Advocacy for Caregivers Toolkit
Digital download
This is a digital download, no physical items will be sent to you. You will see the download as either a PDF or zip file.
Parents advocating for their children is nothing new and is certainly not limited to parents of autistic children. But parents of autistic children face unique challenges attempting to navigate many things that come their way. For example, their advocacy may be a lifelong endeavor, their child/loved one has different needs than other autistic people, and they need to consider working along with their child in their own self-advocacy.
In this toolkit we cover/include:
- Common advocacy needs in the community, at school, acceptance, and for services
- Advocating with an autistic person in mind - our goal is to support parents and caregivers as they represent their child's voice rather than be their child's voice
- Parent rights at school
- Encouraging self-advocacy
- Transition to adulthood
- Decision-making options into adulthood
- Advocacy self-assessment
- Advocacy next steps for yourself
Who Is This For?
This toolkit is meant for parents and caregivers, but autistic self-advocates and professionals can certainly make a note of what it has to offer and pass it along to the families in their lives.
In whatever role(s) you occupy, you can use this guide to support your knowledge on the topic, share information with others in your support networks, and use this guide in discussions about locating appropriate resources.
Each individual is in a different place and can benefit from learning about ideas and ways to support or seek support.
About the Lifespan Toolbox
The Lifespan Toolbox is a collection of toolkits for everyone in the autism community from self-advocates, family members, professionals, and other members of the community to get on the same page about autism and lifespan.
We span topics all over the lifespan, specifically thinking about the adulthood years (the longest span of our lives!) and how we can all work together to support the autistic person/people in our lives and community.
Research and reported experiences from autistic individuals show a need to receive individualized support regarding life skills and to be connected with others. That’s where the Lifespan Toolbox comes in!
New Releases
- We have a growing library of toolkits and are adding to it on a biweekly basis. There are numerous topics to cover here!
Up to Date Resources
- Isn’t it frustrating to finally find a resource and discover that it’s from 2011? We keep ours updated with news, research, and feedback from the ASD community.
Interactive
- Each toolkit page has an interactive webpage with active links and videos. You can also download the PDF which has ample space for taking notes.