The biggest immediate need for an autism family, post-hurricane, is clean clothes. Families might have suspected that, but an organization that works with autism families, called Family Initiative, knows it for sure.
Organization co-founder and president David Brown said they recently conducted a survey of local autism families:
“Access to clean laundry was the number one thing. Fifty-seven percent of the families said that to us, that that would be their number one priority,” said Brown. “And the number two thing, which I'm sure is not a surprise to anybody, was access to Wi-Fi.”
Related information
Autism Spectrum Disorder, known as ASD, is not rare: It affects 1 in 36 children in the U.S., according to advocacy group Autism Speaks.
By raising awareness of the needs of ASD families, Family Initiative hopes to lower the strain for these families.
Amber Zollinger is a parent and a Family Initiative board member. She described some of the added stress that comes up for them after a storm when the power is out.
“You’re trying to regulate yourself, so that you can regulate your child, and everyone’s miserable,” she said.
The survey did produce benefits. Brown said that in coming months, Family Initiative will help to train staff at all Lee County hurricane shelters to better accommodate people with autism.
“So every single staff person that would potentially man a shelter in Lee County will go through basic training about autism and have an awareness about that, which, you know, I think to the families we serve is just like a phenomenal outcome,” he said.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
