Golfing World Video of 3rd Annual Pro-Am [DFW Autism Charity]

December 6, 2017By

We wanted to share Golfing World‘s video coverage of our 3rd annual Maximum Chances Pro-Am golf tournament this past year.  We are very grateful for their help highlighting what we do here at Maximum Chances, and it was great to have the support of our fellow golfers!  We look forward to our golf tournament each year and love seeing how many people come together to support us.  To learn more about how you can get involved with our big day give us a shout.

 

 

 

 

Going to College with Autism [Colleyville Texas Autism Charity]

August 30, 2017By

Last year at Max’s 7th grade ARD meeting, (meeting where educators and parents discuss and strategically plan the education plan for the child with special needs) they asked him what he would like to do when he left high school.  He replied “well NFL, obviously.”  The special education lady looked doubtful and asked what his back up plans were should he NOT become an NFL player and he said “fine, I’ll just be an engineer.”  I found this exchange amusing and intriguing.  His back up plan was that he would like to study engineering and we’re already trying to prepare him to think about becoming part of the workforce.  At the time I thought it seemed very early to do but now I realize it’s amazingly forward thinking because trying to prepare kids on the autism spectrum for college involves a lot more than their neurotypical peers.

Check out this fantastic article we found, which is written from the perspective of 21 year old Vassar junior Zoe Gross.  She describes the transition to college is so much more complex for people with autism, the LEAST of it being, in her opinion, the social issues.  She explains that managing the independent aspects of life at college like living in a dorm/apartment, scheduling homework and assignments, making sure she eats properly, showers regularly are FAR more critical than even thinking about making friends.

People with autism often have impaired executive functioning which affects their daily life in a way their peers haven’t thought about it years.  One girl describes how she was hit by a car TWICE in college.  On one of the days she describes being completely overwhelmed with her emotions after getting into an argument, along with the noise and the crowds and she experienced tunnel vision and didn’t even see the car coming until it hit her.  This one particularly scares me as I see this happening with Max.  Just this morning I dropped him at school, not in the drop off lane for a change and watched as he crossed the road IN FRONT of a car that he simply hadn’t noticed!  I find we constantly have to go over  safety issues with him that most 10 year olds have mastered. Then I’m supposed to just send him off to college or let him get a drivers license??????  I can’t even imagine!!!

Apparently over the next 5 years, an estimated 200,000 teenagers on the autism spectrum will be aging out of the services they currently receive in the public school system.  Many of them could be seemingly high functioning but have invisible disabilities that will become highlighted when they go off to college on their own without a parent or caregiver looking out for them.  How will the college system and the newly created adults themselves cope with this huge number of people who need more consideration when trying to immerse them into their next stage of life? I have no answers at all yet sadly. It’s something I will have to think about over the next few years and try to be proactive in the mean time.

Enjoy the article and feel free to send any of your own experiences for us to learn from!

Navigating the Teen Years With Autism [Colleyville Texas Autism Charity]

February 17, 2017By

So Max will be 14 in a few months. The teenage angst has set in and he’s becoming even MORE black and white in his opinions if that’s possible.

I definitely didn’t think ahead to what puberty would look like in a high functioning child with autism. Max is my oldest so I had no frame of reference on what a typical child looks like in their teenage years. Aspergers paired with puberty looks REALLY REALLY inflexible. He has become an authority on many many things. He played football for the first time this year at school. All his spare time is now spent watching videos of past plays, researching stats of football stars and repeating them to everyone. He is pretty sure he will go on to become a professional NFL player.  You have to admire that kind of confidence.

He has struggled to complete chores such as bed making, loading the dishwasher and making sure lights are turned off. A few months ago I had called upstairs to him to ask him to make his bed. When I went to his room 20 minutes later he was sitting next to his unmade bed. When I asked why he hadn’t completed his task he said he made a judgement call that he would be getting back into it in just a few hours and there didn’t seem to be any point. He was not joking. He said that the problem with doing chores is that he doesn’t get any direct benefit from it. Most teens at this age might think that but would know better than to say it out loud. Some of this seems really funny when he says it But the reality is, he doesn’t understand emotion or the concept of doing things for others. There is no big picture in his view.

