SELF CARE FOR PARENTS of Teen or Adult with Autism or Mental Illness

I have found a WONDERFUL FREE Self Care resource for you!!!  It is available worldwide.  I have been personally using it everyday.  WHAT A GIFT FOR PARENTS!!!  Run, do not walk, to the nearest Parents Meeting of Al-Anon in your area!   I have been attending multiple meetings every week for over a year.   It is the best resource I have found for Parents of Youth or Adults with Autism/Aspergers/ADHD/Mental Illness! At those meetings I am learning how to cope with my sons and daughter's autism and mental illness, in ways that are  quality of life enhancing for all concerned .  My children with autism are now ages 17, 19 and 21 years old.  Practicing this program has improved the lives of my entire family. The Al-Anon Literature is very applicable, if you just substitute the word "Autism, Aspergers,ADHD or Mental Illness" for Alcohol or Alcoholic.   This substitution opens up a treasure trove of  valuable coping strategies regar...

Last night we went to visit our daughter in the Psych Ward.   I know, I know, I am the mom who has four children and three of them have autism.   Why am I talking about a Psych Ward?   Well…our daughter (with High Functioning Autism) who is 18, started seeing things that weren’t there and hearing voices a little over a year ago.      This has progressively gotten much worse in the past couple weeks.   To the point where she can no longer tell that these delusions are not reality.   She is living in them all day, now most days.    Disbelief is the term that describes my state of mind, in our surreal drive to the Psych Hospital.   If only this were just a nightmare, that I could be assured that I would soon wake up from.   But,no…[After a few playful face slaps to myself]….No, this is not a nightmare.   I am already awake.   Life is not supposed to go like this!  The visit was very difficult to e...