My Hope For You: Growing Connection and Peace for Parents of Autistic Children

Over the years, I’ve met with hundreds of parents and heard their struggles and obstacles. I’ve also had the pleasure of building and sustaining a connection to families and witnessing growth within children and parents.
 

With all these observations and experiences, I have learned that there is a different way to parent than the one most of us are taught to adhere to. A way of parenting that is more peaceful, calm, and connected. You can live the life that you wanted when you first had your child.

It is still possible. There is hope!

My main motivation to create services in the online world comes from what I have learned in 20 years of working with autistic children (and other children with other additional needs), as well as institutions such as schools and daycare centers and the community. I have worked with children and parents from both an administration and frontline perspective.  

In one of my roles, I was a Behavior Consultant working with families who had children with disabilities. I remember telling parents just to endure meltdowns, just to implement these strategies, and just do everything they can for their child to thrive. And family after family, I would see that this was such a challenge. I wondered if I was not giving clear enough information. I thought I was giving information that was helpful to the child, knowing maybe there was a simple missing link. To be honest, I had a little judgment toward these families. I couldn’t understand why a family couldn’t do something as simple as… waiting.

Then I had my own children…

…and then suddenly, that “aha” moment came to me.

I realized that parents are so much more than just parents. A parent is, in my mind, a type of superhero. In addition to loving and teaching our children, we’re expected to meet so many societal pressures with unrealistic expectations of what parenting should look like, of what a child should look like, act like, and be like. In addition to this, we have to do other things like keeping our house clean, cooking meals, and working and don't forget you must appear “put together” all the time… There is SO MUCH PRESSURE on parents. Being a parent is more than a full-time job. It’s all of that plus ten.

For parents of a child with special needs, the pressure, expectations, and demands are even more intense. From outside sources, not only social media but multiple professionals, teachers, extended relatives, and random strangers, you are getting unsolicited advice and recommendations about how to support your child. Sometimes these ideas work, but more often they don’t. The one thing that is the most consistent is that parents of children with special needs are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. You feel like you’re not enough. You feel like you are failing… you’re not. These expectations of you are unfair. I know because I have experienced these feelings too.

You deserve better. This is not what we signed up for as parents. I felt the same as many of you - depleted, and frustrated. And that’s when I began to dig deep.

I knew there had to be a different way. A better way to parent.

My training in RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) gave me a toolkit of proven processes that support brain development and achieve the outcomes that families want for their children. I teach parents how to sustain motivation and trust in the process of parenting, how meaningful this is, and how we can create learning moments in every single part of the day.

Let’s normalize real parenting and let go of labels and remove these unrealistic “to-do lists” for parents.

With the knowledge and experience of my own journey both as a parent and throughout my career training, I've learned how to create a more peaceful parenting experience. I’ve done this while still raising my own two children, being a wife and entrepreneur, coaching other parents, and continuing to learn. You can do it too.

My hope for you is that you can feel empowered and hopeful again as a parent. I want to support you as you connect with and support your child no matter their diagnosis.

I want parents to feel the joy that happens when they begin to see their children successfully navigating their journey in life. I’m here to share and guide you as you implement practical and effective strategies that will support your child’s behavior and growth. You will learn to guide and provide choices.

Parenting isn’t easy but it can be so rewarding. Your child’s diagnosis doesn’t have to mean ongoing additional stress or struggles.

With simple, intentional strategies, we can promote change and also support positive behavioral changes. I love to guide parents through the RDI process. I’m here to support you as you gain skills and resources to help your beautiful child thrive.