The flip side is that he never gets his feelings hurt when he is not invited parties. He never feels left out or worries about peer pressure. That in itself is such a gift. His anxiety has definitely increased however over the last year and a half, most of it comes from not if or when he has some free time and increasing demands with school work. That can stress him A LOT!

That said Greg and I realize how amazing Max’s progress is. You really never know when your non verbal child is diagnosed with autism what they will be able to do. Will they go to regular school, be mainstreamed with other kids,have a job, live at home with you forever? And remember for lots of kids on the spectrum, that reality may never come for their familiars and their lives a so difficult on a daily basis. I remind myself every day we are extremely lucky we are that Max has responded so well to the things we have done with him. There are thousands of parents out there who have done just as many therapies and treatments as we have, if not more and for whatever reason their kids have not responded to them. It can be such a frustrating journey in that regard!
If you have any stories of your autism journey and navigating the teenage years, we would love to hear them!

Happy Friday
Nicole and Greg Chalmers

The Mills Family [North Texas Giving Day 2016]

September 11, 2016By

With the North Texas Giving Day coming up this September 22nd, we wanted to share with you an example of how much of an impact your donations have on the lives of others.  All of our donations go directly to helping get care to these children in need, and in a lot of cases the families themselves have overcome great challenges before finding us!  One of these instances is the Mills family.  Their story is quite remarkable and we are overjoyed to be able to help their sweet son Shane, especially after all his father, Sonny, has done for our country!   Shane has autism and has been unable to speak his whole life.  His sister is also deaf, and his father, Sonny, is a retired Marine and a disabled veteran.  The dad, Sonny, was wounded severely in Fallujah, Iraq by an RPG and forced to retire because of the severity of his injuries  As a retired Marine and disabled veteran, the family relies on Tricare for coverage of medical services.  Because Sonny is retiree, Shane’s ABA therapy care is not covered by Tricare.  As a result, the family faces out of pocket costs of nearly $5,000 a month!  They sold their home to pay for the medically recommended ABA treatments for Shane.

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We are trying to increase their exposure to different types of therapy.  So far, we at Maximum Chances have been able to provide funding for bio medical treatments at The Kotsanis institute for Shane and  just approved them for an auditory training program which he will greatly benefit from!   These training treatments are to improve his communication skills at home and at school.  He still doesn’t talk just yet, but has been increasing his signs.  Shane has also been more engaged at school and is starting to do more things for himself.  Shane’s father, Sonny, feels that the diet and supplements introduced have been helping too, which is great!

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We are doing all we can to help contribute to getting Shane the treatment he needs to thrive.  We go through an astounding amount of applications to help families just like the Mills’ and do our very best to get them the help they truly deserve!  No amount of help is too small and we, and families like the Mills’ are forever grateful for everyone who helps them.

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Here is a little excerpt from their biography Sonny has shared with us.

MILLS FAMILY BIOGRAPHY:
Lance Corporal Hardy Mills was born in Azle, TX and raised in Millsap, TX.  He grew up playing football and hunting with his dad.  His father was also marine and was the inspiration to Hardy joining the Marines.  In December of 2002, he joined the U.S. Marines, and deployed to Iraq with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in January 2004.  On June 29th of that year, in the city of Fallujah after Operation Vigilant Resolve, one of the bloodiest engagements of the war, he was on top of a gun truck when he and a fellow Marine were struck by a mortar. He was knocked unconscious and woke up with a hole in his back, and covered with blood.  For several days after the attack, he was unable to hear due to the explosion.  His injuries included a lacerated spleen, broken scapula, severed leg artery, both lungs collapsed, infections, and severe burns among others.  The doctors said that he would probably not live through the night due to a tremendous loss of blood.  After being evacuated to Germany he went through three surgeries and then to Bethesda, Maryland where he went through more surgeries, including multiple skin grafts.  It was there that he was told that he would never walk again, but he proved them wrong.
His numerous awards include the Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Unit Citation, and and a letter
of appreciation coming from President Bush.  Lance Corporal Mills has retired from the Marine Corps in late 2006 and now lives with his wife Danielle and children Shane and Madelyn in FT Worth, TX.  After retirement they found out Shane has autism and is unable to speak.  Madelyn was born deaf as well.   In 2011 their insurance was not picking up the autism treatment they then had to sell their home to pay for his therapy.  In 2013 Autism Speaks heard about the family’s struggles and what Hardy had done for his country they decided to step in and do a documentary on the Mills family. The film was called Sounding the Alarm after going to the Tribeca Film Festival and meeting Robert Deniro the popularity grew and later became a hit on Netflix.  Danielle his wife is very involved in Shane’s and Madelyn’s treatments and is an amazing wife and mother. They both involved with Shane’s cub scouts and attending gymnastics practices with their daughter Madelyn. They look forward to settling down and start living a normal life.
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 By contributing to Maximum Chances you are helping all of the families in our program, like the Mills Family, and enabling us to add even more deserving families to the list!  Here is the link to our North Texas Giving Day page, where on September 22nd ONLY, you will be able to donate to this link, giving us the opportunity to get bonus funds from NTXGD organization!

