Parents

FUNDAMENTAL USERS parents

What makes a good therapeutic center for parents?

• Covered drop-off zone • Welcoming entrance & reception • Comfortable waiting room • Easily accessible conference areas • Happy students who want to go to school

What we should know about parents of AERO students?

• Education of parents about the student’s condition, researching effective treatments and care. • Parents often need to cope with higher emotional and physical demands. • Parents often lead discussions on interventions, accommodations and placements. • Parents often have financial issues due to the cost of healthcare and treatment. • Parents often are under great stress due to the demands of their daily life and the care. • Parents often harbor guilt due to the stress of wondering if they are doing enough or if they are getting the best care for their children. • Isolation is a big concern for parents as often they do not have normal socialization patterns due to life demands or fear of criticism nor judgement from others. • Parents often have grief over missing what they had in their minds as the ideal parenting moments they feel they are missing and loss of hopes for their children. • Support groups and parental interaction with others who have similar challenges has been proven beneficial, build a community. • About 40% of Parents of students with ADHD have ADHD themselves. • Screening for parental symptoms has been proven to be helpful to increase children therapy outcomes. • Mothers often have to be treated for depression more than

ADHD. • Autism is often hereditary – passed down from fathers. This often leads to guilt and detachment thus increasing the burden on mothers. • Sometimes parents do not know they are a carrier of a mutation, this often results in guilt. • Self-care and support are critical for parents. • Parents need to identify their limitations and specify their abilities as part of the care model to allow for greater intervention effectiveness.

Figure 20

Figure 21