Parent-Run: We strongly believe that parents are the best resources for their children. Parents not only know their children better than anyone else, but they are the most committed to helping them grow to their full potential. This combination of passion and conviction has made parents not only capable but, the most powerful force in helping their child. The additional benefit to training parents is that they can apply the learned techniques throughout the day, like at bath time or bed time. This not only makes it more effective and consistent for the child, but it also makes these daily activities more successful and enjoyable for the parent.

Son-Rise Playroom: Children on the autistic spectrum learn most successfully in an environment with minimal distractions . We teach parents how to create a playroom in their home free of as much external stimulation as possible. This way, a child can focus more easily on the skills you want to teach him/her.

Motivation: There is no better key to unlocking a child's potential than to discover what is motivating for them. We teach parents how to identify and best utilize their child's motivations. When children are motivated, their ability to grow is limitless.

Joining: We have seen that children on the autistic spectrum use repetitious self- stimulating behaviors as a way to organize their sensory systems and to create predictability and control in a world that may seem chaotic. We also believe that the core challenge for any child with autism is interaction. In our experience, trying to get children to stop doing the very activity they have created to take care of themselves simply gives them an additional reason to move even further away. Therefore, we teach parents to promote interaction by “joining” their child in their repetitious activities. When we join children they begin to interact with us more and become exclusive less. As a result, they are also more available for you to teach them more specific skills, such as language or social skills.

Attitude: We know that there are times when a parent might feel anxious or overwhelmed. This program is designed to help parents feel more at ease…even inspired. Not only does this enhance the lives of the parents, and in effect the whole family , but it also helps parents to be more effective in helping their children.

For more information on the guiding principles of The Son-Rise Program, see www.son-rise.org.