Typical Family Targets

    Family Life Targets

I must get a babysitter to go shopping or wait until the evening when my husband is home.  My kids run off or throw tantrums when I can’t buy them everything they want.  It would be amazing to be able to go grocery shopping with the kids and not have a break-down myself.

Help us learn to balance our son’s needs within the context of the entire family’s needs.

My daughter cannot be convinced to do anything thing the family is doing.  If it is her idea…fine.  If it is not her idea…we can’t do it.

Our son will not stay with us while in public places (the grocery store, parking lot, and playground).  If we don’t watch him constantly, he will wander off.  This is extremely stressful.  He exhibits no fear when he cannot find us.

We need to reduce our son’s time in front of the television and computer.  This could get ugly! 

Our goal is to enjoy time as a family without our son trying to control and order everyone around.

I want my son to learn from me.  I want my son to try to please me.  I want my son to seek out my views and my information. 

We hope to re-discover our parental intuitiveness. 

Help us with engagement during down time or hanging out around the house.  How do we make the most out of an outing? 

Our daughter does not know how to collaborate in real life situations. 

He cannot tolerate losing.  Thus, we gave up on family game time.  We would love to play games as a family.  We look forward to your suggestions. 

How do we constructively discuss his autism with him? 

I wish we could read a book together or play a game.  Nothing lasts for more than about one minute before he walks away. 

We have a very high maintenance, high energy child.  We cannot have an adult conversation or have any personal time without him demanding to be part of the action.  We are exhausted all of the time. 

My son does not attend to me in public.  I cannot show him anything fun or interesting because he is not paying attention. 

I swear my son thinks that he is the parent and thinks he should be in control at all times. 

My son avoids novelty like the plague (new food, new clothes, new sports activity, new game).  How do I help him accept change? 

We have major safety issues because our daughter does not respond when we say STOP or NO. 

My son screams in terror during his haircuts.  Is there anything we can do to ease his fear? 

Transitions.  Transitions.  Transitions.  He cannot tolerate even the slightest transition from one activity to another. 

Our son rarely responds to directions. 

My daughter doesn’t appear to be paying attention to her immediate environment.  She is oblivious to the fun things around her and it breaks my heart. 

My son does not comply with simple requests or accept a choice other than his favorite.  He is not willing to give up his own agenda.  Please help. 

He does not realize when we are getting bored or annoyed.  He can be frustrating for the other members of our family because he won’t change his behavior when we try to tell him. 

“I don’t want to” is my son’s favorite phrase.  Please help with the non-compliance. 

We have not attempted to eat at a restaurant in two years because I am afraid of the ever-possible melt-down.  We would love to be able to eat out like a normal family. 

Our kids (both ASD) vary greatly from day to day and week to week.  Help us better understand how to help them become more consistent. 

Our son does well in clinic settings with adult support, be has difficulty with real-life situations such as a birthday party.

Our daughter confuses fantasy with reality. 

He is so easily distracted.  He needs help staying focused. 

He is not a great problem solver.  He relies on me, his sister, or his teacher to help him out of a pinch. 

My son rarely responds when we call him.  I am terrified that he will run off in public and get lost or worse. 

How do I encourage my daughter to be more curious? 

My son has great difficulty making decisions.  I don’t think he understands he is allowed to have his own opinion.  He cannot answer such questions as “Do you want ice cream or cookies tonight?” or “What game should we play?”  He is paralyzed by making a choice with no “right” answer.