AUTISM ADVOCACY
An Exclusive Look at AUTISM
with
Gina Badalaty
By Derrick HAYES
Encouragement speaker Derrick Hayes gives an
AUTISM interview by asking six questions through
each letter in the word “autism” to give readers in-
sightful perspectives from parents, experts, entre-
preneurs, and other leaders in the field.
T
oday’s AUTISM Interview is with Gina Bada-
laty, a freelance blogger who has been
writing about raising special needs chil-
dren and living a non-toxic life since 2002
at Embracing Imperfect. She brings her
audience unique solutions regarding chil-
dren’s health and well-being and focus-
es on providing parents with tools that give them
hope where they have previously found none. She
lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two beau-
tiful daughters, and an amazing cat and is current-
ly writing a book on raising children with autism.
A
i s for Awareness - When and how did you
first become aware that something was dif-
ferent?
From birth, my daughter was always a very fussy
child who screamed inconsolably. We later learned
that she had sensory issues (diagnosed with sensory
processing disorder [SPD] at age two), and was most
likely crying from her skin sensitivities and inability
to communicate her discomfort. By her toddler years,
she was inflicting self-injury, laughing in her sleep,
and was still unable to sleep through the night. She
was officially diagnosed with autism/pervasive de-
velopmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-
NOS) at age three.
U
i s for Unique - How has this experience been
unique for you and your child?
The first time I ever solved a problem following the
advice of fellow parents and NOT our pediatrician, I
realized that certain problems and behaviors could
be relieved by thinking outside the box! At the time,
there wasn’t a ton of peer-reviewed science on how
a dairy sensitivity could impact her sleep patterns,
but other parents knew.
T
i s for Tools - What tools are there now that
were not there in the beginning that could
help other parents?
There are so many tools out there now! From speech,
social story apps, and dietary protocols to a larger se-
lection of sensory clothing, and CBD oil, people are
beginning to understand that some elements of au-
tism are environmental while others are behavioral.
This allows our kids a much better hope for living
productive, purposeful lives.
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 74 |
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