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MILNER - A support group for Autism and Spectrum Disorders will begin meeting at Rock Springs Church this Thursday at 7 p.m. in Room 209 of The Branch, a building located beside the church. The name of this support group is Jeremiah’s Promise based on Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Kelly Leger is the mother of a child with Aspergers syndrome. She said that it has been a tremendous learning experience for her family. Kelly feels like parents of children with autism and children on the autism spectrum have some unique challenges, and she wants to share hope to other parents through this support group. “Sometimes you feel like you’re the only one out there dealing with it and nobody really understands what you’re going through,” Kelly said, “and I think it will be a tremendous help to families just to know that there are others out there experiencing the same thing.”
“That scripture [Jeremiah 29:11] just jumped off the page for me and I feel like God has brought me to this point,” she said. Kelly’s biggest inspiration on this journey has been just to tell parents that there is hope. “We’ve seen our child change and develop and grow beyond what we thought and hoped for and that’s because we’ve been his advocates,” she said. “I am hoping that maybe something that we’ve learned along the way, we can share with someone who may just be starting to go through that phase or that part of the child’s development.”
Kelly said that it has been a challenge finding resources, and she knew that they could not be the only parents out there experiencing this. She said that after hunting and putting together resources, she wants to share that information with other families. “There is so much out there to help their child be the best that they can be,” said Kelly.
“Raising any special needs child has its challenging moments,” said Kelly. She said that one day the child may have mastered something and the next day it will be like starting all over again. She said that there are also challenges for parents in learning what is typical and what is not for their child so they can teach their child tasks in a way that they remember from day to day.
Sometimes just getting through the day is tough, but she always tells her son that tomorrow is a new day to start over and start fresh. Even when her son gets frustrated with things that he doesn’t understand, she says that it is tremendous help to tell him that tomorrow is a new day for fresh start because there is always hope in the future.
Kelly said that she has found a group of Aspergers children for her son to learn to relate with and interact. Developing friendships can sometimes be a challenge, but this group has helped him to develop friendships. “It’s great for a child as they get older because they already know that they are different,” Kelly said. “It’s great for them to have a chance to learn that they are not alone in this.”
She said that her son has come a long way and has friends now that he calls on the phone. She said that her family’s hopes for her son include him living independently one day, having a job, and being able to support himself. “That’s our hope,” she said.
Kelly thinks that this is going to be a great thing for local families since closest support group is in Henry County. “We hope to bring everyone together to support each other, love each other through the challenges, to help direct them toward resources, to build a resource directory, be advocates for our kids, and build awareness,” she said.
Kelly stressed that Jeremiah’s Promise is about supporting families and not about diagnosing autism. She encourages parents to work with their pediatricians when screening and evaluation might be needed because each child is different.
Jeremiah’s Promise is way to give parents hope to see “beyond the right now”. Kelly said that she hopes to help other parents see that their child can grow and develop and reach their full potential by finding the right resources for them.
Jeremiah’s Promise will continue to meet each third Thursday at 7 p.m. Church membership and attendance at Rock Springs are not required in order to be a part of this support group. All families are welcome to join. Please note that at this time, no childcare will be provided during the meeting. Rock Springs Church is located at 219 Rock Springs Road, Milner, Georgia 30257.