The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

In getting needed services for your child, partnerships with professionals on many levels will be a necessity. In this session, the advantages of establishing and building strong and compassionate partnerships will be presented. As well as how to identify and strengthen some skills needed to form and maintain effective partnerships. Whether it’s working with a doctor, therapist, schoolteacher, administrator or government representative, parents need to learn how to create and maintain good relationships in order to obtain the best outcomes for their children.

Most people associate the word advocacy with carrying a sign and chanting slogans at the state house.  This presentation will attempt to define the different levels of advocacy that exist for parents.  Sitting at an IEP meeting or asking questions about treatment options at the pediatrician’s office or explaining your child’s diagnosis to your extended family are all forms of advocacy, and parents need to learn how to cultivate good advocacy skills.

Partnerships require skills that need to be explicitly developed, and parents need guidance to build competence and confidence in these roles.   In this session, we will explore potential new ways of forming and maintaining relationships; we will examine our reactions to the challenges and opportunities of partnerships; and we will learn how to incorporate new perspectives.

Some of the skills we will cover include:

Getting and checking facts

Getting comfortable asking questions and embracing “I don’t know”

Organizing and preparing; prioritizing issues; objective measurements

Learning to be assertive without being aggressive; controlling emotions

Understanding different perspectives

Listening; Communications; Gratitude

Sharing your story

Learning Objectives: