Kiana’s Hope Story
Kiana did the Hope Programme for Parents of Autistic Children (New York, USA), after her son was diagnosed with autism in lockdown.
The lack of daily structure had caused his repetitive behaviours to worsen. It took Kiana numerous attempts with different clinicians to eventually get a face-to-face assessment - and the autism diagnosis that she’d been expecting for several years. It was one of these clinicians who suggested that the Hope Programme might be useful. Having seen the Hope flyer, Kiana was intrigued, but felt unsure before joining if she’d have the time “I didn’t know what it was all about, but the time commitment was fine – the 6-week time-frame is good. You have to pay attention... lean in and be still”.
The course format worked well for Kiana, as she was able to do it in chunks and come back to the items that were most useful, such as the videos. It was a small group, with other parents having children across the autistic spectrum.
The most rewarding part of the course was the goal-setting “It forced me to pay attention to what I was doing through the week”. Kiana learned to “take a beat” before responding to her son – and question herself: “Do I really need to get upset, frustrated, exasperated about that? No.” She has now also taught her son to do this, to help him self-regulate before he “explodes”. They are both still benefitting from using this technique.
Kiana also learned about the importance of self-care as a carer, and now recognises, that having achieved her goal, she should reward herself: “I enjoy my weekly treat – reading a book for an hour, without being interrupted!” The Hope Programme taught Kiana how to explain to her family, including her other son and her husband, that she is going to shut the door and look after herself.
Since finishing the Hope course, Kiana says “I’ve been on a personal journey. I had no expectations before and I had no dislikes. I can’t even think of anything to suggest as an improvement! I’m not as frustrated, as exasperated, any more”.