Being a parent of special needs kids really is exhausting. So is being any kind of parent. It can feel isolating at times. Community is so helpful in connecting with other parents, getting advice, commiserating together. In my experience in my newest community (after an out of country move 2 years ago), we as parents definitely seem to reach out a lot more than some places, and we are constantly seeing advice and empathy from fellow autism parents. It’s a wonderful thing, and I’d like so much to add to this wealth of knowledge we’ve all contributed to.
I also want to pass on our shared strategies to the greater worldwide autism community, and even to other parents. Cause last face it, parenting in general is a huge challenge, and we can be united at least by our struggles to remain human while trying to guide small people to adulthood.
In a survey among several groups of parents with children on the autism spectrum, I discovered some common things we struggle with, like the obvious stress and finances, and some more specific issues with autism, like dealing with judgement from outsiders or even our own family. In response, even though I’m still just one parent and not a complete expert at this, I am creating a series of mini-guides and weekly blog posts to help us all in our daily parenting challenges.
The first of the series is a Meltdown Meditation Guide. This guide introduces some simple mindfulness practices you can use in the middle of a crisis - to keep yourself calm, and able to focus on the problem your child. I really hope this will be helpful to many of you.
I also want to pass on our shared strategies to the greater worldwide autism community, and even to other parents. Cause last face it, parenting in general is a huge challenge, and we can be united at least by our struggles to remain human while trying to guide small people to adulthood.
In a survey among several groups of parents with children on the autism spectrum, I discovered some common things we struggle with, like the obvious stress and finances, and some more specific issues with autism, like dealing with judgement from outsiders or even our own family. In response, even though I’m still just one parent and not a complete expert at this, I am creating a series of mini-guides and weekly blog posts to help us all in our daily parenting challenges.
The first of the series is a Meltdown Meditation Guide. This guide introduces some simple mindfulness practices you can use in the middle of a crisis - to keep yourself calm, and able to focus on the problem your child. I really hope this will be helpful to many of you.
Wishing you all parenting success,
Adrienne
Adrienne