Michelle McFarland-McDaniels knows how challenging it is to raise a child who has autism. That’s because she and her husband James McDaniels are raising two preteen daughters, both of whom have autism.
For McFarland-McDaniels, the autism itself isn’t the most difficult aspect of parenting children who have autism. “Without a doubt, difficulties in finding and accessing appropriate services, helpful resources and beneficial supports easily and efficiently have caused us the most headaches,” said McFarland-McDaniels.
With the cost of intensive autism treatment exceeding $100,000 annually for some families, finding financial assistance resources is a high priority for families affected by autism. McFarland-McDaniels has launched a blog, Autism Assistance Resources and Information (http://autismassistance.blogspot.com), to help families coping with autism find information about grants, financial assistance programs, autism treatment funding strategies and other resources.
“My goal is to help other parents of children who have autism connect with resources that will improve outcomes for their children,” said McFarland-McDaniels. “All parents want their children to grow up to lead productive, meaningful and fulfilling lives. I want to help other parents of children with autism to access the supports they need to help their children thrive.”