 https://northtexasgivingday.org/npo/maximum-chances

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If you’d like to help today, you may also donate directly to us via this link – Maximum Chances Donation Page

First Day of Kindergarten [DFW Autism Charity]

August 22, 2016By 1 Comment

MAXimum Chances would love to share a story of an amazing little boy and his incredible milestone!  Today our first Maximum Chances child at the Journey Learning center is headed off to school.  Gorgeous Brooks is starting kindergarten!  Now obviously that’s a milestone many children will begin today, but for Brooks, and many children on the spectrum, this is a big step.  He was largely non-verbal until just a year ago!  Diagnosed with autism around the age of 2, Brooks has worked incredibly hard to get where he is today.  He has been at the wonderful Journey Learning Center for more than 18 months, attending 5 days a week and nearly 8 hours a day.  He has learned to count, say and write his name, set the lunch table and interact with his little friends as well as the teachers.   Imagine learning 5 years of life skills in such a condensed period of time like that!

Sending a child on the autism spectrum off to school where they will largely be integrated with a mainstreamed classroom is such a dream for many parents.  Brooks is an amazing warrior and the incredible staff at Journey have worked so hard with him.  No doubt this is incredibly rewarding for them to see him be so successful.

We stopped by the Journey Learning Center on his last day to congratulate him and take some pictures of him having fun with friends.  He is such a joy to be around, and that smile is quite infectious.  Congrats to Brooks and his family, we are so happy to be sharing in this wonderful day with you!

For more information on the Journey Learning Center, visit their site, http://www.journeylearning.org

Learning Center for Autism

Above is Brooks with all of his friends eating lunch!  And below is one of his favorite activities, riding his bike, and playing on the playground.

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One of the activities he worked on was journaling about his day.  Here he is copying the sentence “I cut a hat,” talking about how he made a graduation hat earlier in the day.  Look at that gorgeous handwriting!

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Goofing around making everyone smile. 🙂

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We couldn’t be prouder of you Brooks!  We can’t wait to see where life takes you!

Learning Center for Autism

Back to School [Tips for a Successful School Year with Autism]

August 17, 2016By

The countdown to school in Texas is on! In another week, the sleep ins are over and the schedules are back. For lots of parents, particularly those who have a child with autism, the return of a scheduled day is welcome. However the transition of actually returning to school can be challenging and anxious for the children AND their parents.

Back to School Autism
I know that when Max starts school each year, I am always a little nervous about what the year might bring. Last year when he started middle school was EXTREMELY stressful….from my end! 

Back to School Photography

If your school is open to it, your child might benefit from a visit to the school BEFORE it is over run with children coming for meet the teacher. They might be able to meet THEIR teacher (or teachers) in a more quiet setting so it’s not such a sensory overload. Communiaction with teachers will be very important. Kids with autism in a public school will have an IEP and so all teachers should be fully informed BEFORE your child arrives but many teachers appreciate any tips parents might have to help make the transition to a new school year easier. Writing your own social story about the school day with your child can be a great way to prepare them for how each day should look.

