Parent Support Groups: Finding Community While Navigating Autism and IDD

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Navigating Neurodiversity, the podcast of the ARC Southern Chesapeake.
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I'm your host, Rita Rich, with our ARC's Community Engagement Manager, Elise Horn.
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In October, the ARC launched two different types of parents support groups,
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one called Bridges Forward and the other called Anchor Point.
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We create a safe space where parents and caregivers do not feel like they're being judged.
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They do not feel like they're being scrutinized. They feel free to really say
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what's on their mind. So we create that inviting environment for all of our
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support group meetings.
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And we make sure that we let our participants know at the beginning of each
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meeting that this is a safe space.
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Do not feel like you are going to say something wrong. We're not going to judge you.
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And we're here just to listen and to support and problem solve if we need to and share resources.
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So we make sure to establish the environment at the beginning of each meeting.
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And I'm so excited for these two support group meetings that we are starting
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up for the ARC Southern Chesapeake. And we are going to make sure to do the
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same at the beginning of every single meeting.
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Elise says that these support groups will be scheduled every two to three months
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and that parents can find out more about them through the ARC Southern Chesapeake's
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website and on its Facebook page.
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Bridges Forward is the name of the group that aims to help parents and caregivers
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of those leaving the public school system and help families navigate the what's next.
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The second support group is called Anchor Point to help older parents whose
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children have entered their middle and senior years.
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We do have a support group that will help parents and caregivers for the transitioning
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youth age, But we also have a support group that will help parents who are caring
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for adults with IDD and included in some of the.
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Wide range of topics that we will be covering how to effectively care for your adult child.
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So waivers and finding a provider if you need services for your adult loved
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one, but a guardianship even.
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So there are a lot of topics that even if the parent wasn't aware that these
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services existed when their loved one was younger, we are going to make sure
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to let them know in the support group meeting.
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And that's the great thing is that it's not just a support group meeting,
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but we are also going to bring in experts on different topics that are pertinent to that age group.
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We're not just supporting the parents and caregivers emotionally,
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but we're also going to bring in experts to help them with these challenging
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topics that they may not be aware of for their loved one's age group.
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Elise and I talked about her expertise in setting up support groups like Anchor
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Point and Bridges Forward, where she calls home Charles County.
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Before we hired you, you were doing a lot of that stuff, but on your own,
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just as a parent in Charles County. Can you explain to me your background,
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what you had to do and why you had to do it?
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Absolutely. That's a wonderful question.
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So my journey started at the birth of my son. He was diagnosed at age two.
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And when he was diagnosed, my husband and I didn't know anyone else who was
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caring for a loved one with autism. Therefore, we felt a little isolated as
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we were trying to navigate the journey alone.
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And it was isolating. It was a little discouraging at times, overwhelming as well.
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And fast forward to a couple of years later, 2021, I was having lunch with a
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friend and we were discussing how we felt like there was a void in Charles County as far as support.
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And we were thinking, you know, well, if no one else is going to lead something
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like this, I guess it's up to us, you know.
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So we took it upon ourselves to create the Charles County Autism and Developmental
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Disabilities Parent Support Group. And that was October 2021.
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And it's been a wonderful, just a safe space for us parents and caregivers to
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come together and share our struggles, our triumphs, resource share.
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We also it's a no judgment zone.
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So we feel very supported. It's just a safe space for us to be able to connect
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and build our community.
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We also offer family fun events where our kids can come together and make friends
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and us parents can join together and create that support system.
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We also offer mom's night out, dad's night out. So it's just a wonderful,
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you know, community that we've been able to build in Charles County.
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Like most parents of recently diagnosed kids with IDD, their health insurance
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company provided a case manager who helped her and her husband start out on their journey.
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But it's the reassurance that parents give one another that she says helps build
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community and a feeling of finding your own people who are sharing your journey.
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Through this support group, I've learned many different services from these
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other wonderful parents. So we're all resource sharing together.
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I'm learning so just as much if not more from these parents as they are for
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me I guess I want to know your magic pill What's your secret to being able to
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juggle everything you're trying to do for other people as well as for your own?
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Wow, that's a that's a loaded question, but a very good one. So it it's taken time.
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OK, you know, to be honest, it's taken time to learn that balance.
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Right. Because with anything where where you are kind of almost taking on emotions
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and hearing, you know, stories that sometimes they're great and sometimes they're just
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absolutely devastating and you're taking that in all the time.
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You also have to kind of like separate at some point
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and just focus on some self-care a little bit sometimes and just to recharge
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and energize again, because it can become kind of heavy sometimes,
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you know, being, you know, leading a support group sometimes and listening to these stories.
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But how, you know, but once I, you know, just find time to recharge,
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you know, a little bit of self-care, I can get refreshed and just be able to,
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you know, go, go, go right back in, you know.
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So that's something that I've had to learn over time, though.
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Navigating Neurodiversity is a podcast of The Arc Southern Chesapeake.
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Thanks for listening to us on any of your favorite podcasting apps.
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And by way of our website, arcsoch.org. Please leave us some stars or submit
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a review. We'd love to hear from you. I'm Rita Rich.