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Empowering Parents: Caregiver Support for Youth and Adolescents with ASD
Parents rely on neighbors, friends, family members and other caregivers to provide in-home temporary care, frequently referred to as “babysitting,” for their children while they attend meetings, run errands, and have some “couple” time away from routine family responsibilities. This can be...
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Essential Information: Respite Care for Families
Many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) require significant levels of support in home, school, and community settings. Due to deficits in social communication and interaction, compounded by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, many will not be able to keep themselves safe and...
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The Newborn and the Child with Autism: The Advice is the Same
As a parent with a 25-year-old son with autism, I am often asked what advice I would give to parents with a newly diagnosed child. My response is the same advice I give to new mothers as a nurse on the maternity unit. Parental emotional adjustment to a new baby is analogous to the adjustment to...
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The Vital Need for Support and “Me Time” for Parents of a Child with Autism
Raising a child diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder is a journey. It requires a lot of support. There will be challenges but many wonderful rewards. It can be a difficult process but when you have the right people around you, it is a road well-travelled. As I write this article, I feel a...