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Try and start the school routine before the weekend before school if possible. Sleep is key and adjusting bedtimes and starting morning routines as early as possible may help their adjustment to the school year.

If you have concerns about your childs social interactions with their peers it might be really helpful to reach out to other kids for playdates BEFORE school starts if it is an option. Many schools also have great social skills groups they incorporate with other typical children during class time which is helpful as the school year continues.

For non-verbal children, lots of visual support is essential. Social stories are really helpful here along with pictures. If you can map out the day with photos (example, waiting for the bus, getting on the bus, walking to their classroom, finding their chair, sitting in the cafeteria opening their lunch box) hopefully that will make the transition back to school a little smoother.

Obviously as parents and caregivers we are all usually anxious about a new school year, try to stay positive in front of your kids so they don’t see your stress. It’s enough that they try to manage their own! Hopefully many of us have a great support network but if you don’t PLEASE reach out to us here, we would love to help!

Here’s to a great school year!

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Family Trips and Vacations with Children Who Have Autism – It CAN be an enjoyable time!

June 18, 2015By

Vacation with a child who has autism MAXimum ChancesSo school is out for many local students, and families everywhere are planning their summer vacations. Whenever traveling with children, there is a myriad of unexpected challenges that can happen, but even more so when one of your children has autism.

Many families who deal with autism have let go of the idea that they can have a fun family vacation, and have reserved themselves to just staying home… all the time. They eat at home, play at home, and do everything they can to avoid the public eye. It can be very stressful to deal with the anxiety that hits when you know a behavioral outburst could be just around the corner. When life only takes place in the confines of your home, the desire becomes even greater to break free and change up the pace a bit with the thought of a family vacation where you can get away from it all.

However, if you have not had a lot of public experiences that involve your child with autism, it is not a wise idea to jump right into a family vacation far from home and expect everything to go smoothly.  Start small, and begin to take your entire family regularly out to a restaurant that can accommodate your needs, or at the very least, go have a picnic in a park.

Once you have mastered those with relative ease, then it’s time to have a half-day outing to the zoo, an aquarium, the arboretum, or even an overnight camp out where you can begin to acclimate your child with autism to the idea of a longer trip away from home.

Once you feel your family is ready to hit the road for a vacation, you can make the most of any situation and have as restful and memorable a vacation as possible by being properly prepared. To help, we have pulled together some tips to help smooth the way.

