Gallup Families With Autism

Iwould imagine that most parents can agree that raising a child is not an easy gig. All the parenting books in the world can’t prepare you for the reality of having your own baby, completely dependent on you. For some parents, though, the experience is even more challenging. For some parents, whose children have been diagnosed with autism, parenting can be a very lonely experience. These parents can’t find help in your typical parenting book.

Family members and friends most likely don’t have experience dealing with autism. And folks on the outside can often make judgments about why a child is struggling that are hurtful to the parent. As one Facebook meme put it, parenting an autistic child is like flying an airplane for the first time, without a manual, in the dark, while all the passengers are telling you what you’re doing wrong. Does that sound stressful, or what?

One out of every 59 children born in the U.S. is diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum. Some will be high-functioning and mainly struggle with social interactions. Others may be non-verbal for life. While individual experiences are very different, all people dealing with Autism have a brain which interacts differently with the world. The messages sent to their brains by their senses can be overwhelming, which cause the child to find different ways of coping. Some cope by ignoring people around them and retreating into their own world. Others have meltdowns, as their frustrations bubble over.

To give another analogy, imagine you are in a foreign city, which is noisy and crowded. It’s after dark and you don’t speak the language. You can’t understand what is happening around you—you know you need to get help from someone but you don’t know how. Life with autism can be like this every day, and annoyances which most people can just shrug off can be the trigger for a meltdown. Bright lights, loud noises, changes in routine, bullying—these all can cause issues when life is constantly stressful. From the outside, it can appear that the child is having a temper tantrum or is just “spoiled.” And the parent of a child with Autism is often confused, scared, exhausted, and fearful of the future.

Our support group, Gallup Families with Autism, wants to help parents in the Gallup area as they make this journey with their child with autism. Our group is made up of parents who are walking this same road and understand. Together we can encourage one another, be a sounding board, offer practical advice, and cheer for the successes!

We are hosting an event during April, which is Autism Awareness Month. Join us at the El Morro Event Center on Saturday, April 27th, from 3:00-6:00pm. The kids are invited! We will have refreshments! Also, please join our Facebook group, Gallup Families with Autism, to find out about our monthly meetings. For more information, please contact Heidi Norton at 360912-1953.