Readiness Checklist

When is the ‘right’ time to visit PACE Place?

We have worked with families at different stages of development with a variety of diagnoses.  We have worked with families with children under two years of age and we have worked with families of teenagers.  The children we have seen have diagnoses of one or more of the following:  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD), Sensory-Integration Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Anxiety Disorders, severe to moderate speech and language disorders, hyperlexia, seizure disorders, mood disorders, severe to moderate food allergies, eating disorders, personality disorders, attachment disorders, and non-specific delays in development.  We have worked with home-schooled children and we have worked with children who attend public and private schools. 

Parents commonly state, “We want a better life for children and for us.”   “We want life to feel less like work, and more like life.”   Families who are considering a trip to PACE Place can ask themselves these questions to help determine if they are ready for the PACE Place Immersion Model.  We do not have a scale by which you can gauge your responses to the questions below to determine whether or not PACE Place is right for you.  Only you can determine if your answers to these questions would make a PACE Place Immersion experience worthwhile.  If you would like to email a family who has attended the PACE Place Immersion Model, please email us at www.paceplace.org.  Provide a brief description of your child and family and we will do our best to match you with a family who shares your profile.

1. Does a diagnosis run your family dynamic?
2. When someone asks you to "tell me about your family" how far into your description do you get before you mention a family member’s diagnosis?
3. Do you feel like you just don’t understand your child?
4. Do you feel like you are doing all the work and getting none of the payoff? 
5. Does a "good" day depend on what kind of report you get about your child?
6. Do you feel like other people can connect with your child more intimately than you can?
7. Are you prepared to challenge every limitation you believe about your child?
8. Are you looking for a different way to think about your child’s difficult behaviors?
9. Does it feel like you spend an inordinate amount of time waiting for your child?
10. Do you feel like other people get to enjoy the "fun" side of your child but you get deal with giving him medicine, haircuts, getting dressed, and generally dealing with keeping his body healthy?
11. Do you feel like you need to plan every detail of your child’s development?  Otherwise, he won’t learn it.
12. Do you feel like your child’s unique course of development has led you to become a different kind of parent than what you had envisioned?
13. Are you ready to redefine what is important to you and your family?  
14. Do weekends with your family leave you feeling refreshed and re-charged?
15. Do you look forward to eating dinner together as a family?
16. Do you look forward to spending a long weekend with your family?
17. Do you wish you could be more spontaneous with your family?
18. Do you look forward to running errands with your children?
19. Are you tired of listening to the same song on the car stereo for the thousandth time?
20. Do people tell you that your child is “intelligent” but can’t access it?
21. Are there situations you avoid because of your child’s diagnosis?
22. Do you feel like you are dealing with "a diagnosis" when you’d rather be raising your child?
23. Do you feel like your family’s identity is defined by a diagnosis?
24. Do you feel like your child’s diagnosis has isolated your family?
25. Are you worried that you are not the parent you wanted to be?
26. Do you feel over-supported by your community? (e.g., your son has ASD, here is what he qualifies for…)
27. Do you feel under-supported by your community?
28. Does it feel like you are your child’s therapist first, and parent second?
29. Do you feel like you have nothing in common with your own child?
30. Does your child share his/her experiences with you?
31. Does your child care about your experiences?
32. Does your child look to you for information when she/he is unsure or confused?
33. Does your child coordinate his/her actions with yours?
34. What percentage of your conversations revolve around a diagnosis?
35. When is the last time you were able to take time for yourself without feeling guilty?
36. Do you feel like a competent parent?
37. Do you want to learn more about development and how it directly relates to your child?
38. Does opening up your family life for a week to trained professionals seem like an environment you could learn from?
39. Do you learn well from hands on experiences while seasoned professionals provide feedback in real time?