I would also contact maybe your local high school and see if there were any teenagers that might have helped out in the special ed dep. and then maybe u could contact them..im not sure if teens are allowed to do that in your local high school..but they would probably be a big help. I wouldn't mind babysitting your child if I lived in your area, but i probably don't. I babysit a kid who is 33 months who has some development problems, im just not sure if it is autism or not yet. I hope to find out when he goes for his 3yr check-up.Do you have a local CARD center? I would contact them too and see if they know how you can find someone. I would google CARD autism and your city and see if what you come up with.hmmm, interesting, potential babysitters can register with these websites and get buisness thru those. I never knew my baby sitters myself, as they were not from the neghboorhood (thank God!) usually they were a high school aged girl who my parents hired, thru word of mouth to chill with me and my sis for the night.
A sitter specialized in special needs tho??? Interesting, bet her rate is a bit more then the average going rate. That could be a big thing, i just had regular sitters, and althought I remember being good, i may have pushed my limits a bit, my sis was perfect, i tryed to stay up late talking to her, never worked.
I dont think itll be nessissary unless your kid really has special needs, i mean... like for many like me at least, we would not have a problem, at least in my opinion with a normal high school aged sitter, as we function... well... highly, but others may need more supervision, maby medication, then would be good. I dont think many of the kids talked about on her would nesissarily, at least, from what i read, require a special sitter, i think its good for those of us who have the ability to blend in somewhat, to have as normal a life as possible, and perhapse thats part of it, i dont know tho, im not a parent, just my thoughts looking at things thru my eyes, i could very well be wrong.
Norwaymom - There were 2 links u posted on another post..
http://babysitters.sittercity.com and
http://www.childcareaware.org/en/
Are there specific resources I should look into for special needs children?? I really want to try going back to work but need a reliable sitter who understands "special needs"....
Sorry, I haven't actually used the sites myself. MamaKat posted an ad on the sittercity site, specifying what she was looking for. You could check with her.I work full time, and have since the boys were 3 months old. I have a full time nanny (7:30 - 5:30 daily). I'm on my 3rd one in 6 years. The first two left for reasons unrealated to C's issues (1 wanted shorter hours, 1 wanted a 4 day/wk gig). All of them I got through nanny agencies in my area. The agencies are like a giant dating service. They interview you extensively and try to match you with candidates that meet your needs. You pay a fee for this, typically 2 weeks salary. However, I've found great people and all willing to work with C. My current nanny didn't know much about autism when she started with us a year ago, but she's been willing to learn. She drives C to and from therapy and does a great job engaging him.
When you interview candidates, you can find out how comfortable they are with a special needs child. I guess it depends what those needs are. Every candidate is different. Some might balk at changing diapers for a 6 year old, others might think that is no big deal. Some can deal with meltdowns easily, others will not be able to handle it. The best thing you can do is be brutally honest about your child with the candidates - the good, the bad and the ugly. I interviewed candidates in my home and let them interact with the kids to see how comfortable they all were together.
Best of luck finding a suitable sitter.