Raising a child with autism can be physically exhausting and emotionally draining. What you'll need to do include the following:
1. Your child's education and treatment: Your first step will be to find a team of trusted professionals. This group could be a team of teachers and therapists who can help gather information on the options in your area and also be able to explain the federal regulations regarding children with disabilities. This team also needs to include a case manager or service coordinator, who can help access financial services and government programs.
2. Caring for a child with autism can be a round-the-clock job that puts stress on your marriage and your whole family. To avoid burnout,experts say, you'll need to take time out to relax, exercise or enjoy your favorite activities even if it's just watching a movie together after the children go to bed.
3. A support group of other families struggling with the challenges of autism can be very useful. Many communities have support groups for parents and siblings of children with autism. (Belleville has one that meets at Family Space on the evening of the last Monday of the month at 6:15 p.m.)
4. Finally, gather yourself information on the subject so you learn to understand the myths that come with the disorder and to form yourself a strong base for journey ahead.
Please browse the blog at your leisure. You are welcome to comment on the posts. If you are a parent, an autism consultant, counselor, teacher with information on autism resources available in our area, please email your information to benziesangma@gmail.com. Your information will be added within 24 hours.
At School Social Stories
Local Autism Support Groups
Parents Engaging Autism Quinte (PEAQ), an autism parent support group, meets once a month on the first Tuesday of the month (no meetings in January, July and August) at Kerry's Place, 189 Victoria Avenue, Belleville at 6:30 to 8 p.m. If you have questions or suggestions for autism topics that are important to you please go to our FaceBook account and post your suggestions so that we can invite appropriate autism professionals to speak at these meetings.
Autism parent support group meeting hosted by Mental Health Agency, Trenton and Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) is on every second Thursday of the month (from September to June) from 6 to 7:30 pm. For more info, please contact Bryanna Best, Special Needs Inclusion Coordinator at 613 392 2811 ext 2076 or email at bryanna.b@trentonmfrc.ca
For info on Community Living Prince Edward County Parent Support group, contact Resource Consultants @ 613 476 6038
Central Hastings Autism Support Group meets in Madoc at the Recreation Centre. Contact Renee O’Hara, Family Resource & Support, 613-966-7413 or Tammy Kavanagh, Family Resource & Support, 613-332-3227
Parenting your child during Covid-19 pandemic
In it for the long haul...
I created this blog with my sincere wish that those of you reading this will want to share your own stories, both good and bad, what worked for you and what didn't and together, we can make it easier for the next family beginning their own journey of discovery. By posting what you know, where you have recieved certain services, who you have talked to, whose expertise you trust, how you navigated the school education services and by responding to questions in the discussion thread, know that you have helped a family in need. So, parents, experts in the field, counsellors, teachers and everyone who has any information on resources available, please feel free to post on this blog.