Start Where You Are: Goals For Your Child, Your Family and Yourself

Parents are expected to participate in planning for their children with autism, but most have had no training, so goals and outcomes are decided by teachers and therapists. This simplifies things, but over time family members may become frustrated when the program does not achieve desired results for their child. This session will help parents understand key elements of goal-setting and will empower them to take a stronger role in determining the outcomes for their loved ones with autism. Parents are expected to participate in program planning for their children with autism – setting goals for school, independent living, vocational training, social and relationship building skills – but most have had no training, so goals and outcomes are primarily decided by teachers and therapists, and programming options are typically limited to what is already being provided in the local school or community.  This simplifies things in the beginning, but over time family members may become frustrated when the program does not achieve desired results for their child.  Additionally, as the child grows older, the professionals may expect more involvement from parents regarding lifespan decisions.  Add the ongoing stress of maintaining in-home therapies, accommodating special medical or environmental needs, and the fact that many decisions are made with little or no consideration of the needs and values of the family as a whole, and parents may simply reach the end of their rope, either giving up on further progress or jumping into adversarial interactions with the very professionals who should be their partners in planning.  This session will help parents understand key elements of goal-setting and will empower them to take a stronger role in determining the outcomes for their loved ones with autism.

Start Where You Are is a practical strategy for parents (and other family members) to break free from the overwhelm, frustration, and helplessness they often feel when faced with planning for their child’s future, and instead, to focus their energy on developing meaningful goals that will enable their child to be more successful and independent and will protect and support the integrity of the family, both as a whole and as individuals.

Ann Simun, PsyD, has been working professionally with children with learning and behavioral challenges since 1989.  She is a licensed psychologist (PSY20113), with a specialization in neuropsychology.  She also is a credentialed and experienced School Psychologist, as well as a Licensed Educational Psychologist, making her eligible to conduct IEEs for school district matters.  Dr. Simun conducts neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessment, provides expert witness and consultation services, conducts formal observations, and teaches psychoeducational assessment at the graduate level.  In this presentation, she teaches the appropriate use of various types of assessments and explains how to translate assessment data and reports into practical recommendations, and ultimately into relevant and measurable program goals.

Sandra Dixon Shove is a former elementary educator, a non-attorney special education advocate in private practice, and a longtime Autism Society chapter leader.  She has 12 years of experience teaching, 7+ years advocating for children with a variety of disabilities, and 8+ years supporting and mentoring parents, as well as developing and presenting community awareness programs countywide as a chapter leader.  Sandy draws from this broad background and shares lessons learned while helping other parents become empowered members of their children’s planning teams.

Learning objectives for this session include understanding the crucial role of assessment (academic, functional, behavioral, social, communication, interest/vocational, personal satisfaction, etc.) in the goal-setting process, reviewing characteristics of meaningful goals (i.e., SMART goals, etc.), working through a sample goal setting strategy in a self-chosen area, and using a rubric to determine quality of the resulting goal(s), with the outcome that participants will leave with improved advocacy skills and refreshed and optimistic perspectives as they consider the value of thoughtfully setting goals across the lifespan, for their family member with autism, for their families as a unit, and for themselves personally.