Amaze collaborates with parents on autism spectrum for ground-breaking resource

Amaze has broken new ground with the launch of its Parenting Skills Guide for Autistic Parents.
This online resource, developed by Amaze in collaboration with people on the autism spectrum and in partnership with the Raising Children Network, is for parents on the autism spectrum raising children aged 0 to 11 years who aren’t on the spectrum.
Crucial to the Parenting Skills Guide has been Amaze’s commitment to including autistic people in the development of resources.
The Parenting Skills Guide was inspired by Amaze’s investigation into resources available to autistic parents.
It was discovered there was a lack of information for autistic parents as well as a lack of research into the challenges facing them and interventions to assist with these challenges.
The voices and needs of autistic people were the driving force in the project, beginning with Amaze conducting focus groups with autistic parents who welcomed the idea and drove the design as an on line tool.
Through the development of the Parenting Skills Guide, Amaze consulted with autistic parents who also trialled and tested the final resource.

Available on smartphone, tablet or computer

A benefit of the resource being online is that it is available on smartphone, tablet or computer and accessible to parents regardless of their location.

Communication plays huge role in health.

The resource has the following objectives:
• To give autistic parents more confidence in their parenting skills
• To help autistic parents raise healthy and secure children
• To improve the coping skills of autistic parents
• To improve resilience in autistic parents
• To increase the ability of autistic parents to cope with anxiety
• To increase awareness of the challenges that autistic parents can face
Deirdre Hardy, Amaze’s Manager, Community Engagement & Capacity Building, says: “In what we believe is a world first, Amaze has developed an online resource to support parents on the autism spectrum.
“We hope to help autistic parents develop their confidence in their parenting skills through the provision of simple and effective parenting tips.
“Amaze based this work on research conducted by OTARC (Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre) and was informed by focus groups and feedback from autistic parents.

Resource refers parents to videos and articles

“‘We rely on members of our community giving us their feedback and this project was another example of the autism community generously sharing their experiences and considered and thoughtful responses.
“As well as delivering interactive quizzes and activities to build confidence and skill, the resource refers parents to videos and articles on the Raising Children Network.
“Our collaboration with OTARC and the Raising Children Network is important in strengthening the quality of information available to the autism community in Victoria and Amaze is pleased to be leading this type of work.

Neurotypical children will benefit from resource.

“Translating research into practical tips that parents can implement easily and quickly is a key focus for Amaze and we plan to pursue more projects like this in the future”.
Derek McCormack, Senior Manager, Raising Children Network, says: “As a partner in the development of this innovative resource, raisingchildren.net.au are delighted to see what Amaze has done to reach out to and support parents on the autism spectrum.”
Amaze has partnered with Raising Children Network to include a range of parenting videos and links to parenting articles as part of the guide. The guide has seven modules;
• Attention & connection
• Managing your emotions
• Sensory processing
• Communication
• Understanding your child’s physical & emotional needs
• Being a role model
• Spontaneity.
These modules are based on the seven themes highlighted in An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Autism Symptoms on Parenting (2014) by the OTARC as areas of difficulty for autistic parents.
Click here to register for the Parenting Skills Guide for Autistic Parents.
This resource was made possible by funding from the Houston Trust.