Your Child Has Just Been Diagnosed with Autism – Now What?

• By: Ann-Marie Sabrsula, MS The Arc Westchester Children’s School for Early Development
• October 2nd, 2023
• accessing services, advocating needs, autism diagnosis, building partnerships, coping strategies, early intervention, Fall 2023 Issue, managing stress, multi-modal approach, parent support groups, processing emotions, self-care, support network, tailored treatment
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Every family has their own personal journey towards an autism diagnosis for their child. Whether it brings the confirmation of what may have been suspected or the news of something completely unexpected, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can have a significant impact on a family. Like the...

Supporting Families to Prepare Students to Be Participating Members of Their Community

• By: Dianne Zager, PhD Carly Werner, MEd, MS Boca School for Autism
• October 2nd, 2023
• committee engagement, community integration, cultural appreciation, customized instruction, education, Fall 2023 Issue, family, home-school communication, improved outcomes, information gathering, parent involvement, school, self-determination, student potential, teacher-parent collaboration, teachers, transition to adulthood
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For over five decades, I’ve had the privilege of serving students with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. I’ve been employed as a teacher, administrator, professor, consultant, and advocate in public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit settings, working in preschools,...

Helping Families with Disabilities Transition from Child to Adult Systems of Care

• By: Amy Kelly, MBA, MNM Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
• October 2nd, 2023
• ABLE account, community programming, day programs, Fall 2023 Issue, families, financial planning, guardianship, special needs trust, supplemental security income, systems of care, transition to adulthood, waiver funding
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Having a child diagnosed with a lifelong disability is like planning a trip to one country, but unexpectedly arriving in a different country (read Emily Perl Kingsley’s essay Welcome to Holland). Just imagine, you have nothing packed that would make the trip easier or more comfortable, and you do...

Supporting Latine Caregivers of Autistic Children: Community Needs and Perspectives

• By: Roxana Rodriguez, MA Ana D. Dueñas, PhD, BCBA-D San Diego State University College of Education Department of Special Education
• October 2nd, 2023
• children, community advocacy, cultural stigma, culturally adapted interventions, delayed diagnosis, Fall 2023 Issue, familismo, family resilience, intersectionality, Latine caregivers, Latine community
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Latine* caregivers of recently diagnosed children on the autism spectrum have unique needs and face unique challenges in supporting their children (Blacher et al., 2019). Latine families report feeling overwhelmed, confused, and concerned with information about the incidence of autism, the...

Parent Involvement as a Metric of Quality Care

• By: Erica Ballard, MA, BCBA Caitlin Summers, MA, LPC, ACS Ellen D’Amato, PhD Joe Hess Howard Savin, PhD Kristen Daneker, MS, BCBA, LBS-PA First Children Services
• October 2nd, 2023
• behavior interventions, collaboration, comprehensive integrated approach, Fall 2023 Issue, family-centered care, multidisciplinary team, parent involvement, team planning, transitions, trust
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A family-centered approach has been considered best practice for many years in early intervention and pediatric rehabilitation (Bailey, Buysse, Edmondson, 1992; Baird & Peterson, 1997). For students with complex medical, physical, developmental, and behavioral challenges, a family-centered...

Supporting Families with Autistic Children – What More Can Be Done?

• By: Narpinder Kaur Malhi, MD Rama Rao Gogineni, MD The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Family Committee
• October 2nd, 2023
• caregiving stressors, Fall 2023 Issue, family challenges, family therapy, marital strain, mental health support, parenting, parenting differences
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According to a March 2023 press release from the CDC, about 1 in 36 (2.8%) children have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder based on data gathered from 11 communities around the United States. This is a 22% increase from 2018, which found the prevalence of ASD to be 1 in 44...

Beyond the Autism Diagnosis: Understanding the Multifaceted Needs of Parents

• By: Heidi Hillman, PhD, BCBA-D, LMHC
• October 2nd, 2023
• accessing services, actually autistic, advocating needs, autism diagnosis, building partnerships, coping strategies, early intervention, Fall 2023 Issue, managing stress, multi-modal approach, parent support groups, processing emotions, self-care, support network, tailored treatment
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As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so does the number of parents trying to navigate the complexities that accompany an autism diagnosis. Raising an autistic child is challenging for many parents, and many reported higher levels of stress compared to...

Autism and Marriage: Making Your Relationship Work Under the Pressures of Caregiving

• By: Mary Ann Hughes, MBA Special Family Transitions LLC
• October 2nd, 2023
• acceptance, burnout, caregivers, depression, divorce, Fall 2023 Issue, marriage, parents, relationships, respite, self-care, support network
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Having a child with autism can certainly put strain on a marriage. I should know. After over 20 years of marriage with two children on the autism spectrum, my marriage came to an end. So why am I writing an article about making your relationship work? Because it’s too important not to. My...

Bridging the Gap: Empowering Families Awaiting an Autism Diagnosis

• By: Andrea Lavigne, PhD, BCBA, LBA, LABA Nick James Autism Care Partners
• October 2nd, 2023
• at-home toolkits, diagnosis delays, diagnostic evaluation, early intervention benefits, empowering caregivers, Fall 2023 Issue, family engagement, family support needs, individualized goals, pre-diagnostic gap, progress tracking, skill building activities, telehealth programs
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The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise. According to the CDC, 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with autism by the age 81 and as a result, the need for comprehensive family support systems has never been more pressing. Unfortunately, the barriers to clinical support and...

Navigating the Sandwich Generation: My Personal Journey as a Neurodivergent Entrepreneur, Mother, and Daughter

• By: Michelle Markman ND Coach, Inc.
• October 2nd, 2023
• actually autistic, coaching, diagnosis acceptance, entrepreneurship, Fall 2023 Issue, family, motherhood, neurodiversity, parenting, personal story, relationships, sandwich generation
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I am a sandwich generation mother and daughter; I can attest to our unique challenges. I have the added challenge of a disability, or as I like to refer to it, a unique neurotype. Despite growing up thinking I was a neurotypical person who was just unlikeable or “weird,” I have always been...