Parent Coaching

Our Approach

Autism Coaching was built on a simple idea - that parents and families are far more powerful and capable than they often realize. At the same time, their unique ability to support their children’s development is frequently unrecognized and greatly underestimated.

We have spent the last 32 years working with autistic children, adolescents and their families and training providers, and here’s what we’ve learned:

• Parents are already doing their absolute best to raise their autistic children. Period. They don’t need to be “fixed” or “trained” to be better. They don’t need to be pushed to “comply” with a program or set of techniques they don’t understand, or that don’t feel right or helpful to them.

• Every single child, parent and family member has strengths, skills, talents, and capabilities that are too often overlooked by well-meaning professionals.

• For many reasons, everyday interactions and activities can be more difficult and stressful for autistic children and their parents and relatives. As a result, a child’s participation in family life can decrease and family relationships may become more strained and distant.

So, what’s the solution? What do children and their parents most need?

Parents often hear that the only effective solution is many hours of (and many thousands of dollars of) intensive behavioral therapy with trained professionals.

At Autism Coaching, our experience (and many years of research) has taught us that parents and families are actually the key to their child’s lasting progress and development. As a parent, part of you knows this intuitively. Deep down inside you may still believe that the most important person in your child’s life is YOU!

So, what can we do for you as a parent and how do we do it?

Autism Coaching’s approach is incredibly simple and straightforward - we use simple tools and strategies to bring out the very best in children and parents.

Autism Coaching maximizes your ability to help your child develop through everyday interactions. We do this by helping you:

• Recognize and build on the strengths, skills and capabilities you already have

• Understand your child’s unique abilities, challenges and ways of communicating, and what he/she most needs to build relationships and have a successful life

• Strengthen how you and your child communicate together, deepening your bond and enhancing your child’s confidence, social and emotional development

So, how does Autism Coaching actually work?

Have you ever recorded a “home movie” or video of you or someone else interacting with your child? If so, you’ve already had a taste of Autism Coaching. Research shows that videos of parents and their children interacting together can reveal powerful insights and strategies that greatly strengthen parent-child communication and interaction. Over the years, we’ve found that reviewing video of everyday interactions is a uniquely effective tool to help parents see for themselves how they and their child communicate most successfully with one another.

Parents find that watching videos with an Autism Coach who has total confidence in their ability to connect with their child is an “eye opening” experience. Parents often shift from feeling “stuck”, frustrated and discouraged to experiencing a new sense of confidence, hope and possibility in their everyday interactions and relationship with their child.

What results can parents and families expect from Autism Coaching?

• Greater understanding of your child’s strengths, challenges and potential

• Interactions with your child feel easier, more successful and enjoyable

• You and your child interact more often and for longer periods of time

• Greater trust and confidence in your ability to support your child’s communication and social development

• Ability to respond with greater ease & effectiveness to challenging situations

• Your child participates more in everyday family life

• Stronger, closer family relationships

• Less parental stress, frustration and discouragement

• Renewed hope in your child’s ability to grow, learn and succeed