As a father of three sons with autism, I have spent the last two decades in the trenches, often learning things the hard way. I tried innumerable therapies, programs, and interventions—all in the hope of hitting that sweet spot between the things that work and the things that fit into the frantic, explosive reality of parenting children with additional needs. Now that my kids are grown, and The Autism Dad platform is well into its fifteenth year, one of my top prerogatives now in life is helping parents tap into resources and programs that I wish had been available when my own kids were little. Today, I want to briefly introduce you to Autism 360: a new program making waves in the autism community.
What is Autism 360
The idea behind Autism 360 is very simple and yet at the same time, potentially life changing for many families. The goal is to empower parents, provide access to supports, resources, and services, bypass waitlists, and help reduce the financial burden many parents feel when it comes to therapies for their autistic children. All of this is to help families thrive and our kids reach their potential.
Why Autism 360 is Unique
The Autism 360 program has parents taking the lead in intervention by putting them at the helm of their child’s development for a period of 90 days at a time. What really makes this program unique, however, is that everything is highly personalized. Parents will work closely with a team of autism specialists who help devise personalized strategies, tailored to each child’s needs. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air from all the ‘one size fits all’ type solutions out there.
What’s Different About It?
1. Parent-Led Intervention:
What struck me most about Autism 360 is the way in which it empowers parents. I’m all about empowering parents, especially when it helps parents to develop personalized the tools and strategies needed to better manage the everyday parenting challenges that we all face. When parents are supported and have access to these tools, it helps them to be the best possible supporter and advocate for their child.
2. Unique Strategy:
You will set goals together with the multidisciplinary team across skill areas such as communication, social skills, behavioral development, learning skills, and daily living. Through active revisiting and modification, these goals are updated in the course of the program, ensuring your child is always moving forward in a relevant direction. I love this approach because oftentimes, daily life with our kids can feel like it’s constantly changing. Being able to adapt to our kids ever evolving needs is so important because progress is not always linear. We have to be able to adjust course when needed. This is especially true when it comes to our autistic kids.
3. App-Based Tools:
Autism 360 has an independent app through which parents access resources, exercises, and tracking tools right from their finger tips. The app is available on Android and iOS. This integration of technology makes it easier on parents to help their child at home. I’m a huge believer in the use of available technology to help improve our quality of life. Having this level of access to these types of resources will make implementing strategies into your routine much easier.
4. Multidisciplinary Support:
The program offers access to a speech therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, and special educator. This helps you better understand and support all the many facets of your child’s development. The ability to touch base with specialists like this can be invaluable, especially when new challenges arise.
Why 90 Days
One of the intriguing features of Autism 360 is the 90-day timeframe. There are a few reasons for this but basically, parenting is already tough enough. This is designed to yield real progress without being overwhelming. It is long enough to have significant improvements but short enough to maintain focus and motivation. With this approach, the program can zoom in on specific skills during that timeframe, hence making the process manageable and progressive. Think about it—in three months’ time, one can really get down to the nitty-gritty of one aspect of development or another, be it communication, social skills, or daily living skills. Besides, the 90-day structure allows for regular reassessment and goal setting. At the end of every 90-day mark, you get to reflect on the progress made, celebrate the wins—big or small—and if you so choose to continue with the program, set new goals for the next phase.
How Autism 360 Helps Parents
As a single dad to three autistic kids, I know what it feels like to be isolated, unsure of what to do, overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, second-guessing yourself at every turn, and even feeling like life is out of control. One of the best ways to support parents is by empowering them, helping them to help themselves and their kids. I know I sound like a scratched record at this point but the importance of parent empowerment cannot be overstated, and Autism 360 empowers parents.
The Comprehensive Approach
Another thing I really like about Autism 360 is that it takes a well-rounded approach.. Each one helps your child grow in every area of his/her development. It is holistic, as it concerns the whole child, not just addressing symptoms or challenges, and covers everything from foundational communication skills to more advanced social interactions. These range from behavioral challenges and learning cognitive skills, right down to basic daily living skills. This more broad approach helps you to support your child’s needs in every aspect of their life.
Building Confidence:
Autism 360 works to build confidence in parents by equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to be the best possible advocates for their kids. And that makes all the difference, not just to us as parents but to our children, too. When we are more confident in our ability to support our children, it shows. Our kids catch that confidence, and it can’t help but have a positive impact on their self-esteem and willingness to try new experiences. Moreover, the more confident we feel, the better prepared we are to deal with what might be challenging tasks throughout the world of autism-related services and support.
Why Tailored Support Means Everything
The tailored support that Autism 360 provides means so much more than meets the eye. They don’t just throw blanket advice your way. Everything is tailored based on your child’s unique needs. Working with your child’s strengths and around their challenges in a way that makes sense to them is a really cool thing. One-size-fits-all type approach oftentimes doesn’t work with our autistic kids. We need to meet them where they are and in ways that are most helpful to them.
Power of Evidence-Based Approaches
What really impresses me about the concept of Autism 360 is that it emanates from evidence-based practices. This is based on studies that prove parent-mediated interventions may be two to five times more effective than traditional alone therapies. Always interested in the science behind the various interventions for autism, this reassures me that a focus on evidence-based strategies has been emphatic.
Conclusion
If you follow our journey, you know that my kids are much older now. Gavin and Elliott are both adults, and Emmett isn’t too far behind. We’ve navigated many challenges along the way and I’m sure there will be more in the future.
Although Autism 360 was not available when my kids were younger, I’m so excited about what it can do for families today. It’s way beyond a support program, and more of a game-changer for families navigating life with an autistic child. It is all about empowering the parents with confidence and giving them the resources to meet each of their kids unique needs. The focus on parent-led intervention, personalized support, and evidence-based strategies really rings true from everything that I have learned over the years about effective autism support. It truly empowers parents, and most importantly, considers the individuality of each child.
Honestly, I wish this had been around when my kids were younger; it could have made a world of difference. That being said, I am so glad families now have a support system like this. If you are a parent of an autistic child, or if you’re just beginning this journey, check out Autism 360.
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