Sunday, July 12, 2009

Support Group For Parents

Since moving to Patterson in October, Bettina Mays has come to love her new home and community. But there’s a part of her that feels isolated, and she hopes a support group she’s organizing will help with that.

On Tuesday, July 14, Mays will host a support group for parents of children with developmental disabilities. She plans to offer meetings once a month.

Mays: "It’s supportive and comforting to find people like yourself."

Mays’ 19-year-old son has autism, a developmental disability that effects a person’s communication skills and interactions with others, according to the Autism Society of America. That means along with the typical challenges of being a mother, Mays has to care for her son’s additional needs.

She’s committed to that task, but it’s not without its stresses. Compounding that stress, she said, is the fact other parents often have a hard time relating.

Government agencies provide some support, but Mays doesn’t believe those agencies always have the family’s best interest in mind. She worries the agencies often push giving guardianship of the child to the state, she said.

Full Article and Source:
Support group started for parents of disabled children

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hats off to Bettina Mays. This is a very imprtant service.