Dealing with Parent Anxieties in Home Care
There is a family I have been working with for about six months now. The little girl, although not officially diagnosed, displays many red flags for autism. In addition, she has an older sibling who also displays many similar signs although at a slightly less intense level. The little girl I see is also receiving therapy from an occupational therapist and a special education teacher or Special Instructor, as we call them in our county. In reality, she needs more therapy at a greater frequency; however requesting additional services has created battles within the county.
In addition to these existing issues, the family dynamic at home is less than ideal for any child, let alone a child who is demonstrating signs of autism. Despite a somewhat cool summer and now beautiful fall weather in our little part of the world, the doors, windows and shades in this home are always tightly drawn. No fresh air, no sunlight is able to peek through at any time. To add to this situation, whenever any of the three therapists arrive, the little girl jumps in her stroller as if to say, "Let's GO!" She is completely nonverbal at this stage in her life, but her actions tell the story of her reality.
This past week, I suggested to mom that she and I take her little girl one block down the street to the neighborhood park for our speech session. The weather was beautiful and I thought this would be a perfect baby step for this mom to take. She declined with a myriad of reasons and I didn't push; however I suggested that we revisit the plan this week when I returned.
We discussed the importance of providing various community-based opportunities for her child so that she can work on her play and socialization skills. In addition, we discussed ways that she can independently provide these opportunities for her children. Local venues such as the library, parks and the YMCA are all viable options for this family and would be safe, inexpensive ways to spend some time in the community.
I am looking forward to my visit this week and am hoping we can take our long overdue visit to the neighborhood park. Talking with this mom last week confirmed for me that many layers of fear, depression and anxiety lurk beneath the surface, but as the next year of therapy progresses I hope we can begin to chip away at these issues and create a new reality for this mom and her family.