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Support Offered
Mental Wellness:
Caring for a child with autism can bring unique emotional and mental challenges. Often, the focus is entirely on the child’s needs, leaving parents feeling isolated and overwhelmed. Whether you’re navigating the early stages of diagnosis, facing system delays, or dealing with daily overwhelm, your mental health is just as important as your child’s development. You don’t have to do it all alone.
Parental Burnout:
Parenting a child with autism often means juggling appointments, advocacy, education plans, emotional support, and more—every single day. It’s no surprise that many parents experience burnout: a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic caregiving stress. You may feel like you’re running on empty—but you are not alone, and your exhaustion is not a personal failure. It's a signal that you need (and deserve) support, rest, and care.
Pathological Demand Avoidance
Characterised by an extreme anxiety-driven need to avoid everyday demands and expectations—even ones that seem minor or routine. It can make parenting especially challenging and emotionally complex. Children with a PDA profile are not being “naughty” or “manipulative.” Their avoidance is often a protective response to anxiety and a need for control. Common features of PDA in young children may include: Resisting everyday tasks, even those they enjoy Using social strategies to avoid demands (distraction, negotiation, pretending) Sudden outbursts or shutdowns when pressured High levels of need for control and sensitivity to perceived authority A surface sociability that masks underlying difficulties PDA is not yet a formally recognised diagnosis in many countries, but awareness is growing, and understanding it can be a game-changer for families.
Effective Communication
Every child communicates—sometimes with words, sometimes with behaviour, gestures, sounds, or silence. For young autistic children, communication can look very different, and that’s okay. The key is to find meaningful ways to connect. Whether your child is non-speaking, has limited verbal language, or speaks fluently but struggles with social communication, there are ways to support them such as: Visual supports (pictures, schedules, signs) to reduce anxiety and support understanding Alternative communication systems such as PECS, Makaton, or AAC devices Simple, clear language paired with gestures or visuals Giving extra time for processing and responding Following your child’s lead in play and conversation Celebrating all forms of communication, not just spoken words Most importantly, I encourage parents to see communication as connection—not just instruction. The goal isn’t perfect language—it’s shared understanding, joy, and relationship. Please note that this is not Speech and Language Therapy and I am not a Licensed Speech Therapist
Managing Challenging Behaviour
All children communicate through their behaviour—but for young autistic children, behaviour can often be their primary way of expressing needs, confusion, or distress. What may look like “challenging behaviour” is often a signal: “I’m overwhelmed,” “I don’t understand,” or “I need help.” These moments can be exhausting, confusing, and emotionally difficult for parents. But with the right understanding and tools, you can respond in ways that are calm, compassionate, and effective.
Emotional Resilience:
Is not about staying strong all the time. It’s about bouncing back, adapting to change, and finding ways to keep going—even on the hard days. Emotional resilience is something that can be nurtured and supported—not expected from you without help.