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Autism Parent Training That Helps You Understand What Your Child Is Telling You
I’m Sharon Kaye O’Connor, LCSW, an autistic adult and psychotherapist, and I offer remote one-to-one neurodiversity-affirming coaching for parents of autistic children. Together we work on understanding what your child is communicating, reducing meltdowns and stress at home, and advocating for your child at school, without ABA or behaviorist methods.
How My Autism Coaching Supports Families
- Recognize your child’s unique communication style and respond effectively
- Reduce daily stress for your child, and everyone in the family
- Build genuine connection through shared joy and understanding
- Advocate powerfully for your child’s needs at school and with doctors
- Release guilt and embrace your strengths as a parent
- Create a home where your autistic child can unmask safely
- Trust yourself and know what your child needs
How Much Does Parent Coaching Cost?
Focused one-to-one autism parent training sessions, wherever you are in your journey.
Please note that autism coaching/consulting is not psychotherapy. I am unfortunately not able to accept insurance for coaching or consulting.
Platform: Phone, Zoom, Spruce App or Signal App
Contact me for fees
Parent/Family Autism Consultation, 45-minute appointments
How to Book
Fill out the contact form to schedule your first consultation.
You’re Exhausted. Your Child Is Struggling.
Another meltdown. Another call from school. And the constant wondering if you’re doing enough, or doing it “right.”
You love your child fiercely. But between contradictory advice, judgment from others, and systems that weren’t built for neurodivergent families, it’s hard to know how to help.
As an autistic adult and psychotherapist, I bridge two worlds that rarely connect, and translate that lived experience into practical autism parent training that actually works.
Why Traditional Parent Training Often Misses the Mark
Most autism training for parents focuses on changing behavior to fit neurotypical expectations: compliance, conformity, and “behavior management.”
What I do is different. My approach starts with a radical premise: your child isn’t broken. Every meltdown, refusal, or moment of dysregulation is your child telling you something important.
They just need someone who speaks their language.
Areas Where I Provide Support
Through focused one-to-one sessions, we’ll address the challenges that keep you up at night:
Anxiety
Identify triggers and learn calming strategies that help your child feel safe.
Meltdowns
Understand meltdowns as overwhelm responses, not behavior choices.
Aggression
Discover what your child is communicating before behaviors escalate.
Autistic Social Skills
Support natural autistic communication without forcing neurotypical expectations.
Special Interests
Draw from special interests for regulation, learning, connection and joy.
PDA / Persistent Drive for Autonomy
Collaborative approaches that reduce demand-related anxiety and conflict.
Sensory Needs
Tools and environments that honor your child’s unique sensory differences.
Positive Autistic Identity
Help your child embrace being autistic with pride and confidence.
Meeting Kids Where They Are
Celebrate current abilities; autistic folks learn and develop on our own timelines.
Autistic Play
Support natural autistic ways of playing without worrying about “functional play.”
Autistic Communication
Interpret nonverbal cues, echolalia, and alternative communication methods.
Autistic Burnout
Recognize burnout, find a sustainable pace and preserve energy levels.
Dysregulation
Recognize nervous system overwhelm and co-regulate toward calm.
“Behavior Problems”
See behaviors as communication about stress, discomfort, or unmet needs.
Whether you’ve just received an early diagnosis or you’re years into this journey and need fresh perspective, this parent training for autism meets you where you are.
My Philosophy: Behavior Is Communication
I don’t provide ABA, PCIT, Triple P, or behaviorist approaches that teach autistic people to suppress natural responses and mask needs.
“Defiant” behavior
Often a response to stress, autonomy needs or sensory overload.
“Tantrums”
A response to genuine overload, frustration or distress.
Withdrawal
A nervous system protecting itself from overwhelm.
When you understand the “why”
You stop fighting against your child and start partnering with them, addressing root causes, not surface behaviors.
Questions I’ve Helped Parents Address
- We just received the diagnosis. Where do I start?
- My child’s school team doesn’t understand their needs. How do I advocate better?
- How do I talk to my autistic child about their autistic identity?
- How can I interpret my child’s communication more effectively?
- How can I better understand my autistic child’s world?
- How can I support my child’s self-regulation?
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I help my autistic child?
Let’s start by understanding what your child is communicating. Every meltdown, refusal or moment of dysregulation is your child telling you something important, and I help you respond to the need underneath.
How do I calm my autistic child during a meltdown?
Meltdowns are overwhelm responses, not behavior choices. In our sessions, I help you identify triggers, recognize nervous system overwhelm and co-regulate toward calm.
Should I discipline my autistic child?
My philosophy is that behavior is communication: “defiant” behavior is often a response to stress, autonomy needs or sensory overload. Understanding the “why” lets you partner with your child and address root causes instead of surface behaviors.
Do you use ABA?
No. I don’t provide ABA, PCIT, Triple P or other behaviorist approaches.
Do you support PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)?
Yes. I offer collaborative approaches for PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy) that reduce demand-related anxiety and conflict.
Is parent coaching covered by insurance?
No. Autism coaching and consulting are not psychotherapy, so I’m unfortunately not able to accept insurance for these services. Sessions are 45 minutes.
Ready to Start Understanding Your Child?
Many parents discover they already have profound insight into their child; they just needed permission to trust it. Through parent coaching for autism, you can strengthen your ability to understand and support your child, and move from feeling overwhelmed and uncertain to confident and empowered.