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“I have known Connie for about 8 years and can speak with confidence about her expertise with and dedication to the families she works with. Connie has many years of counseling and education experience with children and families locally and has earned herself a solid and glowing reputation in our coastal ME community. With her web- and phone-based coaching, that reputation has spread around the country. We served on a child abuse prevention agency’s board of directors together for years and Connie has been a wonderful mentor and colleague to me. I read Connie’s newsletters and articles frequently and recommend them to my clients for guidance, information, and support as they navigate the difficult waters of parenting a child on the Autism spectrum. Connie brings compassion, grace, and great amounts of research and knowledge to her work. I can recommend her without reservation!”

Lisa Katz, LCSW
Private Practice Clinician, Newcastle, ME
MSW, Smith College School for Social Work, 1992

The majority of parents who hire Connie have children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ranging in age from infancy through young-adulthood.

These parents may need help with Autism specific issues, such as:

  • Adjusting to the new life that caring for a child with autism brings.
  • Accepting the diagnosis and understanding what it means.
  • Dealing with the loss of the future they thought they were going to have.
  • Creating a positive new future that may be different yet realistic.
  • Uncovering their child’s abilities to realize the potential within.
  • Recognizing the power they have to create new possibilities.
  • Manage feelings of overwhelm, confusion, isolation, inadequacy, discouragement, and worry.
  • Replacing concerns with relief, results, confidence and joy.
  • Finding the best services, treatments and therapies for their child.
  • Beginning to plan for their child’s future.
  • Maintaining positive connections with family and friends.
  • Working as a team with their spouse/partner and/or other supports.
  • Creating an autism-friendly, sensory-friendly environment.
  • Maintaining a calm, connected and nurturing family life for all to thrive.

These parents may need help with universal parenting issues, such as

  • Dealing with difficult matters: potty training, discipline, sleep, temper tantrums, mealtime issues and more.
  • Negotiating school systems and understanding Individual Education Plans (IEP’s).
  • Learning how to bully-proof their child.
  • Helping their child develop appropriate social skills.
  • Working with their child’s sensory sensitivities.
  • Managing technology and screen machine use.
  • Preparing for short-term transitions in school and at home.
  • Addressing issues that come with puberty.
  • Adjusting to longer term transitions of life, such as adulthood, divorce or death.
  • Teaching their children to protect themselves from abuse – physical and sexual.
  • Managing challenging behaviors.
  • Helping their children acquire life skills for an independent adult life.
  • Addressing issues related to hygiene, chores, family life, school, homework, friendships, siblings.

These parents may need help addressing their own needs, such as

  • Managing the self-care necessary to parent well.
  • Tending to their personal growth.
  • Acquiring adequate respite care.
  • Finding a work, life, family rhythm that works best for them.
  • Managing external and internal pressures to measure up.
  • Reducing the risk of having a child with ASD.

Connie saves parents valuable time and effort in getting their child’s special needs met as well as their own. Whether she is guiding parents to manage everyday battles or accomplish long-term goals, she helps parents optimize their child’s greatest potential in the neuro-typical world.