Tom Galperin

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month! When I first began working in the autism field back in 1996, very few people had heard of it—and most of those who had didn’t have an accurate understanding. The movie Rain Man was one of the only depictions of autism many people had ever seen. Fast forward 30 years, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard the word “autism” or doesn’t know someone on the spectrum.

“I can’t die.” It is a statement I hear with increasing frequency in counseling sessions with parents of adult children with autism and other developmental disabilities (DD). It is not said for dramatic effect. It is not metaphorical. It is an expression of profound fear—an acknowledgment that, in the absence of reliable long-term systems of care, many parents believe their continued survival is the only safeguard their child has

Galperin Autism Consulting, based just outside Loveland, is working to change that. Through telehealth counseling and consultation, we focus specifically on supporting parents navigating the emotional, mental, and practical realities of raising a child on the autism spectrum.