From the author: The article was published in the collection “Psychology as a Profession in Novokuznetsk”, Issue 2, Novokuznetsk, 2011. The text was prepared by Alexandra Igorevna Pikarevskaya based on a conversation with Irina Vladimirovna Sidorova, psychologist Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Assistance, a leading support group for parents of autistic children. The purpose of the article: to show how the work of a psychologist working as a leader of a support group for parents of autistic children can be structured, what problems may arise, and what can be achieved thanks to this. In recent years, an increase in the number of children with developmental disabilities led to the question that help is needed not only for such children, but also for the entire family in which the child is being raised. In reality, such families face many difficulties: how to raise and educate the child, lack of knowledge about the disease, how to interact with the child. In Russia, work to provide psychological assistance to such families has been going on for many years, and serious results of this work are already noticeable: the creation of specialized institutions for the education of disabled children; the establishment of parent organizations and associations, which in their work are focused on protecting the rights of parents and children with disabilities; holding round tables and seminars on issues of training and education of children with disabilities; publishing magazines such as “Autism and Developmental Disorders”, “Down Syndrome. XXI century.” But at the same time, in a city like Novokuznetsk, work is just beginning to develop in this direction. The experience of the Center for Curative Pedagogy in Moscow shows that with constant qualified assistance to such children, positive changes occur in their condition, there is dynamics and many children not only become socialized, but can also benefit society by working in specialized workshops. Such work must be coordinated, intensive, and a whole team of specialists must participate in the work: teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologists, massage specialists, who systematically and comprehensively provide assistance to the child at every stage of his development - in nurseries, in kindergarten, school. Quite important here is the work of the psychologist with the parents themselves, because The degree to which the child will be included in this work depends on their psychological and emotional state, their activity. What is autism? What are its causes? How does it manifest itself? By answering these questions, you can try to understand how parents of autistic children may feel and what difficulties they may encounter. Autism is a human development disorder characterized by abnormalities in behavior, communication and social interaction. Autism finds its expression in various forms. In addition, manifestations of autism may be present in other mental disorders. Autism is a complex, multifaceted disease, the causes of which are not fully understood, although experts have been seriously studying this disease for more than 60 years. The term “autism” (from the Greek autos - oneself) was introduced by the psychiatrist E. Bleuler and means “separation of associations from the data of experience, ignoring actual relationships.” Initially, autism was considered as a feature of the thinking of schizophrenic patients, whose characteristic feature is escape from reality and withdrawal into oneself. Swiss psychiatrist L. Kanner in 1943 first gave a holistic description of the syndrome observed in child psychiatric practice, which he designated as early childhood autism ( RDA). He considered the main violation in the clinical cases he described to be the inability of children from birth to establish relationships with people around them and to respond correctly to external situations. At first, Kanner attributed this disorder to a childhood form of schizophrenia, but then he recognized its independence, and looked for reasons either in the affective sphere or in the range of organic disorders. Since then, disputes regarding the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture,treatment, prognosis of this mental disorder. Only in the 70s of the 20th century did child psychiatry begin to take a more balanced and responsible approach to the diagnosis of childhood autism, taking into account all the diversity of forms of this disease. When diagnosing the disease today, it is necessary to take into account a whole range of certain factors: clinical , hereditary, environmental conditions and others. The diagnosis of childhood autism is based on the presence of three main qualitative disorders: lack of social interaction, lack of mutual communication, and the presence of stereotypical forms of behavior. They are general features of individual development and appear in all situations, although they may vary in severity. Regardless of the presence or absence of mental retardation (persistent, irreversible underdevelopment of the level of mental, primarily intellectual activity, associated with congenital or acquired organic pathology of the brain; along with mental deficiency, there is always underdevelopment of the emotional-volitional sphere, speech, motor skills and the entire personality in general), epileptic seizures, congenital rubella, tuberous sclerosis (a rare genetic disease in which benign tumors form in many organs and tissues), fragile X syndrome (a sex-linked hereditary human disease accompanied by mental retardation, the genetic mechanism of the disease is related with expansion of trinucleotide repeats (CGG - cytosine-guanine-guanine) in the corresponding constriction region of the X chromosome), which often accompany childhood autism, the disorder is determined only by the presence of behavioral features that do not correspond to mental development. Usually these features appear already in the first year of life , and by the third year they become obvious. In the first year of life, autism can be detected by observing the infant's lack of attachment to his mother. The child prefers to be left alone, and at the same time he is completely absorbed in contact with the inanimate objects around him. The child's speech develops with delays. But even when speech is sufficiently developed, the child is not very willing to use it. In such children one can observe a tendency to keep everything unchanged. They do not like any changes in the world around them and actively resist them. The slightest changes cause them to have outbursts of anger or feelings of anxiety. The appetite and sleep of such children cannot be called good. The development of intelligence can be normal and even accelerated, or delayed and uneven. The severity of autism can vary from mild to severe. People