Explore Our Programs

    Overview

    Aspire, a MassGeneral Hospital Program, specializes in helping children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum achieve success. Our programming is uniquely designed to help participants with Asperger profiles develop positive self-awareness, stress management and social competency skills so they can succeed at home, school, work and in community settings.

    We are dedicated to understanding and serving this population of exceptional individuals and their support network. For parents and caregivers, we help those new to the ASD diagnosis, those looking to understand the nuances of their child’s cognitive profile, and those in need of support with specific parenting challenges. We welcome the opportunity for parents and caregivers to come together to learn from us and share with each other.

    Aspire’s parent programming includes customized parent group presentations and private parent coaching sessions. View our current parent programming schedule.

    Parent Group Presentations

    As an organization dedicated to serving autistic individuals, Aspire recognizes the importance of educating and empowering parents and caregivers. We offer customized presentations and facilitated workshops to parents, SEPAC groups, community-based groups, and parent-teacher organizations.  A sampling of our presentation topics is below.

    Workshops and Trainings

    • Neurodiversity and Autism: A Strength Based Approach
    • Supports for Neurodiverse Teens and Adult Through the Transition Years
    • Introduction to Neurodiversity in the Classroom
    • Executive Functioning: Spotting It and Supporting It
    • Parent Communication: Balancing Efficacy with Empathy
    • Disclosure: Process Not Product
    • Teaching Social Competency for Special Education Students
    • Autism and Social Competency
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Anxiety: Beyond Behaviorism
    • The Biology of Stress
    • Stress Management in Adolescence
    • Special Education: Breaking Down Inclusion, Building up Students
    • Promoting Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy
    • Managing Behavior for Teens on the Autism Spectrum
    • Teaching Writing for Reluctant and Resistant Writers
    • Autism and Self Disclosure

    If you are interested in learning more about our Parent Group Presentations, email us at MGHAspire@mgb.org.

    Parent Coaching Services

    Aspire supports the diverse needs of our participants and families by offering private and personalized parent coaching sessions. Parent coaching services are available to parents of children of all ages, including teens and adults. These sessions provide an opportunity for parents and caregivers to collaborate with Aspire specialists about their child’s specific needs at home or in the community. Our goal is to provide parents with support and strategies to help their child build skills, make progress and achieve success. Examples of common parent coaching goals are:

    • To improve the structure of routines (mornings, homework, bedtime)
    • To better understand a child's cognitive profile
    • To learn about disclosure; how to speak with an individual about their diagnosis and identity
    • To help a child generalize their social skills at home or in the community
    • To better support a child’s stress management at home and in school
    • To develop and practice independence at home or in the community
    • To increase the effectiveness of parent-teacher communication and collaboration
    • To develop self-care strategies and routines

    Parent Coaching Fee: $150 per 50-minute session (in person, or virtual). Additional follow-up sessions are available as needed. Aspire coaching services are not psychotherapy. Learn more about Parent Coaching Services (PDF).