  1. Begin with the end in mind. Choose a vacation destination that has your child with autism in mind – and everyone will have a much better time. Although some places may be great fun for you and other siblings, it won’t be fun for anyone when difficult behaviors emerge due to sensory overload.
  2. Prepare the family in advance. Setting the expectations for what will be happening is key to successful travel.
    • Prepare Yourself. You have most likely learned what the triggers are for behavioral meltdowns, so take time to mentally walk through each phase of your trip, and make a plan for handling these triggers, like bringing earphones for your child if there’s a chance for loud noises.
    • Prepare Your Child. Learning about destinations through their preferred methods can help tremendously. Use social stories full of scenarios that might happen on the trip. Discuss appropriate social behaviors and explain that running, hitting, or repeating songs and catch phrases a hundred times in row will not lead to an enjoyable time for the family.
    • You can also go online and look up tourism bureau videos for your destinations so your child can view the area and local attractions. They may even want to take part in planning the day-trips or tours. If you plan to go to a beach, go online and download ocean sounds. You can also get a tub and put some sand and water in it to give your child a sense of what it feels like before you go.
  3. Call ahead. Many vacations spots, including theme parks, are getting better at accommodating guests with special needs. Check beforehand by calling their guest relations office. Ask if you will be able to get special passes to circumvent the long lines where heat, crowds, other stimuli, and long periods of confined standing could bring on behavioral challenges. Upon arrival, visit the guest relations office first thing to confirm what you have been told on the phone and ensure things will go smooth.
  4. Be proactive.
    • Car Travel:
      • Night-time travel: For some, traveling at night is recommended as many children will sleep. In this case, pack sensory toys like teething rings, vibrating beanbags, weighted vests, blankets, or toys.
      • Day-time travel: Use tablets with games, travel DVD players, LeapPads, and the like to keep them entertained. If you are traveling with more than one child though, it may be difficult for them to agree on a movie, or who gets the gaming device, so have a plan beforehand.
      • Activity Bags: As a back-up, make individual activity bags that have wet-wipes, water, snacks, ear plugs, coloring books, and other activities that will keep them entertained. For DIY tips, search “travel game tins” on Pinterest. These activity bags will also come in very handy in restaurants when you stop for meals, as coloring on a menu may not contain them for long. If you have multiple children, switch bags at each stop, or for the trip home.
    • Air Travel: When traveling by air, use the pre-boarding option to explain to the flight attendants what your needs and concerns are PRIOR to the flight. This will gain you much better assistance than trying to explain things once there’s an incident. Also see the notes above, as almost everything for car travel can apply to your plane trip as well. Remember your 3 oz. limit for liquids prior to going through security, and consider the dietary needs of your child prior to boarding the flight. Ask your doctor about antihistamines or travel pills to ease with ear-popping and to help calm them during the flight.
    • Hotel: At the hotel, be sure to address dietary needs. If your child is on the gluten free / casein free diet, be sure to ask for a room with a small fridge, and to have the high-priced items removed from the fridge and mark it on your account so you won’t be charged for them.
    • Theme Parks: If considering a theme-park, check out this article by a travel agency that caters to those with special needs. Their FAQ section is sure to cover many of your questions: http://allears.net/pl/dis_aut.htm.
    • Personal Locators: If you are headed to busy urban areas or even theme parks, it may be a wise investment to purchase a personal location device. These typically range between $200 and $500. You as a parent will carry the portable base, and your child will wear a special bracelet or device on their belt. When they get too far and have left the safety zone, an alarm will sound and the base unit will direct you towards your child.
  5. Don’t Stress. Your children can sense your anxiety, which will only heighten theirs. Understand that everything won’t go as planned and be prepared to be flexible… and relax. You just may enjoy the interruptions and diversions more than what was planned.

If you have any vacation tips for traveling with a child who has autism, we would love to have you share your experience with the MAXimum Chances community by commenting below.  Spending time together as a family is so important, and vacations can truly be fun if the proper care is taken to plan ahead!

Autism and Sleep Deprivation

May 22, 2015By 1 Comment

autism, help with sleep deprivation and sleep issue tipsIt’s fairly well known in the Autism Community that poor sleeping patterns can be part of the package. Up to 80% of households with a child or children on the autism spectrum report problems with sleep disturbances. Some of these issues include:

  • Challenges with winding down and getting prepared for bed
  • Difficulty falling and staying asleep
  • Extreme sensitivity during sleep to noise and movements in the house
  • Waking up alert in the middle of the night
  • Poor overall sleep quality
  • Falling asleep too late
  • Waking up too early
  • Restlessness and anxiety before, during, and after sleep

There are several theories that provide some good indicators as to why those with autism experience greater sleep issues:

  1. Social queues and normal circadian rhythms (responding naturally to light and darkness within a 24-hour cycle) are many times not recognized or understood.
  2. In studies, it was shown that melatonin, a hormone which helps regulate sleep cycles, is often not on a regular cycle, causing more to be released during the day instead of at night which would promote better sleep.
  3. Increased sensitivity to outside stimuli can cause a child with autism to wake up abruptly to a parent peeking in their door to check on them, whereas most other children would not be disturbed from their sleep.
  4. Problems caused by allergies and food sensitivities are also known to disrupt normal sleep cycles.

Children with autism are reported to get up at least three times more frequently than those without autism. This can leave parents and other siblings just as sleep deprived.  Studies also show these types of patterns lead to even more stress, anxiety, and sleep-deprived nights for everyone in the household.

If your family falls into this category, there may be some very practical things you can do to improve the quality of sleep experienced by your child with autism. Documented studies show that when a child with autism develops good sleeping patterns, great improvements can be seen in behaviors related to:

  • Depression
  • Aptitude for Learning
  • Cognitive Abilities
  • Intuitive Social Skills
  • Irritability
  • Hyperactivity
  • Aggression
  • Overall Behavioral Issues

Autism Speaks (http://autismspeaks.org) is another great resource for parents. They have developed several printable tools to help encourage better sleep patterns for your child or teen with autism.

