Photo Source: Hero Network

Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to guest blogger Ruth Stieff. Among other things, she’s an ABA therapist and the owner of One Piece LLC. She’s also the parent of a young adult son who lives with autism, and a friend of mine. She’s here to share the common needs among the parents she serves.

4 Things Parents of Kids with Autism Have in Common

I spend my days with families who live with autism. This was not what I believed I would be doing at this stage of my life, but there are always surprises in this world. Almost 20 years ago, I gave birth to my third child, a son. I had no idea that he would be diagnosed with autism. I started down this road as a mom rather than an autism professional. My skills developed as I dealt with our family and the challenges it brought to my son specifically. Life can be very difficult for a family dealing with any type of special needs. I understand that since I have been living in that world for a long time.

Along the way, I have received training in a variety of areas related to autism. I have trained in applied behavioral analysis, social skills, communication, sensory integration, advocacy, and mental health. But when asked why a family would hire me instead of another provider, I answer, “Because I go home to this world at night. Many families want someone who ‘gets’ it. They also want someone who lives it.”

As I started a business a few years ago, one of my goals was help parents normalize family life. As I enter into a family’s world, there are a few things that I find.

1. Parents are often overwhelmed and are looking for help. They don’t know where to start and are looking to me to develop a workable plan.
2. Discouragement is seen in almost all the members of the family. Parents are exhausted and often feel like they are failing. The child with autism, many times, is overwhelmed and feels like giving up. The other children are often confused because things seem so different than what they experience with their friends families.
3. There is a lack of confidence in everyone. The child with autism has not been very successful and doesn’t know that is a possibility. Other members of the family don’t know how to approach and work with the child on the autism spectrum and it seems to paralyze them from trying.
4. A mom wants a person to talk to, someone who understands what she is going through. She longs for the emotional support of another women who has been through a similar experience. She needs a mentor mom.

I work with the child by modeling strategies in skill development. I am there to teach the child but also walk with the parents so that they can develop the structures in a home to normalize life for the long haul. Life is demanding with children but with a child(ren) with special needs it becomes extremely complicated. Families need support, encouragement, hope and skills. With these life can settle into a “new normal” that will enable parents to run the marathon called special needs parenting.

Other Things Parents of Kids with Autism Have in Common

Now that Ruth’s shared her four items for the list, now it’s your chance to add some more. Add your observations in the comment box. And then, stop by Connecting One Piece at a Time to learn more about Ruth and her work.

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.