Meredith Polsky and Arlen Gaines on Autism and Grief

I had such a great discussion with Arlen Gaines and Meredith Polsky for this episode. Meredith and Arlen are social workers who have written a book series called “I Have a Question” for kids with autism. One of their books is about death; another is about cancer. I heard them present on a webinar for the National Alliance for Grieving Children on the topic of grief and kids with autism, and realized that would probably be of interest to some listeners. Some of the topics we cover in our discussion include: the fact that there’s a lack of literature on death and dying for kids who are concrete thinkers; some common features of autism that we should keep in mind when we think about how to help our grieving children/teens; developmental responses to grief that we see with typically developing kids in each age group, and how might that be different for kids with autism; tips for making participation in a peer grief group or camp a successful experience for a child with autism; some thoughts on how to deal with the loss of routine and schedule after the loss of a parent; some of the euphemisms that our culture has around death that can be confusing to people with autism; and strategies for helping kids with autism remember and honor their deceased parent. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Meredith Polsky and Arlen Gaines.