Did you know that 1.3 million men and women are on active duty serving in our military? There are 1.5 active-duty family members with 61% of them being children. If 1:36 children are being diagnosed with Autism, that tells us that there are thousands of children with a diagnosis of autism whose parent(s) are in the military.

Finding the appropriate resources for a child with autism can be daunting for any family, but military families face unique challenges. For example, deployment is not uncommon among military families. When a family member in the military is deployed, a military spouse may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of caring for a child with autism alone. Additional support and services are often needed to ensure both the child and parent receive the care they need. Children with autism may have issues with separation when a parent in the military is deployed.

Certainly, military families make great sacrifices to ensure our freedom and way of life. Helping military families impacted by autism starts with developing a greater awareness of their needs and developing a process by which they can be connected to the resources, professionals, treatment options, and coping strategies necessary to thrive.

I recently read about some excellent resources for these families, which is provided by the Organization for Autism Research.

Access the full resource guide using this link.