How Love Transforms Autism Parenting with Author and Autism Mom, Jenny Briggs

Autism parenting is a journey filled with unique challenges and profound growth. In this episode of Inchstones, host Sarah Kernion talks with Jenny Briggs—author, autism mom, and advocate—about how love, neurodiversity, and inclusion can transform the experience of raising a child with autism. Jenny shares her heartfelt story of parenting her daughter Sarah, whose autism diagnosis inspired her to utilize the Son-Rise program, a home-based, relationship-centered approach that honors curiosity and connection over correction.

Through this conversation, listeners will gain insight into autism awareness, the emotional evolution parents undergo, and the importance of community support in the disability and neurodiverse parenting journey. Jenny discusses how siblings thrive when empathy and inclusion are prioritized, and how seeking help opens new paths toward healing. Her book, Watching Sarah Rise, offers a poignant testament to the transformative power of love as a cornerstone of therapy and personal growth.

Join us as we explore how flexibility, patience, and human connection redefine autism parenting and advocate for a more inclusive and understanding world.

Jennifer Celeste Briggs has a BA in English Literature from Swarthmore college. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two daughters. Her daughter Sarah has a genetic anomaly and autism. When Sarah was four, Jenny decided to run a Son-Rise Program for her, calling it Sarah-Rise, and training at the Autism Treatment Center of America. The Son-Rise Program is a loving child-centered approach to helping those with autism and other challenges connect socially, verbally, and through increased eye contact. Organizing hundreds of hours of therapeutic play time for Sarah, Jenny trained and coordinated multiple volunteers who contributed their love and creativity to the venture. Jenny started a blog to share the experience of Sarah-Rise and has heard multiple times that her words were helpful to others dealing with life struggles. Jenny wants to help parents feel understood and to spread the word about The Son-Rise Program. She hopes that her words bring comfort, joy, and inspiration to readers whatever their challenges and journeys may be.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Interview
• (00:00:44) - How a mom with autism navigated the autism diagnosis and treatment
• (00:08:21) - The Secret to Helping People With Autism
• (00:12:55) - Sarah's autism and Amy's typical family
• (00:19:45) - The Importance of Shared Orientation
• (00:23:40) - Watching Sarah Rise: An Autism Family's Journey