Using Family Leisure Activities to Support Families Living With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Support for families of children with autism spectrum disorders continues to be important, but formal support groups may not fit every need. The authors describe Family Fun Days, a program that paired leisure activities with opportunities for support. There was an increase in the number of participants over traditional support meetings, communication, and knowledge.   "I am not going to make it unless I speed, and I don't need a traffic ticket on top of everything else," Eileen whispers to herself. She is driving herself and her sons Scott and Kevin, ages 13 and 18, respectively, to an event she has attended for the past 3 weeks and is looking forward to attending again. The event is a Family Fun Day sponsored by a university in the city where she lives. Eileen laments, "If only I had been able to get Kevin dressed more quickly, I would have made it just fine. It's those new clothes. He never likes new clothes. I forgot that he had not worn the clothes before, and they were the only things that were clean." Kevin had been aggressive in his rejection of the clothes; however, with time and patience, Eileen had dressed her son. Consequently, Eileen was later than she ever thought she would be for the Family Fun Day. Eileen states, "Oh well, I know that if anyone will understand, these people will." Just as Eileen begins to relax a little, Scott turns his rap music CD up to full volume on the car stereo. Kevin is delighted, and Eileen thinks she is going to have a migraine.Eileen, a third-grade teacher, is the single mother of Kevin and Scott. Scott is an active seventh grader involved in sports and science clubs. Scott is very popular with his friends. Kevin, who attends high school, is also active at his high school in art and homemaking. He is very extroverted. "He has never met a stranger," Eileen tells others. Kevin was diagnosed with autism after Eileen noticed that he was not becoming verbal as a child. Eileen states, "He just did not talk like the others talked. He would repeat the hamburger commercial song over and over." When Kevin was young, Eileen noticed that he did not understand simple questions and directions. For example, Eileen might instruct Kevin again and again to pick up his toys and put them in a cabinet and he did not understand what she was talking about.As Kevin grew older, he often played with blocks. Eileen summarized the behavior this way: "When he first began playing with blocks, he would play with them for hours. He would always line them up in the same order, and then scatter them.

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

“…Furthermore parents viewed this as an opportunity to learn from each other's mistakes resulting in the growth of parental adaptive coping skills (43). This experiential knowledge gained through interactions with other parents promoted awareness, hope, and an active plan for their child's future, especially during critical periods such as transitioning from adolescence to adulthood (27,33,34,46). (d) Developing social opportunities: The peer support networks allowed parents to interact and connect with one another (7,33).…”

“…This experiential knowledge gained through interactions with other parents promoted awareness, hope, and an active plan for their child's future, especially during critical periods such as transitioning from adolescence to adulthood (27,33,34,46). (d) Developing social opportunities: The peer support networks allowed parents to interact and connect with one another (7,33). These meaningful interactions were responsible for reducing social isolation, promoting social reinforcement and cognitive adaptation to emerging situations (37,44,47).…”

“It’s not a user-friendly system”: Mothers’ realities of raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Vasilopoulou and Nisbet [2] reviewed 12 qualitative articles assessing quality of life for mothers and fathers and described a need for interventions to increase quality of life, specifically physical health. Similarly, Lock, Hendricks, Bradley, and Layton [19] discussed supports like "family fun days" and support groups, although mothers in this study felt support groups did not address their overall needs. In the present study, mothers said support groups relieved feelings of isolation, but they would not necessarily help to solve other needs, such as waitlists, funding, and respite care.…”

A Literature Review and Case Study on the Strengths and Struggles of Typically Developing Siblings of Persons With Disabilities

“…In a search of counseling-related journals over approximately the past 20 years, using the search terms “sibling” and “disability,” only eight articles existed that addressed interventions, supportive activities, or referrals for siblings. Of these, only two articles provided substantive information on interventions with siblings (i.e., Bodenhorn & Lawson, 2003; Layne, 2007) and one provided information on a supportive activity for multiple families including SPDs (Lock, Hendricks, Bradley, & Layton, 2010). Counselors may naturally work with the primary caregivers to help ensure a good foundation for the family (e.g., shared parenting, strong social support).…”