Families with autism help families with autism
by Patricia
Last weekend I spent time with one of my favorite groups of people — parents of children with autism. I was in Bloomington, Indiana at a conference hosted by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism.
Strengthening Our Roots: A Conference for and About Families of Children on the Autism Spectrum was a wonderful demonstration of information sharing and community building for families in Indiana. I learned about homelife that I, as an educator and a professional, can help support and improve. I also observed formal and informal networking of family members — families with experience sharing their expertise with families who have newly-diagnosed children, and families with like children sharing their joys and their challenges. Best of all, I was able to watch families share that knowing smile as others told their stories.
Learning with and from family members is a powerful experience. Families looking for this sort of support can turn to their local Autism Society of America chapter to find out about formal and informal support networks.