Hi - I’m so glad to have found this site. My situation is probably different from most here, yet the common thread would be having a son or daughter with autism.
My son who has autism is an adult. When he was younger, I was very active in an online autism support community, and it was extremely helpful to me and my son also. Just recently I have felt the need to connect with other parents especially who have older children, and are in different situations beyond the school years.
I am also looking to support parents with kids of all ages on the autism spectrum. I remember very well how challenging the school years can be.
A few words about my son: He is 26, up until 2 years ago, he lived at home with us. An opening came up at a residential home with 4 young men and after much thought and looking to his needs for the future, and having him spend overnights and weekends at this home, we made the somewhat heart pulling decision to have him begin a new adult life in this setting. I say heart pulling because routine is so important to him, and this is something I could put into place at home to help with his anxiety when things are not predictable.
The move has had its ups and downs. A few of The “ups” are that it’s very close to home and that after awhile, he began to take ownership of his new home, room, meal times, and he began vocalizing his needs more and more.
The “downs” are that there is a revolving door of changing staff at the house , some more dedicated to this role than others. I find myself needing to explain his unique needs a lot, only to have a supervisor or staff aide move onto something else, and then start the process again. This is not an easy job, so there is a lot of turnover.
Covid presented so many obstacles as I’m sure you’ve all had to deal with. The worst is at present he is not going to his job situation due to not having enough support staff available in the community to accompany him at his job site. This has been sad and challenging but we pick him up and take him places for variety to his day. The aide staff at his home also try to do the same, but unfortunately, when they’re short staffed which they have been, this is difficult.
My son is generally happy and upbeat, unless his mood becomes anxious due to a variety of causes. When he’s in his good mood, it’s such a good feeling!
Laura
My son who has autism is an adult. When he was younger, I was very active in an online autism support community, and it was extremely helpful to me and my son also. Just recently I have felt the need to connect with other parents especially who have older children, and are in different situations beyond the school years.
I am also looking to support parents with kids of all ages on the autism spectrum. I remember very well how challenging the school years can be.
A few words about my son: He is 26, up until 2 years ago, he lived at home with us. An opening came up at a residential home with 4 young men and after much thought and looking to his needs for the future, and having him spend overnights and weekends at this home, we made the somewhat heart pulling decision to have him begin a new adult life in this setting. I say heart pulling because routine is so important to him, and this is something I could put into place at home to help with his anxiety when things are not predictable.
The move has had its ups and downs. A few of The “ups” are that it’s very close to home and that after awhile, he began to take ownership of his new home, room, meal times, and he began vocalizing his needs more and more.
The “downs” are that there is a revolving door of changing staff at the house , some more dedicated to this role than others. I find myself needing to explain his unique needs a lot, only to have a supervisor or staff aide move onto something else, and then start the process again. This is not an easy job, so there is a lot of turnover.
Covid presented so many obstacles as I’m sure you’ve all had to deal with. The worst is at present he is not going to his job situation due to not having enough support staff available in the community to accompany him at his job site. This has been sad and challenging but we pick him up and take him places for variety to his day. The aide staff at his home also try to do the same, but unfortunately, when they’re short staffed which they have been, this is difficult.
My son is generally happy and upbeat, unless his mood becomes anxious due to a variety of causes. When he’s in his good mood, it’s such a good feeling!
Laura
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