Finding & Using Support Groups for Parents with Autistic Children
Autism Support for Parents
Most parents are highly distressed upon receiving news that one of their children is diagnosed with autism. There is bound to be a lot of self doubt and confusion about the aspects of raising autistic children. Support for parents with autistic children is essential in various aspects such as dealing with their daily needs, financial support, dealing with siblings, etc. Let us explore the support and resources available for families with an autistic child.
How do Parent Support Groups Help?
Most parents are unaware of the ways to tackle the problem of autism when their child is first diagnosed. There are a number of ways to gain knowledge on autism. Support for parents is provided by a number of parent support groups. Support groups for parents who have children with autism, are typically comprised of a group of parents, special education coordinators and doctors working together. Hence, parents can get all the needed support such as advice on behavioral problems and autism therapies at one place. They can even express their emotional stress in these groups.
One can join parent support groups for parents with children with autism either through online groups, message boards or share information via emails and chat room discussions. Two such online parent support groups for parents with autistic children are:
Financial Support
Meeting the needs of an autistic child is quite expensive. It may cost about $30,000 for the behavioral therapy of an autistic child, an impossible amount for parents with nominal monthly wages. This can be easily overcome by joining parent support groups for parents with children with autism that includes a financial planner. A financial planner works with your health insurance company and gets some of your expenses covered. They even help in making a rough estimate of all expenses and the current financial status. The report can be used to request the therapists to reduce the charges basing on the financial status. Organizations such as the National Autism Association and Autism Society of America that work to increase awareness about autism also extend their hand to provide autism support for parents regarding financial matters.
Emotional Support for Siblings and Family Members
Siblings of autistic children are often disappointed with parents, who totally concentrate in serving the needs of autistic child. This can be overcome by allotting time for the siblings after the autistic child is asleep or involving the siblings in training the autistic child. This increases the bond between kids and also eases the task of training the autistic child. Like parent support groups, there are a number of sibling support groups for siblings of autistic children. Parents can help siblings in enrolling in such sibling support groups. Some of them include the “sib chat,” the sibling support project of the arc of the United States. Autism New Jersey Inc; provide all the needed help for siblings through message boards and chatting sessions.
As can be seen, parent support groups are a great way to face the challenges of having an autistic child.
