We recently connected with Nicole Perez Aponte and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, appreciate you joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
Having to move from my country and leave my home and family seven years ago to identify my son’s health conditions. Just with a backpack and one piece of luggage. Follow my instincts to search for providers that care for my son’s special needs and follow a plan of care that helps him maximize his full potential in another language and culture. Makes me think about those like my family who struggle to find access to services and resources in their primary language. I decided to create a Hispanic support group, named Mi Rayito Azul to connect with other families like mine, create social events and encourage family, friends, and community members to raise awareness about Autism and related condition. I share my own experiences as a caregiver. Provide information about services and resources and promote parent training in their primary language.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
When you are a parent of special needs child you need to create a village that supports you through a journey that you are not sure what to do next. So I created a space for families to interact and connect with other families with similar cultural backgrounds. My son has overcome a lot of challenges that come with a diagnosis like Autism, ADHD, Epilepsy, Apraxia of Speech, and EOE. I share our own experiences to inspire others to get educated and be actively involved in their child’s plan of care. Every child is unique with different abilities and challenges. But if we as a community get together and advocate for our children, who will become adults in the future, we will secure a future considering a good quality of life. Having in mind our goal as a caregiver is to provide opportunities to make them the most independent possible. Considering caregiver burnout and taking time to do self-care in order to have positive outcomes in treatment, Most important promote inclusion, my son’s progress, in addition to therapies, is being part of the community he lives. He plays on a sports team and participates in school activities. Besides the special education services in the school setting, his academic progress is a result to be with students of his age, who are role models, in regular education classes.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When you have a child with special needs you constantly struggle to understand and find the right answers to what I can do to support my child’s needs, where our child can receive the best treatment, how is progress going to look like, and why our family has to deal with a lot of stress and anxiety. But when I decided to take one day at a time and look for support not only for my child but also for my family our life turns on the right path. We begin to observe our son’s abilities, we request the school to place him in an inclusive classroom, and we look for opportunities to integrate him into the community like sports teams. Sharing our story, causing inspiration to believe in their child to maximize their full potential. Promote parent training, giving the clear message that the parents are the best advocates because they know what their child needs and is able to do. My son with multiple diagnoses of Autism, Apraxia of Speech, ADHA, EOE, and a history of seizures is a happy and energetic boy. Who enjoys playing and having friends. As a parent, our goal is for our child can be happy and be the most independent possible. recognizing the of caregivers’ self-care. A lot of us deal with constant stress causing physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. If we care about our own health, we can manage properly our child’s plan of care causing positive outcomes.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Being an effective caregiver and advocate will happen if you can recognize the value of your job. A lot of time we think staying at home to carry over the plan of care is a waste of our time. But you are investing in your child’s future. You are a parent that has many roles that you are not prepared for, you learn during your journey. You are mom, dad, nurse, teacher, caregiver, etc. We second guess ourselves if we are doing the right thing, having a village that understands your journey will give you the support you need to understand you are doing a great job. It is okay to commit mistakes, we are human. But is important to take risks to make changes occur. Take time for yourself to recharge, to connect with others, you deserve to feel better so you can do what you need to do. If you do not know something don’t be afraid to say it and ask for help when you need it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: mirayitoazul
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirayitoazul
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-m-perez-aponte-a56783247/
- Other: facebook private group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/2303527209918048 email: [email protected]