Mild Autism (Parent Power) Review – A Resource for Parents of Autistic Children.
Welcome back to Best Case Parenting. Today, I am excited to introduce to you a parenting course called “Parent Power – Junior Real world Training” from the Mild Autism website.
As the name suggests, this course is designed to help parents whose child has fallen into the autistic spectrum. Specifically those that fall into the mildly autistic category.
I still believe that the information here would help a parent with a more severe autistic child, especially when trying to understand autism. But, your results may not be as consistent. If you are unsure about your child’s severity, I would get in contact with the course provider directly.
This course is aimed at children in the age range 0-9 years old.
On a side note, if you are still unsure about whether your child is autistic or not, I have an article to help you decide on Best Case Parenting.
I have been an Early Childhood educator for over a decade. In this time, I have seen many parents struggle with autism or signs of autism in their children. Some choose to ignore it, hoping it will get better. Some recognise it and think they can simply train their child out of this themselves (without any prior knowledge of autism!). Some fully commit to supporting their child, but can still be left confused by the whole thing!
The truth is, Autism is an incredibly delicate and complex trait for your child to have. Knowing what to do in this situation is tough for many parents. Therefore, it is great to see a parenting course dedicated to autism.
In this review, I intend to go over what Mild Autism – Parent Power is all about and whether I recommend it.
WHAT IS MILD AUTISM (THE COURSE) AND WHO IS BEHIND IT?
Mild Autism is actually a website run by Pete Cole. When Pete found out he had a child on the autistic spectrum, he went through a journey of discovery with his child. He educated himself to become a relative expert in the field of autism. Pete noticed that most of the support channels available to him in the early days were focused on minimising the symptoms of autism, within their own “world” of autism.
Pete decided he didn’t like this approach and wanted to find one which also helped his autistic child to be able to step into the “real world “successfully. When discovering that the resources in this area were sorely lacking, Pete decided to make it his focus to educate himself to be able to provide this kind of support to his child.
Pete is now passing his knowledge on through his website. The course he has designed on there is called “Parent Power – Real World Training”. He wants this course to provide a practical guide to parents with children on the autistic spectrum. So that they feel confident in their knowledge of autism and what they can do to support their child.
Whilst I have been reviewing this course and digesting its content, I have gotten the impression that this is a passion project for Pete. Whilst reviewing parenting courses and resources, I have seen this before. Namely, the recently reviewed Children Learning Reading Program springs to mind. This reading course for parents is actually one of my favourites. Hopefully, this is a good sign for Mild Autism – Parent Power!
If you want to find out more about Pete’s journey, he has an excellent and thorough about me section on his website.
SO, IS THE COURSE ANY GOOD?
In this section, I intend to dive into what you get with the Mild Autism Parent Power course and whether I like it or not!
THE COURSE DELIVERY
This particular course is set up as one which is website based. After you pay for your course, you will login and be presented with the full extent of the course.
I have complained in some of my other reviews about the somewhat old fashioned style of presenting a course as an eBook. In this day and age, I feel more and more people are not patient to read such books. So, I am very happy to see Parent Power go down the route of a web based course.
When logging in for the first time, I was greeted with a rather old school design style. It reminds of some early websites from the dawn of the internet! (yes, I WAS around then!)
However, this website scores highly when it comes to functionality. It may not look modern, but the structure of the content is excellent. Everything is clearly laid out and accessible.
There is an excellent short course option, which will guide you through the core elements of the course. I always like seeing this option, as it enables parents with less time to get the main chunk of the training in the most efficient way. They can then come back to complete the rest of the course when they have time.
The main breakdown of the Parent Power course is made up of ten modules. These modules are a mixture of text (often in downloadable PDF format) and introductory videos. Both the main and short versions of the course make sure to do a solid introduction, detailing a road-map of what to expect and how this course should fit into the overall support you give your child. Parent Power also includes useful checklists in some of its modules, to help you keep track of your learning and what actions you need to take.
There is also a great course overview section at the bottom of each lesson.
Around half way through the course, you will find a ‘recap and what to expect next’ lesson.
All of this means that any parent using this course has a clear idea what is available and what their best angle of attack is to complete it. So, I will say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Don’t instantly stop when you see the old fashioned website design. What is within is very well thought out and delivered.
