Social workers give mother tools to cope with autism

“We’re there to provide support and meet their needs in the time of crisis,” said Duimering, a social worker at the KidsAbility Centre for Child Development.

Social workers are an integral part of the KidsAbility team, offering counselling, connecting families with resources and hosting support groups and workshops to compliment the centre’s rehabilitation services for children with developmental delays, physical disabilities and communication difficulties.

Social Work Week is marked in Ontario this week, part of celebrations held annually across Canada in March.

Social workers practice in a wide range of settings, including health care facilities, children’s aid and family agencies, schools, community organizations and private practices, and provide the majority of counselling and psychotherapy services in the province, according to the Ontario Association of Social Workers.

Social workers help people resolve problems in their personal, family or work that affect their daily life. They do this by helping clients understand the source of the difficulty, develop coping skills and solutions, find resources and provide counselling.

KidsAbility social workers give guidance to parents, who are often unsure where to turn among the many agencies offering services.

“That’s extremely overwhelming,” Duimering said. “You’re in shock when you first get the diagnosis.”

That’s exactly how Cambridge mother Amanda Gutierrez felt when her oldest son was found to have autism four years ago.

“I was completely lost. I felt desperate and hopeless,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez soon found the help and hope she needed in a group just for mothers of children with autism, its weekly meetings lead by two social workers.

“They get us. They understand,” she said. “It’s just that extra, added support.”

Getting to know other mothers in the group was invaluable, putting her in a good place to deal with a possible autism diagnosis for another of her four sons. Gutierrez is eager to get all her boys involved at KidsAbility because she knows it’s tough for siblings when one child gets so much attention.

KidsAbility social workers also offer workshops and counselling just for parents and also siblings to help them adjust and learn to cope with the issues. The goal is to build communities for the entire family that they can depend on, Duimering said. Until then, social workers are there.

“When they need it, we’re there for them to carry them through those times.”

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