of themselves and "their autism" and hopefully avoid some of the mistakes that he made as a youg adult. He will shine as a role model to show that no matter their circumstances, no matter who tells them what, they can do anything they set their minds too.

Torrin will also contribute practical strategies that

demonstarte various ways to do, just about everything!

Understanding Autistic Identity and Self-Advocacy

"The impact of society on an Autistic person’s identity is enormous, often to the point where it is so common for an Autistic person to work so hard and for so long to conceal their true nature, that when the time comes that they can no longer keep it up, it forces them into a state of non-persona; the fear of the unknown identity, or what they perceive as the lack of identity underneath, is too overwhelming

It is easier for some Autistic people to Mask themselves...

~Keiran Rose

Enjoy the replay!

Resources

Puberty & Hygiene

Our children grow up, and often the teen years can be challenging for parents, as well as the child. In this webinar, participants gained knowledge in regards to sensory experiences related to puberty, hygiene difficulties, peer relationships, as well as what parents can do, to support the needs of their developing teen. Enjoy the replay!

Transitioning to Adulthood

Making decisions around "What to do when school ends" at 18 or 21, can be challenging for many families. In this webinar, Stacy discussed options to consider, employment, community activities, and gaurdianship. Enjoy the replay!

Autistic Identity

In this webinar, Stacy did a dive deep into-

~What is Autistic Identity?

~Can you get evaluated for Autism as an adult?

~Is a self-diagnosis acceptable, or do I need an official diagnosis?