“Would you like to surround yourself, and your child on the autism spectrum with a team of supportive people, who can help you implement The Son-Rise Program®? This article from the Autism Treatment Center of America® will help you get started in creating an amazing Support Team for your child.
“Some of the benefits of creating a Support Team for your child:
● “Your child will be able to spend more hours in The Son-Rise Program Playroom, being loved, bonded with and encouraged to grow. More hours in the playroom = more opportunities and more progress.
● “Having an autism support team behind you, will allow you to create camaraderie and gain inspiration. A Support Team will help you share the triumphs and
challenges of raising your child on the spectrum and become more effective at running a Son-Rise Program.
● “Your child will be exposed to different personalities and talents. This will help them increase their social flexibility and give them more activities to engage in.
● “You will have more time available to you to take care of other responsibilities. This could be cooking, spending time with your spouse or other children, or practicing self-care.
“Three Ways to Begin Creating Your Child’s Support team:
1. “The first step to creating your wonderful team is to believe that it’s possible. There are people who would love to come and volunteer for you. Research shows that over 1 billion people volunteer worldwide. And, in the USA alone, one in four people volunteer. Also, the number of volunteers exceeds the number of unemployed people in six out of ten of the world’s largest countries.
2. “Be willing to explore each and every avenue available to you. Make a list of all of the places and outlets you could use to ask for people to join your team.This could begin with friends, family members and neighbors. Then you could expand to what is in your area, such as local businesses, your place of work, universities and colleges, places of worship, theater groups, libraries, gyms,
wellness centers, local media (such as Radio station and newspaper), social media, email groups, and volunteer-work websites. Try not to censor yourself or shut down ideas as you write your list.
3. “Take Action – get the word out!
• “Create a fun and eye-catching poster to distribute and then post it in all the
places you wrote from the list above.
• “Write a heart-warming email to all your contacts asking for support.
• “Post advertisements online and in volunteer forums.
• “Write to your local radio station, or newspaper, and ask others to spread the
word.
• “Consider doing a presentation in your community wherever people gather
together.
“Running a Son-Rise Program can be a community event. Take some time to reflect on some special moments you have had with your child in the playroom. Think of some specific changes your child has made that you feel proud of. Include these examples in your presentation, posts, and emails… as well as when you are speaking to people.
“Some further inspiration for you:
“No matter where in the world you are located or how old your child is, it is ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE for you to create a Support Team. We have been able to witness hundreds upon hundreds of families from all over the world do it, and you can do it too!
“I knew a family who lived on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. They had two children on the autism spectrum. Not only did this family run two Son-Rise Programs simultaneously, but they had two separate Support Teams who came to their home each week. What’s more? The only way to get to this family’s home was by boat! Yes, two separate teams of people, taking a boat to the island to spend time with each of these children.
“Now I leave you with this parting thought… As a person who has volunteered in six different Son-Rise Programs… and I have spent over 9 whole years of my life volunteering each week, with different, wonderful children (of all ages), I have grown exponentially as a person. I have learned to love without conditions, to become more creative, to let go of judgments about myself, and grow into a more confident and playful person.
“Now, go and create your Amazing Support Team – we will be thinking of you!”
Becky Damgaard, Senior Son-Rise Program Teacher