Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Family
Discovering that your child is on the Autism Spectrum
Lucy and Mark gave birth to their first son, Jon, and couldn't imagine being more happy with their life and their new addition. During the first two years of his life, Lucy and Mark began to notice that Jon did not act like other kids his age; he didn't seem interested in affection or playing with other kids and would not directly look at them. Shortly after his 2nd birthday, Jon was diagnosed with Autism. Lucy and Mark talked of their repeated sadness, grief, and loss of their dreams of raising a "typical" child. They also felt overwhelmed with all of the controversial research on Autism and where to find resources for themselves and their child.
Siblings of children on the Autism Spectrum
Krista and Ted are the parents of two boys, Derek and Luke. Derek is now ten and was diagnosed with Autism at age three. Luke is seven and is a "typical" child. Krista and Ted had been dealing with the immense difficulties of raising a child with Autism and thought they had a pretty good handle on things. Now, they couldn't understand why their "typical" child was behaving so badly at home and started having trouble in school. Krista questioned, "Luke is our typical child, why are we having so many problems with him?!"
Having children on the Autism Spectrum and its effect on the parents' relationship
Lee and Maria have been married for eight years. They tell me that the beginning years of their marriage were full of love, life, and excitement. Three years ago they got devastating news that their daughter has Autism. Through all the doctor visits, self-education, parenting struggles, and countless different treatment approaches, Lee and Maria say they can't even remember what it was like to be in a content, let alone happy, relationship with each other. Now all they do is argue, fight, spend time in opposite ends of the house, and take care of their daughter's needs.
Therapy can help!
While there is a growing amount of resources for individuals on the Autism Spectrum, there continue to be minimal resources for the families of these individuals. Project Aspire recognizes the need to support not only the individuals on the Spectrum, but also their family members. Therapy can be helpful in dealing with the struggles and celebrating the successes related to having a family member on the Autism Spectrum. If you'd like to learn more, please email
info@project-aspire.com or call 612.940.3598.
These are case examples of problems that may be addressed in counseling. All stories are fictional, and no real client names or details are revealed.
