Your child just got an autism diagnosis, and nobody handed you a manual. Connect and Curate is where you start.
Hosted by Jacquelene Nigrelli, founder of Illuminate Academy, Connect and Curate brings more than twenty years of experience with autistic kids, their families, and the professionals who support them into honest, practical conversations about what actually helps.
We’ll talk about autism, parenting, behavior, regulation, education, advocacy, and the hard moments that leave you wondering, ‘What do I do now?’
No information overload. No judgment. No pretending there’s one right way to do this.
Just real conversations that help you connect what you’re seeing with what your child may be communicating, then curate the tools, support, and next steps that make sense for your family.
And while many conversations begin with parents, Connect and Curate is also for educators, therapists, and professionals who want to understand and support autistic kids and their families more deeply.
Real talk. Real tools. Zero judgment.
New episodes weekly with Jacquelene Nigrelli.
7:20 AM. We leave in five minutes. He has socks on, and I have said "put on your shoes" four different ways. If that's your morning, this one is for you.
The principle in this episode is regulation before expectation. The expectation was get in the car. He wasn't regulated, and honestly, neither was I. Saying it louder was the definition of insanity. What changed everything: the best chance of my child being regulated in his hardest moment is a regulated me. So the work bag came off and I got on the floor. If you want to learn to see what's underneath the hard moment so you know what to do, that's Hard Moments, Clear Answers. One hour, live, Wednesday November 11 at 1pm Central, $27.
We talk about how behavior is a receipt and why these are physics problems, not willpower.
Reserve your spot: Hard Moments, Clear Answers (https://www.illuminateacademy.org/hard-moments-clear-answers)
Home Base, the free app for the moment itself: homebase-base.replit.app
#autismparenting #neurodivergentkids #regulationbeforeexpectation #hardmoments
23 Oct 2026
Is It a Tantrum or a Meltdown? Here’s How to Tell
Your child is on the floor in the middle of Target. Everyone is watching. And you're wondering whether to hold the boundary or give in. But what if it's not a tantrum? What if your child is having a meltdown because they've reached their limit? In Episode 4 of Connect and Curate, Jacquelene Nigrelli explores the difference between tantrums and meltdowns and invites parents to ask one powerful question: Is this a choice, or is my child out of capacity? You'll hear why Jacquelene says a tantrum has a goal while a meltdown has a limit, how behavior communicates information, and why understanding what's underneath a hard moment can change your response. This episode also explores the guilt parents sometimes carry when someone tells them they're “giving in” or reinforcing behavior. The goal isn't to judge every hard moment perfectly. It's to begin noticing what your child may actually need. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Home Base | Free App A place to find support during a hard moment or reflect afterward. https://homebase-base.replit.app/ Hard Moments, Clear Answers | $27 Live Workshop Learn to look at hard moments through a different lens and explore what to do next. https://www.illuminateacademy.org/har... Subscribe to Connect and Curate for new episodes every Friday. Hosted by Jacquelene Nigrelli, founder of Illuminate Academy. Real talk. Real tools. Zero judgment. #AutismParenting #AutismMeltdown #Autism
16 Oct 2026
Why You Need Date Night (And How to Actually Make It Happen)
When you’re raising an autistic child, even something as simple as date night can feel complicated. What if the babysitter calls ten minutes after you leave? What if your child has a meltdown? What if nobody else knows how to help them through a hard moment? But what if you could prepare someone else to support your child, so you could finally take a little time for yourself? In this 3rd episode of Connect and Curate, Jacquelene Nigrelli shares three practical things you can identify and communicate to a babysitter, family member, caregiver, or anyone supporting your child. The three things to know: 1. What does your child look like on their best, most regulated day? What helps them feel safe, happy, and engaged? 2. What tends to make things harder? What situations, environments, or experiences contribute to dysregulation? 3. What has helped before? What familiar supports can someone else try when a hard moment happens? Jacquelene also explains the House of Growth, why regulation comes before higher-level skills, and how knowing your child helps you prepare others to meet them where they are. Because taking time for yourself isn’t about ignoring your child’s needs. It’s about preparing support, building confidence, and giving yourself room to recharge. You are your child’s expert. And what you know can help someone else connect with them, too. FREE RESOURCE: HOME BASE https://homebase-base.replit.app/ Learn to see hard moments differently and build practical ways to navigate them. HARD MOMENTS, CLEAR ANSWERS WORKSHOP https://www.illuminateacademy.org/har... Subscribe to Connect and Curate for real conversations and practical tools for parents and professionals supporting autistic kids. Hosted by Jacquelene Nigrelli, founder of Illuminate Academy. Real talk. Real tools. Zero judgment. #AutismParenting #Autism #ParentingSupport
10 Oct 2026
What If It’s Not Defiance? Rethinking Your Child’s Hard Moments
Your child is refusing. Yelling. Shutting down. And you're standing there wondering, “What do I do now?” What if you're looking at the hard moment through the wrong lens? In Episode 2 of Connect and Curate, Jacquelene Nigrelli explores three things parents often see as behavior problems: compliance, defiance, and shutdown. What if compliance is really about capacity? What if defiance is a sign of dysregulation? What if shutdown is connected to sensory overwhelm? These aren't labels to apply to every child or every situation. They're invitations to look deeper before deciding how to respond. Drawing on 21 years of working with neurodivergent children, Jacquelene shares a very real 2:15 a.m. parenting moment, the House of Growth framework, and why connection is where meaningful growth begins. In this episode, we'll explore: Why a child's current behavior may be the “receipt” of something that happened earlier How capacity changes what a child can manage in a hard moment Why regulation and co-regulation matter What sensory overwhelm can look like Why starting where your child is matters more than pushing them toward where you want them to be The power of noticing before reacting Your homework from this episode is simple: notice. Notice your child's state. Notice your own. Notice what's happening before deciding what needs to happen next. You don't have to solve every hard moment perfectly. You can begin by seeing it differently. FREE RESOURCE: HOME BASE https://homebase-base.replit.app/ HARD MOMENTS, CLEAR ANSWERS https://www.illuminateacademy.org/har... Subscribe to Connect and Curate for honest conversations and practical tools for parents and professionals supporting autistic kids. Hosted by Jacquelene Nigrelli, founder of Illuminate Academy. Real talk. Real tools. Zero judgment. #AutismParenting #Autism #EmotionalRegulation
6 Oct 2026
Start Here: Your Child Just Got an Autism Diagnosis
27 Sept 2024
Meaningful Moments: Now and Later
9 Jul 2024
Summer Series - BBQ
Through this link you can access everything you may need help with as a parent or therapist:
https://connectandcurate.mykajabi.com/join-the-challenge?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZBtbKm4Xm9cHSOpJm9QUK8nuBcKBOwmDl8TffA5szFc2i8GeE0CJyYYB8_aem_VK3pzFk3HuZc0bmMzEdzkw (https://connectandcurate.mykajabi.com/join-the-challenge?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZBtbKm4Xm9cHSOpJm9QUK8nuBcKBOwmDl8TffA5szFc2i8GeE0CJyYYB8_aem_VK3pzFk3HuZc0bmMzEdzkw)
7 Mar 2024
Episode 7: What Regulation Is Not
22 Feb 2024
Episode 6: Doing The Hard Things
15 Feb 2024
Episode 5: I Like This Place
1 Feb 2024
Episode 4:Reflect
1 Feb 2024
Episode 2: Identify
1 Feb 2024
Episode 3: Implement
1 Feb 2024
Episode 1: Our Story
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Contact Autism Clarified
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Autism Clarified?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
