University of Delaware
Education & Human Development

Center for Disabilities Studies

Quick Links
  • Quick Links
    • Programs at CDS
    • Contacts at CDS
    • CDS Opportunities
    • Our Annual Report
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
Make a Gift to the center
  
Make a Gift to the center
Main Menu
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission
    • Our Core Connections
    • Our Funding
    • CDS by the Numbers
    • Our Team
    • Our Advisory Council
    • Support CDS
  • What We Do
    • At a Glance
    • Assistive Technology
    • K-12 Education
    • University Education
    • Transitions to Adulthood
    • Autism Initiatives
    • Health & Wellness
    • Advocacy
  • Publications
    • Our Annual Report
    • Peer-Reviewed Research
    • Book and Chapter Citations
    • Posters and Presentations
    • CDS Reports
    • The delAware
    • AT Messenger
  • Videos & Slideshows
    • About CDS
    • Advocacy
    • Assistive Technology
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Events
    • Health and Wellness
  • Blog
    • Inclusion Blog
  • News
    • From CDS
    • Outside CDS
    • Opportunities at CDS

Making “Mama’s Baby, Autism Maybe”: A Training Video for Practitioners

Posted on June 20, 2023

Share
  • Kendra Haynes, University of Delaware LEND Program
Share

This project was inspired by a training that was conducted by Building Bridges in December 2018. The training was called Difficult Conversations and it was designed to show healthcare professionals how to approach the topic of developmental delays and Autism with parents. I participated in the training by telling my story about my son, who has autism, and the obstacles and emotions we encountered in obtaining a diagnosis. I was surprised by the feedback from the physicians. They asked me a lot of follow-up questions and were eager to learn more about what parents experience outside of their office during the journey to a diagnosis. Before I left, one doctor suggested that I “take this show on the road” because he enjoyed hearing my story and thought it was important for other health care professionals as well. One thing I realize is that my story, while unique in minor details, is not really uniqueto me. It is common in the autism community to hear parents speak of diagnosis delays due to being ignored, discriminated against or having their concerns dismissed. I wanted to give a voice to these other parents. I wanted to acknowledge their struggle and validate their feelings of frustration. Since parents don’t always have time to “take this show on the road” I wanted to create this video so our stories could be told even if we weren’t there to do it.

View the poster

Center for Disabilities Studies

461 Wyoming Road

Newark, DE 19716

Phone: 302-831-6974

TDD: 302-831-4689

UD
  • UD Twitter
  • UD Facebook
  • UD Instagram
  • UD YouTube
  • UD Pinterest
  • UD Linkedin
©2025 University of Delaware
Comments
Legal Notices
Accessibility Notice