Hello all,

How time flies it has already been a week since my last post. This week I would like to focus on the other side of the Autism spectrum: the parents.

Parents are just as much affected by Autism as their children. Sadly, a parent can never be too prepared for an illness that cannot be cured and for which a cause is unknown. These parents are resilient and learn to adapt so well to their child’s challenging behaviors. Hats off to parents of Autistic parents for rolling with the punches and assisting in the recovery of their children. A child with Autism requires a huge commitment. It is a 24-hour job. Of course being a parent even to a typically developing child is around the clock, however, when a child will tantrum through the night and not sleep, then the Autism Super Parent powers kick in.

I have come across articles from all along the continuum; some parents find it extremely difficult and stressful to deal with their child’s tantrums on top of social, developmental and language delays. However, there is always an article like Sheryl Rich-Kern’s “Autism and Parenting: Challenging, But Also Enriching” that helps give these parents a little boost. This article offers a small glimpse into the Mousseau family who although has a tough time, see’s their son’s Autism as a blessing. Instead of breaking up a marriage, Autism can make it tighter and such is the case in this family. Families such as this one with Autistic members learn about the importance of family unity because they must rely so much on each other for support.

This article is a part of NHPR “Challenges of Autism” Series. Read many more helpful articles on their website on topics such as education, insurance , and the transition to adulthood.

A close friend of mine has a 4-year-old son, Noah, who was diagnosed with Autism last year. Prior to his diagnosis, Noah’s speech was much delayed and he was regressing in his social skills. He threw tantrums that were hours long at times and every activity was like going to war with Noah.

This was a very sad time for my friend and her family. The rush of information coming her way overwhelmed her. There is an influx of information online; however there are so many points of view on Autism so she did not know where to begin. She didn’t know if she should put him in a special school, and she was a reading machine for the first few weeks, reading everything she could find about therapies used to treat Autism such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Bio-medical treatments. Research reassured her with findings that early treatment increased the chance of recovery.

ABA therapy worked miracles for Noah. A year ago Noah was a completely different boy from who he is now. He is speaking! He can communicate with his parents and is having less behavioral issues.

We are all so proud of the progress he is made. And although we know he has so much more to work on, I thought I would share this bit with the world. I am witnessing a child RECOVERING from Autism!

Here are some websites that provided support for mother on her initial expedition to recover Noah.

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)

Autism Speaks

ACT Today!