Center for Autism Workshop Focuses on Communication

Center for Autism Workshop Focuses on Communication

They had all been through the same struggle. Their children wanted to tell them something, but they couldn’t say it. So the children became frustrated and acted out. And that frustrated the parents.

Such is one of the many challenges of having a child with autism and that’s why more than 20 parents attended a workshop on functional communication at the Center for Autism at The North Ward Center on Roseville Avenue on April 28.

“Many times when our children develop behavioral problems, it’s related to communication, it’s related to the fact that they can’t express themselves,” said Marta Batlle, a social worker who runs the parent service program at The Center for Autism. “Imagine if we couldn’t talk, if we couldn’t communicate our needs.”

The parents sitting in a chairs arranged in a semi-circle nodded their heads, acknowledging their own difficulties in communicating with their children.