Autism-Spectrum Family Needs Help

Hi fellow Autism Victims!

Sorry if "victims" sounds rude, but I'm pretty fed up right now and truly feeling like a victim of a condition I don't even have.  (After surviving a brain tumor, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Sleep Apnea, Plantar Fasciitis, and Diabetes, I'm just thrilled there ARE some conditions I don't have!).    I'm a disabled (from the brain surgery in 2003), chronically ill woman living with 3 Aspies (people with Asperger Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism):  my husband, Ian; my 10-year-old daughter, Elise; and my 5-year-old son, Bennett.  Imagine this family: a father with Aspergers, two Aspie kids, ages 5 and 10, and a brain-damaged disabled mother (the brain surgery robbed me of my balance, left-side dexterity, and nearly all of my organizational skills; I desperately need the help of either a housekeeper or a professional organizer, neither of which I can afford).  We have the most disorganized house imaginable!  And trying to correct that is one of our main goals, as DCF is keeping tabs on us (it stinks; one kid has a screaming meltdown one morning about not wanting to wear a heavy coat that day, and the next thing you know, the teacher is calling Social Services because the kid wore a spring coat on a winter day...man, I hate autism!)  Our daughter has had numerous suspensions from school this year due to her inability to control her temper with teachers, students, her paraprofessional, even her bus monitor.

It was already almost more than I could handle, being ill and being disabled and having all that autism to deal with...and then...

The ice storm we had here in Massachusetts in December knocked out power at our house long enough that our pipes froze and burst, and that caused a water main under our front yard to burst.  Fixing that was expensive, not covered by insurance, and required extensive excavation in our front yard.  That required the workmen to tear up our walkway and railing, and with my disability, walking down the sloped yard from our house to the street was hard enough when there WAS a path and railing.  Now without it (and without respite from this hellacious weather), I risk injury every time I leave my house.  I have already fallen once and sustained significant injury, so I'm rather desperate to replace the walkway, but my husband just lost his job...again.  (Many of you are no doubt aware of the difficulty adults with Asperger's have in staying employed.  In fact, this particular job loss may have been a result of autism discrimination, and Ian's speaking with counsel about a possible lawsuit.)

Anyway...our family is suffering, and it is to a great extent due to the overwhelming amount of autism in the family.  Any Gatherers out there think maybe you can help us?  I'm unclear which organizations provide any direct assistance to Spectrum families, but I have no choice but to try to find some, because things are reaching critical mass around here.  If anyone works with or knows of a service organization, church, or charity that might be able to help our family. please let me know.  I can also be reached by cell phone at (978) 821-5725 (if I remember to charge it) or by e-mail at: karenhatchtaylorATyahooDOTcom.  Please, if anyone here can help, let me know right away.  Thanks for "listening," Gatherers, and good luck with your own spectrum "victims."