Financial struggles plague families of children with autism, according to a study by Deanna Sharpe, associate professor of personal financial planning in the University of Missouri’s College of Human Environmental Sciences and the mother of an autistic son. Science Daily quotes Sharpe, who says
“It is important for us to hear the voices of families who have financial struggles. There is strong pressure to do everything you can for your child. However, there is a great potential for families to spend a lot of money on therapy or new ideas that may be ineffective. Careful evaluation of therapies is …read more

Autism alters lives, but parents feel “blessed”, reports an article about a family in McAllen, Texas. Patrick and Sylvia Hamilton’s son Michael is 23. While they worry—as many, and perhaps all, of us do—about resources and opportunities as children get older, the Hamiltons have no regrets.
“Special children are born into special families,” Sylvia said. “We’re highly blessed.”
And special families, like the Hamiltons, do a lot to help their children with disabilities long into their adult years.
The constant need for care changes the course of all of their lives.
The scope of that impact varies with the severity of the disability. Many …read more