I feel like all I do is advocate nonstop for every little crumb we get.

EXPERIENCES, THOUGHTS, IDEAS FROM PARENTS OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Our kids couldn’t go on the fifth grade trip this year because there were no paras/support staff. How many kids needed support staff? Let’s say 8. How much would it have cost for 8 paras?  

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We travel over two hours for adaptive skiing, and an hour for adaptive soccer and baseball because our town doesn’t have anything for special needs, even though it’s a wealthy area. They just add the kids to the regular sports, and hope the other kids mentor them and allow them five minutes of play. 

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I heard about OTs in the area running adaptive sports programs around Michigan every summer - are there any organizations or activities therapists know of we can share with the community?

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Ask for a meeting with the special ed director. It may not help you this summer, but hopefully it will create change in the future because they will know there is a need. Or they may be able to give your child a one-on-one or make other adaptive changes.

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Many of our kids would greatly benefit from recreational therapy, social groups with peers, music therapy, art therapy, technology classes. How can we partner with agencies or staff these areas as part of extracurricular programming? 

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Special Olympics have most of their events too far from my home. And they don’t offer transportation. While the local school busses sit empty in a parking lot all summer.

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At my child’s school, gen-ed parents fundraise for their homeroom each year, and use the money towards birthdays, milestones, etc. Are they sharing funds to recognize their autistic peers? My child’s ASD teacher asked me to purchase a game for her classroom as a birthday gift to my child.