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What Do You Do When Relatives Don’t Believe the Diagnosis and Question Your Parenting?
“Give him time.” “She’s the last child born in the family; everyone does the talking for her.” “Your expectations are too high, every child has his/her own timetable.” “Don’t put him under a microscope. Relax and he will be fine.” “When I had my kids, the world was...
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Divorce with a Child on the Spectrum
Raising a child on the autism spectrum exposes a family to a whole host of stressors on top of the stressors normally associated with parenting. These stressors can overwhelm a couple and lead to marital dissatisfaction. In fact, there is some empirical evidence that families with a child on the...
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Support for Parents and Progress for Children with Autism
Parents of children with autism are at the front lines of the challenges posed by autism. They are confronted with added responsibilities associated with parenting a child with autism. These parents are in the seemingly unending position of helping their child learn vital skills (e.g., social,...
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The Lighter Side of the Spectrum: A Mom’s View – Dads
I had a moment’s pause recently as I watched my husband Joe pass by me into our family room to hand our daughter her favorite pink blanket. Snuggling with all five kids on the couch, he looked like the same college guy I met when he was twenty and I just nineteen. Yet over the course of more than...
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A Different Kind of Support: Soul Support A New Model for Meeting the Needs of Moms of Children on the Autistic Spectrum
When a child is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, the whole family is severely impacted. Often, the mother becomes the primary caretaker with the daunting task of researching all the therapies available, driving to appointments, cooking the special diet meals, coordinating all the...
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Parents: Give the IEP Team Quality Evaluations with Recommendations
In my last article (The Best Kept Secret, Autism Spectrum News - Summer 2010) I discussed what might be the best kept secret of parent counseling and training (PCT) for parents of children with autism. Under the Federal Regulations of the IDEIA, PCT is to be provided to parents as a related service...
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Lessons Learned from the Front Lines
I have the unusual, gratifying, and yes, at times paradoxical role of both professional working in the autism field as well as parent of a child on the spectrum. This gives me some unique insights into the subject of autism and coping with stress. First, let’s define stress. Our friends at...
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Autism and Maternal Stress
Along with the countless rewards of parenthood come many stressors as well. The stress is compounded exponentially when the child is on the autism spectrum. In a study by Hutton & Caron (2005), “stressful” was the most used adjective to describe what it had been like to be a parent of an...
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Making Family Rituals and Traditions Work for You
For the last 10 years, Jann Tobias’s family has celebrated New Year’s Eve with a family dinner. With careful attention to detail, she uses her aunt’s tablecloth and her grandmother’s china, making a beautiful presentation of her family’s favorite foods. Jann’s husband, Bob, carves the...
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The Best Kept Secret – School Districts are Obligated Under Federal Law to Offer Parent Counseling and Training
When you have a child with autism, there are so many things to “stress about” but parents should not have to do it all alone. School districts are obligated under federal law to offer, as a related service on the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), parent counseling and training. It is the...