with mild autism may appear normal. In people with severe autism, brain function is often completely impaired and the person is unable to function normally. Gradually, the child can develop, sometimes quite deep and lasting bonds with parents and siblings. Many children change noticeably during the preschool period, their social adaptation improves, and they may not look like children with severe disabilities. The child may be more receptive to spoken language and make connections, but the lack of reciprocity in the relationship remains. For some children, social development improves during adolescence and adulthood. A small number of children make significant progress during adolescence and function significantly better than in their early years. A relatively large group of people with autism go through adolescence with few difficulties and no significant social achievements. But in 40% of people, it is during adolescence that their condition worsens, their symptoms increase, and sometimes there is regression to the level of social development of preschool age with isolation and rejection of other people. There may be a slight increase in hyperactivity, self-aggression, and stereotypical movements. By adulthood,unique patterns of behavior and interaction. For some, isolation and avoidance of contact with other people may prevail. Others, on the contrary, strive for contact, but do it in a special way, for example, they try to attract attention to themselves in completely unacceptable ways; their active appeal is often not understood. Still others passively accept the company of other people, however, if their life routine changes or the need to increase social activity, a return to autism symptoms is possible. The prognosis depends on the severity of autistic manifestations themselves, the presence or absence of pronounced organic lesions, the rate of development of intelligence and speech, and the time of treatment. Loved ones of autistic children have it the hardest. Only they know that the diagnosis of autism means the child’s helplessness, his dependence on his family and social inability. Children's institutions cannot provide such a special child with special conditions for upbringing and education, provide an individual approach, there are not enough teachers and psychologists with experience working with autistic children. The relatives of such a child find themselves alone with their difficulties - they lack knowledge about this illness, how to interact with a child, how to teach and raise him. The family is faced with a fairly large number of difficulties associated with organizing the child’s life, including difficulties in directly caring for him, communication and education, and, as a result, feelings of parental incompetence and ineptitude often arise. And also the pressure of misunderstanding on the part of others, who in most cases know nothing about the problems of autism, and parents have difficulty explaining the reasons for the disordered behavior of an autistic child. The greatest stress in this regard is experienced by mothers of autistic children due to the fact that the child from an early age does not encourage her maternal behavior, does not smile at her, does not like to be held in her arms, and thus the child does not give her the immediate joy of communication. The brothers and sisters of such children grow up in a special situation: parents are often forced to sacrifice their interests and at some point they may feel deprived of attention and feel that their parents love them less. They also have difficulty communicating with peers and classmates, facing ridicule and misunderstandings. Such children, sharing the concerns of the family, grow up early, and their childhood is most often spent caring for autistic brothers or sisters. The vulnerability of a family with an autistic child increases when the family passes certain critical points in its development: the diagnosis of “early childhood autism”, the child’s admission to a preschool institution, school, reaching adolescence, adulthood. Thus, changes in the family occur at several levels: 1. psychological - disability and diagnosis by parents are experienced as acute grief; 2. social – serious changes are taking place within the family.3. somatic - the experiences that befall the mother of a “special” child often exceed the level of tolerable stress, which manifests itself in various somatic diseases, asthenic and vegetative disorders. In 2006, a group was created on the basis of the MU “Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Assistance” in Novokuznetsk psychological support for parents of disabled children diagnosed with early childhood autism. The leader of the group at this time was Irina Vladimirovna Sidorova, who still coordinates it. True, interest in working in this group did not arise immediately, but in the process of activity itself. Irina Vladimirovna is still the only specialist involved in supporting parents of disabled children. She helped to understand the activities of the group and the participation of a psychologist in this group. The main purpose of creating the group: providing psychological, emotional and informational support to the group participants. Group working hours: once every 2 weeks, on Tuesdays. Duration of each meeting 3hours. The group’s work takes place at the Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Assistance in a specially equipped room for training (group) work. The group’s work takes place in three directions: The first direction is the parents’ acceptance of their child, enriching and deepening the experience of raising a child. The second direction is the harmonization of family relationships .The third direction is the optimization of social contacts of families raising a child with developmental disabilities. Basic methods of working in a group: 1. Psychological information, which can take the form of a conversation with elements of lectures - information and discussion of a given topic, for example, about the disease itself, upbringing and communication with the child.2. Group discussion - exchange of impressions and experiences, discussion of books and magazines on this topic, as well as new laws on this issue.3. Elements of creative expression therapy. Creative self-expression therapy is a clinical, therapeutic method of treating people with painful feelings of inferiority, anxiety and depressive disorders, developed by the famous Russian psychiatrist and psychotherapist Mark Evgenievich Burno. It is based on two ideas. The first is that a person suffering from a psychopathological disorder can recognize and understand the peculiarities of his character, his disorders, and mood. The second idea, which follows from the first, is that, having learned the strengths and weaknesses of his character, the