Welcome to 2024! Do you have financial goals for this year to help you pay off debt or increase your savings? Are you just trying to keep your head up when caring for your special needs child? Today on the blog, we are discussing some autism friendly resources that are either free or extremely low cost.
Our Debt Journey
Even with all the resources available to help people pay off debt and get ahead financially, almost no one ever discusses this part of life and how it affects families with children who are autistic or have other special needs. Some examples of treatments and interventions that are common to our families ( right there with you people, raising my hand super high) include speech/language, occupational therapy, ABA therapy, early interventions, specialist medical appointments, and the list goes on and on. I am going to shout it loud from the top of the hill.
Please listen to me well if you are or are related to anyone on the spectrum or a special needs child. IT IS EXPENSIVE!!!!! No matter how much money you have saved or how much wealth you may have built in your past life, having one special needs child on the spectrum ( especially if they are “not yet verbal”) can bankrupt just about anyone. It does not matter how hard the parents work or how or how much insurance or funding the family has. Your financial resources can all come tumbling down quickly, just like this pyramid of cups.
Choosing free or almost free autism resources
Since we just turned the calendar to start 2024 ( wow! that is amazing!), our family has just celebrated 2 years without extra therapy in our home. We loved therapy, but it was costing us so much. Looking at our financial picture, we were quickly working so hard to pay therapy bills, that we were gone from our home a large portion of time. This meant that most of the therapy we were doing couldn’t be integrated into our daily activities since we were so frantically trying to pay and survive. I felt that we were really paying for really expensive nanny services, not because the therapies weren’t great, but because we weren’t investing the time to put the therapies into practice.
The School System
In the U.S., every child living here has access to a free public education. Many children, mine included, have an IEP that legally obligates the educational system and specifically spells out goals and actions taking place to accomplish goals and track progress.
Here I am at our recent IEP meeting.
Public school special education (called exceptional children where we live) provides structured learning environments that also includes speech, language, OT, PT, adapted PE and much more. Tapping in to these resources can be extremely helpful and add much value to your child’s academic experience.
One thing to note here is that it’s not a perfect system. It is helpful to be involved as a parent to make sure the IEP is being followed. You as a parent do have a right to speak up and advocate for your child. But as far as free resources go, this is quite possibly the best place to start. If your child needs an alternate communication device ( AAC), this is often the best resource to get your evaluation completed and work with the school experts for this to get communications devices into your child’s hands. We use the Lamp Words for Life system, which you can learn about here https://lampwflapp.com/.
USE YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
A long time ago, this was often the first place people went to do research. Since the invention of the internet, many people have forgotten about how much is available at your local county library.
Our local library carries several books on autism. I have checked them out often and read them several times through. One bonus about the modern library system is that the online portal of the library system is super helpful. As I research had hear about authors who are writing about autism journeys or therapy providers who are wanting to share their tips, many of the local libraries either already carry the resource or have access to it.
One example of this is an autism therapy expert Kate Wilde. I have not met her in person; however, I have listened to several podcasts where she was the guest speaker ( more on podcasts in the next section). My local library carried her book The Autism Language Launcher and I read it cover to cover. She recently published a new book called Autism Abracadabra in which she shares some ways that she uses practical items to help improve a child’s incentive to interact.
How to Access a Book the Library Does Not Have
I went to the library ( in person) and asked them if they would be willing to purchase the book for the library collection. The librarian filled out a request form for a purchase request and just a few weeks later, I was holding the book in my hand as the first checkout. Some libraries will also do interlibrary loans with other counties that have the title you are seeking.
If you would like to purchase her books for yourself, I have dropped the link for these books at the bottom of the page.
This library system is helpful in another way as well. It allows other families just like us to access resources for free. So in a way, you are also paying it forward to help other families have access to beneficial free autism resources.
The bonus to this is that if you enjoyed the book and think you will use it for reference or to read again, you can purchase the book yourself. I have linked some of my favorite books below.
Podcasts
I am a self-proclaimed podcast junkie. It’s really not my fault. During the 2020 season when the world was shutdown, I still had to commute one hour each way to work daily. No staying at home for me. It was kind of isolating however, and I found the world of podcasts that got me through so many long days. I often listen to podcasts while also doing another activity, especially running. Here I am at a half marathon run with earbuds in while the miles melt away:
In the world of being an autism parent, podcasting is an important tool in navigating the options available to help your child grow. With podcasts, we have access to free information that a person would have previously had to attend pricey conferences to hear. Many podcasters have world renown experts as guests on their shows. If you as a parent can find a great podcast or two to listen on a regular basis, you will often find golden nuggets of info that can help you move forward. When you aren’t sure of the next step. In the search for free or almost free autism resources, this is the most modern and possibly the most valuable free resource.
My Favorite Podcasts
Here are a few of my favorite autism podcasts:
Uniquely Human: The Podcast- Also an excellent book ,( check it out at your local library) Barry and Dave seem to know the right people. Barry has worked with autistic persons or years, and they have many experts on their show weekly. You can listen to their podcast here: https://uniquelyhuman.com/ or click below to get the excellent book Barry wrote.
Autism Parenting Secrets: As parents of a an autistic child themselves, Cass and Len have made it their mission to provide resources to help support parents.Interestingly, they alsoprovide a parent coaching program. Recently they featured our service dog company, 4 Paws for Ability as one of their podcasts guests. You can listen to their podcast here https://autismparentingsecrets.com/.
If you are interested in an autism assistance service dog and would like to read about our journey, we have a 2 part blog posting on this. We are just about to celebrate the completion of our first year with our service dog. It is truly life changing. Read about it here
Part 1: https://faithhealthautism.com/the-journey-to-the-service-dog-part-1/
Part 2: https://faithhealthautism.com/the-journey-to-the-service-dog-part-2/
Here are some of my Favorite Autism Book Resources
Add these to your autism resource library now! These are all low cost resources in book form that give a wealth of direction and information for autism better.
Warrior Mom: A Mother’s Journey in Healing her Son with Autism by Tracy Slepcevic: https://amzn.to/48qUHRq
Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry Prizant: https://amzn.to/41MPy3h
The Autism Language Launcher: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Child Turn Sounds into Simple Conversations by Kate Wilde https://amzn.to/3tP516p
Autism Abracadabra by Kate Wilde https://amzn.to/47rnrb8
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