Peer Support Events for Autism Families

The Cause

Many parents/caregivers of Autistic children in the Yellowknife area struggle to find safe and understanding spaces to come together for peer support and social opportunities for our children. Small businesses are supportive where possible, but are unable to reduce capacity of their spaces without participants renting the space out or spending much more money per person. We have been able to rent out play spaces thanks to some families pay for it, or a local business sponsoring a rental.

There is little support and very limited recreational programs specifically for autistic children and families to participate in in Yellowknife. When we have been able to get together for special events, the constant comments from parents are “It is so nice to be with people who just get it” or “I am so glad we were able to have this play time where my child was their authentic self and wasn’t masking.”

This project will support monthly social gatherings for families in spaces and community events that support both the parents/caregivers’ need for creating peer support networks, and children’s sensory and social needs. Events will take place in venues such as:
The SnowKings’ Winter Festival
My World (indoor play gym)
Swimming Pool
Yellowknife Multiplex Gymnastics Center
Opportunities to make art and music
Boat and fishing trip

The project will also include workshops for parents/caregivers, including speakers such as an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Language Pathologist, and/or Early Interventionist. Participants in the group will recommend topics they would like to learn more about. Parents/caregivers will also have opportunities to support their self-care, including through restorative yoga, fitness classes, social opportunities and time on the land.

These events take time, effort and money to bring them together. Most of us are balancing our jobs, therapies and other extra time commitments for our Autistic children, other children in our families and more. We will take turns planning monthly family events and the workshops/self-care opportunities, so that we can share the load.

Who Will it Benefit?

This project will benefit both the parents/caregivers and the children in the participating families. There are very few resources for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the NWT, and many of our families are struggling with issues such as stress, financial challenges due to paying for services and an isolation from other families.

For the parents/caregivers, these events will help to create a peer support network. Currently, there is a casual group of parents who try to get together and provide each other with support.There are no formal programs in the NWT that support the caregivers of Autistic children and the unique stressors we face. While many of us participate in other support groups, our struggles can be much different from that of parents with neurotypical children, and this will provide us more opportunities to come together.

For children, these events will give them time and space to fully be themselves, surrounded by adults who understand them. Our children may receive some formal support through services such as Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and through school, but there are no programs that bring them together to socialize and explore the world in their own ways. This will also give siblings’ an opportunity to create their own peer support network as well.