You did not choose to become the  parent of an ASD child, yet that is your situation.  There are days when you feel like you can’t go on. We’ve all been there and we’ve all survived; many of us have even thrived.  The difference between thriving and  just surviving is how  you  handle the challenge of raising your child and dealing with all that entails.

Based on Chantal Sicile-Kira’s award-winning books, her popular  national presentations and her life experience, this interactive 3-week series of interactive webinars  includes:

• The basics on what you need to know when you have a child with autism
• Resources for more information on various topics
• Opportunity for the participants to  write in or call in  their questions to Chantal.
•  6 hours of training :  2 hours  a week over a three-week period.
• PowerPoints provided before the webinars to help with note taking.
• BONUS:  Transcriptions will be provided of all three webinars to those who sign up

Empowerment 101 : Acknowledging Your Emotions & Taking Care of Yourself

Topics to be covered include learning about the different emotions you are feeling (the Grief cycle) and tips on how to use these emotions to your family’s advantage; the effects of autism on the family including siblings and grandparents;  how to handle the loss of Great Expectations by developing new ones; taking care of  yourself even if you only have ten minutes a day.

Empowerment 102: Adapting to Change  & Developing New Skills

Topics to be covered include  how to adapt to this change in the family;  strategies to be used for coping with life with autism;  practical tips on how to explain about your situation to relatives and friends and how they can help; how to  focus on one step at a time, share the load,  and not get overwhelmed by the big picture; creating  the supports you need for you and your family;  connecting with other ASD parents for positive exchanges of information.

Empowerment 103: Becoming an Advocate for your Child

Topics to be covered include  strategies needed to become an advocate:  How to become an expert on your child; how to know which treatments and therapies would be the best for your child; how to negotiate systems in place for your child’s needs; knowing your rights and responsibilities, an intro to the IEP,  developing good communication skills; creating circles of support.