The demands of raising a child with an autistic disorder are great and families frequently experience higher levels of stress, compared to families that do not face such a challenge. Family members, especially parents, are often subject to greater degrees of marital conflict, depression, extended grief reactions, decision-making difficulties, and other family issues that require direct and immediate intervention. Recognizing and effectively accommodating to these unique demands assists all involved, including parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, and friends.
The distinct attributes related to autism, along with the broad variability of specific symptoms, frequency, and intensity of these symptoms, and resulting impairments, makes the experience of raising such a child different and unique for each family. However, there are some consistent themes or issues that most families should be aware of and able to consider, including proper support for their autistic family member.
Families often have to sort through mountains of conflicting and often confusing information and claims regarding potential treatments, interventions, and even proposed cures, a process made all the more complicated by the family’s sincere desire to do everything and anything possible to alleviate the impairments and potential suffering of an autistic family member. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that, like people with many other neuro-developmental conditions, autistic individuals experience increases and decreases in both the severity and frequency of symptoms and impairments, as a natural cycle of the disorder, that may confuse the ability to accurately determine if a particular intervention or strategy is indeed effective. This points to the critical necessity of having reliable research support that takes into account such issues, to evaluate each proposed treatment, intervention, or even possible cure.
NCARE in its entirety is here to assist families in the effort to meet these demands, starting with our Family Support Services, as well as the staff of our Research Department. The staff of Family Support Services is available to both families of students enrolled at the NCARE non-public school, as well as to families of students enrolled at other community schools. Please click on the Family Support Services link, on the NCARE homepage, to learn more about the services we offer.
