Gene Monterastelli
Ph: 866.689.2739
E-Mail: Contact Us

Accoding to the Autism Society of America:

• 1 in 150 births (Based on prevalence statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2007)
• 1 to 1.5 million Americans (Based on the autism prevalence rate of 2 to 6 per 1,000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001 and 2000 U.S. Census figure of 280 million Americans)
• Fastest-growing developmental disability at 10 - 17 % annual growth rate
• Growth comparison during the 1990s(U.S. Department of Education's "Twenty-First Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" 1999):
  • U.S. population increase: 13%
  • Disabilities increase: 16%
  • Autism increase: 172%

For the past three decades countless studies have shown the physical and emotional impact of stress and how the reduction of stress can improve mood and health.

• Seventy-four percent of the complaints patients bring to medical clinics are of unknown origin and are probably caused by "psychosocial" factors according to a study reported by Dr. Kurt Kroenk of the Uniformed Services University of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and A. David Mangelsdorff, Ph.D., MPH of the Brooke Army Medical Center in Houston, TX.
• "Other studies indicate that between 60 and 90 percent of all our population's visits to doctors' offices are stress related and probably cannot be detected, much less treated effectively, with medications and procedures on which the medical profession relies almost exclusively." Herbert Benson, M.D. in "Timeless Healing"
• In Galinsky's 1999 "Ask the Children" when asked their one wish to improve how their mother's and father's work affected their lives, most children wished their parents would be less stressed and less tired.

The physical and emotional effects of stress have been documented for years, but according to Gene Monterastelli, stress management expert, ASD parents face particular challenges when it comes to dealing with stress. "Because of the 24/7 nature of the care that most children diagnosed with ASD requires, parents face a very unique challenge in the amount of stress they face in their daily life. In addition to demands of taking care of their Autistic child there is a great deal of stress created by having to constantly be explaining about and advocating for their child to teachers, doctors, and even family and friends. Always needing to fight for their children places extra stress into the lives of ASD parents."

According to Gene, managing this stress is critical for ASD parents. "It is imperative for everyone to spend a little time each day doing stress management because of the short and long term health benefits associated with stress management. It is doubly important for ASD parents because if a parent is healthy and stress free they are going to be able to provide better care for their autistic children."

Reducing stress is an easy task. John Roedel reported, "as a father of an autistic child I had found myself near a breaking point due to all of the extra stress in my life. I was surprised to find how my quality of life improved once I started to manage my own stress. Spending just a few minutes a day on caring for myself has helped me to be more present to all my children and made me a better father."