Here are some great tips they suggest in their information-packed tools for parents.

  • Eliminate caffeine as much as possible. Caffeine stays in the body for 3 to 5 hours, and they can show signs of being effected by caffeine for up to 12 hours.
  • Start winding down one hour before bedtime by turning off stimuli like electronics, TV, and games.
  • Create a visual bedtime schedule your child will understand using line-drawn pictures, objects, a checklist, or photographs.
  • Do stimulating activities early in the day, and relaxing activities at the end of the day.
  • Create a Bedtime Pass the child can only use once each night, and if they still have their pass in the morning, they can exchange it for a small reward.
  • Go slow – try one small change first, then incorporate other changes at a reasonable rate. Remember to be patient, as it can take two weeks or more of faithful persistence before seeing a change.

Click these documents for the full downloads by Autism Speaks: Sleep Strategy – A Parent’s Guide, Quick Tips, and Sleep Strategies for Teens.

If you have any questions about sleep disturbances with your child or children please email us at [email protected].

We would also love to have you share any of your success stories. Your tips may be really helpful for another family!

An Autism Diagnosis Can Lead to a Successful and Fulfilling life

May 14, 2015By

MAX ability to focus, high-functioning autism, adults with autismEven though our son Max is still young, I am often so amazed at his intense ability to focus and his attention to the finest of details.

He amazes me constantly with his ability to take information that he has read once and repeat it back word for word. It is often complex information like genetics, histories of past wars, or inventions from years ago! He LOVES to study something he finds interesting, research it within an inch of its life and then…move on to another subject. He can even refer back to different subjects he researched years ago!! I have no doubt that this skill will be such an asset to him in later life!

As these types of gifts are developed and honed, it would seem he would be a perfect candidate for places where those types of skills were in high demand, such as quality assurance and software testing. However, the social structure of many employment environments cause such great frustration for those on the autism spectrum, that only about 15% of adults with autism remain successfully employed.

As awareness about autism is raised, so are the expectations about what a person with autism can accomplish. More and more individuals and employers alike are realizing the incredible strength and vocational asset that those with these special abilities can provide. Aspiritech (http://aspiritech.org/) is one of those organizations who have recognized the specific skillset of those with autism and Asperger’s, and they have created an environment in which they can thrive!

Their mission states: “Aspiritech provides a path for high functioning individuals on the autism spectrum to realize their potential through meaningful employment.”

Indications of autism can be seen in early childhood, and can typically be diagnosed accurately when a child is around the age of two. It is so critical that proper treatments are started as soon as possible so that each child will have the MAXimum Chance possible for achieving a high-functioning status. This will give them a much better chance of gaining meaningful employment from forward-thinking companies like Aspiritech.

This is one of the reasons why our mission here at MAXimum Chances is so important to us. We are here to help families have every advantage for helping their child with autism experience a well-rounded, successful, and fulfilling life.

If you know of a family who has just received this diagnosis, or who cannot afford some of the treatments for their child with autism, please connect them with MAXimum Chances. We would love the opportunity to share some of our resources with them, and see if they qualify for treatment and financial assistance for one of our approved providers.

You might be the link to resources that can help a family find the support they’ve been looking for!

Join us online at http://Facebook.com/MAXimumChances and help us raise awareness about autism and the awesome asset someone with autism can be for a company that thinks outside the box and provides an environment where those with special needs can thrive.

The Unexpected Opportunity – Living with a Sibling who has Autism

May 8, 2015By

Siblings with autism, autism resources, support, approved autism treatmentsWhat is a common statement heard in every household, especially those with more than one child? “That’s not fair!”

At any given time, one sibling might feel slighted that the other seemingly gets the larger slice of pizza, more time with a parent, extended play time, or gets the better list of chores. It’s the proverbial “grass being greener” bit where every parent gets to play referee.

Regardless of the age difference of siblings, most parents do work very hard to keep the playing field level.

