Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum: How to Make a Tough Job Easier
“Our son has high-functioning autism and ADHD. His behavior is affecting every member of our family. We love him of course, but his meltdowns and tantrums are putting a great deal of stress on our marriage, and his siblings. We have put our resources of time and money towards providing treatment and interventions for him - to the exclusion of other priorities – with no positive outcome thus far. I am beyond burned out. To complicate matters, my parents believe that our son simply needs some old school discipline. They are so out-of-the-loop on what’s going on – it’s heart-rending.” Having a child with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) can be hard on the entire family. Usually one parent (often the mom) recognizes and faces the problem sooner or more readily than the other. Confusion and disagreement can result. For example: Grandparents may blame the parents for not giving enough direct help to the youngster, not doing enough, not being disciplined enough, org