The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This unique presentation combines the personal and professional perspectives of a psychologist who has raised an adult child with autism. The presenter is internationally known and extensively published. Combining real life experience with scholarship and insight, this presentation will include coping strategies for the family unit. Specific strategies and coping skills for meeting the needs of typically developing siblings, while strengthening and enhancing the parents’ relationship will presented based upon current research and best clinical practices. This workshop will help parents and professionals to acquire a better understanding of how families can cope successfully with the impact of autism.  The presenter is a psychologist specializing in families of children with autism and other special needs.  He has a special interest and expertise in relating to the issues faced by fathers of children on the spectrum.  His son’s, now 28 has the kind of severe symptoms that needed round the clock care and eventually required residential treatment.  His professional experience of 20 years has brought him experience with hundreds of families with cases from mild to the severe. He has served on the boards of organizations that serve the autism community, and he has published widely and lectured at numerous conferences.

In addition to all the challenges of caring for a child on the spectrum, parents often wonder and worry about how raising a child with autism affects their other children. In this workshop, parents will understand how their own sibling relationships impacted them in order to understand how autism can affect their more “typical” sons and daughters. Participants will learn research based strategies for meeting all their children’s needs while maintaining household unity and stability.

The stress of everyday life is often overwhelming, so this presentation also includes some basic stress reduction techniques.  Participants will learn how to identify stressors, get in touch with painful thoughts and feelings, and identify strategies for coping.

In addition, this presentation also examines the different perspectives that men and women bring to parenting a child with autism. The presenter guides caregivers through experiential exercises that show them how to listen and understand each other in new ways—and work together to strengthen their relationship. The presenter combines his experiences and insights with personal experience to teach with an intelligent and compassionate style.  Those who attend will come to understand how parents and family members can struggle through grief and the anxieties that accompany the puzzling and uncertain development of a child on the autism spectrum. Even though people may laugh and cry, they will leave this presentation refreshed, enlightened, and energized.   
Learning objectives are as follows:

• Participants will gain perspective upon the family’s stages in developing as a unit while raising a child with autism.
  
• Participants will learn coping skills to deal with the stressors of everyday life.
  
• Participants will learn effective strategies for dealing with issues affecting typically developing siblings.
  
• Participants will learn some basic relationship maintenance skills for their marriage or primary relationship.
  

In conclusion, this presenter can credibly address the very diverse challenges faced daily by families who are raising a child with autism. This presentation can help achieve the conference goal of providing “conference attendees with the opportunity to learn from innovators and access critical information to improve their lives and those of the people they love, treat and inspire.”

Learning Objectives: