As a former teacher, I know first-hand that teaching is exhausting. Before Ethan was born, I taught public school for seven years and often stayed late, took work home with me and still felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day. (And, this was before I was a mother!) So, when Ethan started in PPCD (Public Preschool for Children with Disabilities) almost 5 years ago, I made it a point to help his teachers with as many tasks as they could/would delegate on a weekly basis. With each passing year, my volunteerism at Ethan’s school has fluctuated based on our family (and my work) schedule/responsibilities and on the teachers’ needs for assistance.

On Saturday I participated in an extremely helpful meeting with fellow moms and dads raising children with ASD involved in a support group aptly named: Warrior Parents of Dallas. The group, founded run by Jennifer Talley Keefe, offers excellent monthly meetings with guest speakers and ongoing support via email newsletters and an active Facebook presence. While the group is primarily made up of mothers, there are several active fathers and even a few dedicated therapists who attend on a regular basis. This past Saturday, Jennifer organized a post-conference “roundtable” where parents who attended the Autism One conference in Chicago last week reported our “Top 5 Take-Aways,” shared our impressions and answered questions. The room was packed and the response on Facebook from those who attended was extremely positive. As such, I decided to pass along this stellar idea so that interested parents, therapists and educators across the globe can consider adopting a similar model in the future!

Question of the Day: Can visuals act as a crutch for my child?