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Listening is Key to Supporting Families and Caregivers and Leads to Better Outcomes
Supporting families and caregivers is a lifelong learning process as children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) typically undergo many changes. When providing workshops to families about accessing services, I began to consider the question of how we can support them further, as...
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Making Meaningful Connections: Amy Kelly Discusses Value of Devereux’s Internal Family Support Group
At Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, we are always looking for ways to better support our talented and hard-working team members. Devereux National Director of Family Engagement Amy Kelly, MBA, MNM, leads a family support group for Devereux employees and their significant others who are parents,...
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Helpful Financial Resources for Parents of Children with Autism
According to Autism Speaks, “The costs of providing care for each person with autism affected by intellectual disability through his or her lifespan are $2.3 million in the U.S.” According to Families USA, 60% of bankruptcies are due to medical debt. The Catalyst Center report “Breaking the...
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The Real Priorities in Advocacy – Keeping the Whole Child, the Whole Family and the Big Picture in Mind
In my observation, an effective Autism Advocate is someone who is often isolated from the rest of the “typical” society because they are the parent of a child with Autism, which is a 25 hour a day job. They become consumed in caring for their child on top of their other life duties such as...
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Steps to Empower Families to Access Early Intervention
In my six years as Autism Resource Specialist in the Center for Children with Special Needs at Floating Hospital for Children in Tufts Medical Center in Boston, I have met with hundreds of families in the moments after their young child receives an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Although...
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Special Needs Family Planning – Tips for Families with Special Needs
What is the sign of a good decision?® It’s creating a life care plan for a special needs child.. A gift of cash from grandma, grandpa or anyone else could end up costing special needs families thousands of dollars in lost government funding and services – benefits that are critical in helping...
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A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Sensory Processing Difficulties
Having a child diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) necessitates parents to make a host of lifestyle and emotional adjustments. Many of these adjustments are in response to behavioral challenges exhibited by their children due to difficulty appropriately processing sensory information....
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Early Intervention Services for Toddlers with ASD
Receiving an Autism Spectrum Diagnosis (ASD) can be an extremely stressful family event. Once the reports are read it may help to put them away for future reference and begin to focus on intervention. The shift from feelings of helplessness during the diagnostic process, to feelings of hopefulness...
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Tips to Promote Caregiver Emotional and Physical Health
Autism is oftentimes confusing, unpredictable and hard to manage. As parents and caregivers you are required to traverse the highs and lows of the autism diagnosis. From the outset of parental/caregiver concern to the day your loved one receives the diagnoses on the autism spectrum and everyday...
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Autism Parent Support Groups – A Successful Model Providing Information and Support
Families often lack information about the autism diagnosis such as what to expect, treatment options, and how to access services. Support groups serve two main functions. They provide families and caregivers with much needed information on a variety of topics related to autism spectrum disorders...