patient can creatively mitigate his condition, since any creativity releases a large amount of positive energy, any creativity is healing.4. Elements of logotherapy (search for meaning). Logotherpy (ancient Greek logos - meaning) is a method of psychotherapy created by Frankl, it is a complex system of philosophical, psychological and medical views on the nature and essence of man, the mechanisms of personality development in normal and pathological conditions, ways of correcting anomalies in personality development. This method is based on the assumption that personal development is determined by the desire to find and realize the meaning of life. Within the framework of logotherapy, the task is to help a person find meaning in his life, which cannot simply be borrowed from others. To solve this problem, the method of Socratic dialogue was developed, in which personal experience is discussed, relating, first of all, to three areas in which the individual meaning of life can be found. This is creativity, experiences and a conscious attitude towards circumstances that cannot be influenced.5. Relaxation techniques. A person can be taught to relax their muscles at will, which sometimes leads to a decrease in anxiety. Given the positive effects of relaxation on the nervous system and its ability to reduce feelings of anxiety, clinical experts believe that relaxation training may also be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of stress-related diseases. These methods include auto-training, art therapy, treatment using affirmations and many others. Methods of muscle relaxation (gymnastics, etc.) are effective for treating phobias (fear), anger and other conditions. Difficulties of working in this group: 1. openness of the group - new participants come to the group and find it difficult to open up.2. small roster of the group (7 – 9 people). Parents, due to current circumstances (“special” condition of the children, parents’ employment), cannot regularly attend the support group;3. interpersonal relationships between group members and clarification of personal relationships;4. children cannot always be at home;5. isolation of parents, their isolation from society;6. all group members are only mothers, because... It has not yet been possible to attract fathers to the classes. The activity of the leader in the group is to coordinate and directly lead the group: precise time regulation is carried out, questions are asked to the participants, and the topic of the lesson is indicated. The presenter also plays the role of a catalyst. For Irina Vladimirovna, the very provision of psychological assistance is importantparents, the formation of an adequate perception by parents of their children. Due to which their adequate upbringing and training. Due to the fact that psychologically healthy parents are able to adequately solve problems and act successfully within the framework of this issue. He considers autistic children and their parents to be unique people with unique situations and great potential. Some children study at the specialized center “Zhuravushka” at the N.K. Krupskaya. A rehabilitation and health center for children diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy has been created on the basis of the Favorit children's and youth equestrian center. This work requires the same qualities as other specialists in the field of psychology. And these are qualities such as: 1. goodwill, respectful attitude towards people, sensitivity, responsiveness, altruism, humanity, intelligence;2. perseverance, patience, self-control, ease, naturalness, sociability, tact, politeness, listening ability, ability to understand another person and sincerity in communication;3. resistance to stress, emotional stability, ability to empathize;4. responsibility, organization, optimism, openness, curiosity, observation, independent judgment, flexibility of behavior;5. creativity (creative orientation, innately characteristic of everyone, but lost by the majority under the influence of the environment) and the ability to reflect (the subject’s turning to himself, his personality, his knowledge or his own state) of his experiences;6. the ability to understand the client’s condition, the ability to maintain some distance, confidence in behavior with the client, the ability to understand other people and psychologically correctly influence them;7. a psychologist must be able to work with people, understand characters, have not only psychological knowledge, but also psychological intuition. At the same time, it is important to avoid excessive self-confidence and faith in the infallibility of one’s psychological conclusions. The tactlessness of a psychologist is manifested in his tendency to attribute supersignificance and exclusivity to his profession. The demonstrative behavior and narcissism of the psychologist repels the client. It is important for a professional psychologist to have adequate self-esteem, to understand the individual characteristics of his personality, his abilities, strengths and weaknesses of character. At the same time, it is useful to know ways to compensate for one’s own personal shortcomings. In professional activities, a psychologist cannot be successful in everything. Not all methods and techniques work equally well. Not all types of activities show interest and inclination. Therefore, it is important for a psychologist to form an individual style of professional activity, taking into account his individual personal characteristics. The work of a leader of a support group for parents of autistic children does not require special additional training in the field of medicine or clinical psychology. It is enough to get an education as a psychologist at the Novokuznetsk branch-institute of Kemerovo State University, Novosibirsk State University, Tomsk Polytechnic University and Kuzbass State Pedagogical Academy. Courses in specific areas of the group’s work, as well as training in various areas, can be completed. During the group’s activities, it was possible to achieve some unity among parents of children diagnosed with autism. More than once in the group the question was raised about the future prospects for autistic children, about the need to create a Center for Curative Pedagogy in Novokuznetsk similar to the Moscow one. In July 2008, all group members united into the Kemerovo regional public organization “Unity”. The purpose of creating the organization: to find new ways for the development and education of their special children, and most importantly to help other families where there is a special child. Within the framework of this organization, the project of the House of Rehabilitation and Care “Children X” arose on the basis of an eight-year school in the village of Kuzedeevo, the purpose of which was is to ensure quality of life.