If you find yourself raising children where one has autism and the other(s) does not, it presents a whole new level of challenges. You now have to adapt to two completely different ways of living, parenting, understanding, explaining, and even disciplining to name few… and being fair in the general sense simply has to be thrown out the window… or does it?

Learning how to manage and communicate with a variety of temperaments within the family, including those with special needs, can actually become an unexpected opportunity.  Teaching other siblings and family members the care and needs of the child with autism is a way to get everyone on the same page, including you as parents. As you work together to explain things on an age-appropriate level, it will become part of your lifestyle because it is not a “say it once and you’re done” situation. The rule of thumb for this type of dialogue is to “do it early and do it often!”

When communication lines are open, it is much easier for other siblings to understand the needs and sacrifices being made by themselves, and you as parents. Studies also show that siblings of those with autism typically respond very well to the needs that arise and they develop a compassionate heart, a sense of humor, and a general kindness for others that can greatly enhance all other aspects of their life.

Communicating the various stages of autism, treatments, and expectations to each family member is what can help someone think beyond “fair” to a more level playing field based on love, grace, and understanding. This is a far better way to connect the family and have everyone feel they can take part instead of siblings feeling like an outsider who isn’t being treated fair.

It may seem overwhelming to keep everyone informed as you think about communicating the circumstances at hand to other siblings. There are many resources to help!

For starters, here at MAXimum Chances, we have our own page on siblings called Lachlan’s Corner. One of the resources we talk about on that page is SibShops organized by the Sibling Support Project. SibShops are wonderful communities and workshops for families who are experiencing a variety of special needs, including a child with autism, where you and your children can go to interact, learn, and share with others the challenges as well as triumphs you may experience in your own family.

Sometimes having a child with autism can feel a little isolating. We would like you to know that help is readily available for whatever you are experiencing and we highly encourage you to get connected with others who can help you and your family find not only the resources you need, but also the grace, understanding, and even humor, in the daily circumstances life brings.

You can also connect with us online – at http://Facebook.com/MAXimumChances, as well as through our newsletter here on our website. We would love for you to be a part of our community!

If you would like more information on SibShops, please visit https://www.siblingsupport.org/about-sibshops/find-a-sibshop-near-you to download a document with the current locations listed by state.  Or, if you are in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, we’ve copied some of those groups below as a starting point for your own research.

Night OWLS Sibshop
Primary Contact: Karen Gilmore
Highland Park United Methodist Church
3300 Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, TX 75205 map
Phone: 214.523.2276
Sibshop Description: Night OWLS Sibshops serves the siblings of children with special needs involved in programming at HPUMC.

Cook Children’s Sibshop
Primary Contact: Veronica Kubiak
Cook Children’s Medical Center
801 Seventh Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76104 map
Phone: 817-372-2553
Sibshop Description: Cook Children’s Sibshop services to siblings of children living with a chronic illness or life-changing disability, who are/have been patients at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, TX

FEAT-North Texas Sibshops
Primary Contact: Gretchen Purnell
Families for Effective Autism Treatment – North Texas (FEAT-NT)
P.O. Box 92123
Southlake, TX 76092 map
Phone: 817-689-4880
http://www.featnt.org
Sibshop Description: Sibshop for ages 8 – 13 held on Saturdays for four weeks at the FEAT-NT Resource Center and Library. A range of disabilities expected to be represented in the children. Library books on sibling issues, autism and a range of other disabilities and related topics available for parents and children to check out.

Sibshops at Journey Learning Center
Primary Contact: Sarah Flak
Journey Learning Center
2100 W. Northwest Highway,
Suite 202
Grapevine, TX 76051 map
Phone: 2146633205
http://www.journeylearning.org/
Sibshop Description: We are looking to work with Sibs ages 5-12. We will be hosting Sibshops one Saturday a month.

Frisco Sibshops
Primary Contact: Colleen Kugler
Frisco ISD
Differing schools in FISD
Frisco, TX 75034 map
Phone: 214-684-3345

HEROES Program Sibshops
Primary Contact: Emily Wileman
HEROES Program
503 N. Central Expressway
Richardson, TX 75080 map
Phone: 817-925-9434
http://heroescamp.shutterfly.com