Autism Support
Georges River Life Care provides a range of services for families experiencing autism. Our services include support groups for parents and social skills groups for children with autism and their siblings.
Support groups meet regularly to help parents cope with managing with autism and navigating the system to get the best outcomes for the children. Different groups target parents with high function and low functioning autism. The groups also provide an opportunity for parents to care for their families and themselves.
Social Skills groups targeted towards primary school aged children meet fortnightly. The groups are designed around activities to help children develop communication, relational and general social skills. The groups also provide opportunity for the children to develop ongoing friendships. The children are also encouraged to use their developing social skills at home with support from their siblings and in other environments such as school and extended family.
Some autism stories from the social skills group feedback….
One parent reported that their child struggled to show any affection at all, shrugging off any attempt by the parent to have any physical connection with them. In fact the child screamed when touched. Following the social skills interventions the child is now engaging more in activities with adults, he now removes himself from conflict rather than escalating it, and much to his parent’s and grandparent’s delight is now becoming more affectionate and regularly hugging them.
Another parent reported that their child was a real loner always wandering around the oval at school on their own during lunch. This child now is actively engaging other children at school and developing friendships. Not wandering alone anymore.