“To Know That We Are Not Alone”: Social Work with Parents of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Today 1 in 150 American children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), usually before the age of three. There is a strong need for services and supports here in Hawaii for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum and their parents. This disorder does not go away; parents need support, the community needs education and awareness, and professionals need the knowledge to educate parents on what services and supports are available to them. Mothers of autism spectrum children are significantly more stressed than other parents with developmentally disabled children. Types of treatments are endless, expensive, and many are not scientifically proven. Parents become their own researchers on this complex disorder, learning this is a spectrum disorder that affects each child differently. Research has been conducted on the first Leeward of Oahu parent support group for parents of ASD children, demonstrating that a support group was helpful. These issues are explored throughout this article with a vision to decrease and remove the feeling of being alone. When my research began, in December 2006, autism diagnosis rates were 1 in 166 American children. Today, 1 in 150 American children is being diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Today it is estimated that there are about 1.5 million Americans diagnosed on the autism spectru