Autism and Community Support

Support from the people you love is so important. With a child that has autism, community support can be an enormous positive in his life. From activities in the community, events, and even social gathering at a local restaurant or church can be very uplifting. Community support brings awareness to the unique ability of autism, as well as every unique ability of so many individuals! Here are some ways that support can be given to those with autism.

Family

Family is a child with autism’s first support system. When a child in the very younger years is diagnosed as being on the spectrum, the family can help by educating themselves on this disorder. Once they know more about autism and how they can help, family may want to provide different means of support, such as babysitting so the parents can go out for a bit, recommending people they know that may be able to help even more, providing educational toys and cool things the child is obsessed with, and more! I remember for a little while, my son was obsessed with bright yellow school buses, and many family members gave different types of yellow school buses, big and tiny, to our son as gifts!

Teachers

If your child is enrolled in a special education early intervention program, the teachers are an invaluable resource, that’s for sure! Not only do they show love and care for your child, but they can offer ideas and strategies to help at home. I remember going to the speech therapist, who was involved in my son’s early intervention program, and using her “Board Maker”, a software program full of different images which were ideal for social stories and picture schedules. Teachers provide a huge amount of support and can let you use their resources to help at home, which is an absolute Godsend to parents with children on the spectrum!

Local community

The local community cannot be underestimated in helping an individual with autism. Communities have various resources to get your child involved in things that they would not necessarily be involved in. For example, I live in a small community that is very rich in the arts. We have a community center for arts, and they have different workshops. They offer pottery, painting, photography, and more for all children. For the child with autism, this can be a real benefit. Not only do programs provide social interaction, but also provide an outlet for visual talents, which many children on the spectrum may have.

All you need to do is seek out ways to get assistance, and you may be surprised what you find. Watch Tyler’s video to find more ways to receive support from those around you. He offers much insight that can help you find ways to reach out!

To learn how you can access this program and hundreds of other insights that will help you better understand autism, please visit this link.