Finally, when talking about course delivery, we need to talk about Pete himself. He is the course owner and delivers all of the video content during this course. I like his presentation style, it comes across as very calm and reassuring. He is able to present his ideas quickly and clearly, something which is a real asset to anyone taking Parent Power. I don’t see any rambling or unnecessary fluff in his videos.
THE COURSE CONTENT
Whilst using this course, the word that has often stuck in my mind is “detailed”! Pete has clearly spent a lot of time and effort making his course an excellent resource for parents.
He hasn’t just thrown together a course and slapped a price tag on it, he has made sure that it is a high quality and valuable one.
As stated above, he starts with an introduction and road-map. You are taken through the stages you need to go through, from diagnosis of autism to intervention taken. More importantly, where the Parent Power course training fits into all of this.
The first module proper goes into quick tips to help you deal with your autistic child’s “unusual” or distressing behaviours. Peter then has a module answering frequently asked questions. The rest of the modules detail the specifics of his training. From games to play with your child, to relaxation techniques and hot tips for making your life with your child more fun!
During the latter part of the course, Pete details the theory behind his training and more about his own personal experiences.
Pete also give you some bonus materials at the end, such as his recommended resources.
I really enjoyed the personal touch that Pete gave to his course content. You learn more about his personal experiences and struggles, not just a dry and factual course to go through. You feel like you are getting expert advice from a parent that has actually gone through the same struggles as you.
This course covers advice and techniques that Pete has established through years of experience and that he knows have worked for him! The basis of this training is to encourage your child out of their own autistic inspired world, and into the real world. By doing this, you are increasing their real world abilities. And, you are not forcing your child into this world! You are encouraging them in a fun way!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The complete Mild Autism Parent Power training is $97. A full 60 day guarantee is offered with this product.
There is also a $3 taster membership, something which will give you access to 3 key modules within the course. There are also module previews available before you buy anything.
These options should allow you to get a great idea of what is available in this course before you commit to the full $97 course.
DO I RECOMMEND PARENT POWER?
I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the Mild Autism Parent Power course. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially after seeing some of the slightly outdated promo content.
However, once diving into the course, you can see that it will be a literal godsend for any parent with an autistic child. The amount of information in the course, coupled with the care in which it is delivered, make it a clear win in my book.
Like I said at the start, I have seen many parents in my professional career that are struggling with autism in their children. Many professionals in this field don’t have the time to sit a parent down and help them through such problems. I have even seen many parents left confused by the feedback given from professional reports on their children.
So, this course fulfills an important role. A parent that goes through this course will have a better understanding of what autism is and some of the root causes in the background. Alongside this, they will have practical techniques and advice on how to deal with autism and have a better life with their autistic child.
I like and agree with Pete’s approach to supporting Autistic children. It is not just about correcting a child’s behaviour so they appear “normal”. It’s about reducing their stress and supporting them to have the confidence and desire to enter the “real world” and succeed!
Autistic children often have problems interacting with the real world. They become insular and stuck in their own little world. This training has the aim of encouraging an autistic child into the real world, increasing their chances of success there. This is something parents of autistic children strive for, but often have no idea how to go about.
All of this is delivered by a man (Pete Cole) whose clear aim is to support and empower parents in this situation. This is 100% a passion project born out of his own experiences and the course benefits from this greatly. Pete even encourages members on his course to contact him personally if they have further issues. He brings a personal touch to the course, something that is getting harder to find these days.
Of course, you do need to remember that autism is complex. I wouldn’t recommend solely relying on this course if you have an autistic child. But, this course coupled with professional help from therapists, will make an excellent combination for most parents. Pete himself often talks about this in his course.
The cost of the course is very reasonable for the amount of quality content you will receive. Bearing in mind, that in most countries one session with a professional therapist would likely cost more.
All in all, if you have an autistic child, this course is a must. You will become part of a supportive community of like minded parents lead by Pete Cole. I don’t see any downsides to this!
If you are still unsure, I would recommend just going to look at the free resources available on the Mild Autism website. There is a lot of well thought out content there, which will give you an insight into the quality and detail you will find in the paid course! That Pete really is someone that wants to help and support you, not just take your money and run!
I admire Pete’s dedication to helping parents with understanding and working with Autism. It is a niche area, but an area where I see a lot of struggling parents!
If you have any experience with this course yourself, we would love to hear all about it in the comments section below.
To find out more about Pete’s Mild autism course, simply check out their official website.
You may also be interested in a recent magazine review I did titled “Autism Parenting Magazine”. You can check out the full review HERE.
