For Parents / Families
As parents, families, and caregivers, it is up to us to be sure our neurodiverse loved ones, including those with autism, are understood, embraced, and elevated for the awesome people they are.
It can be confusing to know where to start when it comes to educating our children's peers, social circles, and community about neurodiversity and autism. At FFI, we believe the natural first place to start is with the youngest members of those groups. As a parent or family member, you can utilize the worksheets and information from FFI under the Materials and Resources tabs on this site, along with your own knowledge gained from your children, to educate and inform others. Using the FFI materials and resources, you can:
*Reach out to your children's teachers, and discuss their thoughts about educating their class about autism and neurodiversity. Point them to the FFI materials and resources, offer to speak to their classes about the topic yourself, or see if they'd like to request an FFI advocate to speak to their classes by sending them here.
*Reach out to local elementary school principals, school leaders, district leaders, or school board members and inquire about their autism and neurodiversity inclusion education plans. Often, if they don't currenly have anything in the works, just your inquiry can spark a larger discussion. You can direct them to FFI materials and resources, or here to request more information from an advocate.
*Contact your local, state, and federal lawmakers and inform them of the importance of neurodiversity and autism inclusion education for general education students in elementary schools by writing letters or sending emails.
*Become a part of the Portrait Project! Draw a self-portrait, tag it, and post it! A quick and simple way to show support!