Autism, Marriage, and Surviving Caregiver Burnout | Tash Dillmon

Autism parenting, caregiver burnout, and caregiver stories are at the heart of this episode of Inchstones as Sarah Kernion talks with Tash Dillmon of Moms Talk Autism about grief, marriage, mental health, and parenting autistic children after profound loss. In this raw and deeply personal episode of Inchstones, Sarah sits down with Tash Dillmon for an honest conversation about autism parenting, surviving the loss of a child, navigating marriage through trauma, and the emotional realities many special needs caregivers silently carry. Tash shares the story of losing Jack’s twin brother, Jameson, during pregnancy and how grief shaped her experience as an autism mom from the very beginning. Together, Sarah and Tash discuss autism diagnosis journeys, caregiver burnout, maternal mental health, suicidal ideation, neurodivergent parenting, identity loss, and the pressure many mothers feel to keep moving no matter how much they are carrying internally. They also explore the power of partnership in marriage, the emotional depth autistic children often possess, and how parenting autistic children can radically transform the way families experience empathy, love, resilience, and presence. This episode is for autism moms, caregivers, and parents navigating profound grief, emotional exhaustion, disability advocacy, and the complexity of raising neurodivergent children while trying to hold themselves together. In this episode: 00:00 – Autism parenting and finding humor inside hard seasons01:20 – Receiving an autism diagnosis after the loss of a twin03:12 – Grief, therapies, and becoming a full-time autism caregiver05:00 – Losing your identity while parenting autistic children08:30 – Caregiver burnout and hitting emotional rock bottom09:00 – Suicidal ideation and maternal mental health in autism parenting11:45 – Childhood trauma, expectations, and emotional survival14:15 – Marriage, grief, and surviving profound loss together18:00 – How autism parenting transformed their relationship20:00 – Faith, healing, and rebuilding identity through motherhood21:30 – Why autism parenting can feel deeply unfair24:10 – The emotional depth and empathy of autistic children27:00 – How parenting autistic children changes the way you see humanity Listen to more episodes of the Moms Talk Autism Podcast and follow Inchstones with Sarah Kernion, an autism podcast sharing caregiver stories, autism advocacy, profound autism, and neurodivergent parenting.Tash Dillmon lives in the Portland, Oregon area with her husband, her two children, Jack, her neurospicy one, and Sloan, her typical one, and her rambunctious dog, Kiki. She is a solo parent most of the time while her husband is putting out fires in the next city over, #firewifelife! Everyone in the family loves being outside, hiking, kayaking, and enjoying nature. Tash loves to exercise, be in her yard, and volunteer in Children's Ministries at her local church. While she’s not being her kids' Uber driver, she loves a good murder documentary and is happiest watching her kids play sports. Chapters (00:00:00) - Moms Talk Autism on Inch Zones(00:01:10) - What You're Feeling As An Autism Mom(00:03:07) - Autism moms on the road to recovery(00:08:26) - One parent's story of contemplating suicide(00:09:12) - The One Thing You Can't Outrun Is Yourself(00:13:46) - In the Elevator With My Love(00:14:19) - "No More Tears For My Marriage"(00:14:51) - Jack's twin brother on his relationship(00:17:40) - The Healing Process of Losing a Child(00:21:14) - Jack's disability isn't unfair(00:22:14) - What is the Best Thing About Being Jack's Mom?(00:26:07) - The Great Things of People(00:26:36) - Tasha on Being a Mother(00:27:43) - Autism on Momstalk