New Book Shows How To Stand Up For Your Autistic Child
For parents and caregivers of children with autism, the many twists and turns in navigating needed support and therapy can be a daunting process. Those in receipt of a new autism diagnosis seldom have a clear set of steps to undertake, frozen with grief and shock. And those that have lived with their child’s diagnosis for years can, nonetheless, find the levels of bureaucracy numbing and difficult to traverse as their child grows and needs change.
Areva Martin comes with answers. In her book The Everyday Advocate: How to Stand Up for Your Autistic Child, she lays out a means for parents to better grapple and fight for their children’s rights. Mother of a son with autism, and Harvard educated lawyer by profession, Martin’s book sets aside the debate of the causes of autism and instead digs into the much needed topic of services identification and classroom and medical care evaluation. Written in a clear, personal manner with references, checklists and summaries at the end of each chapter, the reader quickly begins to construct a sense of the elements of advocacy.
The book is divided into three main parts. The first area addresses getting a diagnosis, working through the shock/grieving process and the elements of self-advocacy. The second section focuses on personal advocacy, avoiding isolation and balancing your career while advocating for your autistic child. Finally, the last section details public advocacy, navigating therapy and educational decisions and other legal consultation areas. Also included are various appendixes that provide sample letter forms and a student self-monitoring IEP worksheet.
In many cases, parents give up the fight, or merely hand off responsibility to others to help advocate for their child. While professional advocates can indeed be valuable resources at times, knowing how to properly advocate – knowing what to look for, how to take the needed steps – for your autistic child can be a godsend. Martin’s book can serve as a standard “go to” resource for parents with children with ASD across the country. As Martin writes, “Know that you’re on a steep learning curve and will not be able to master everything overnight. All you can do is your best. If you take responsibility where you can and resolve to improve, you will make a positive difference.”
Brian Field is the National Autism Examiner