For many families with children with special needs, traditional childcare offerings such as daycare centers don’t offer the individualized care that is required. For these families a live-in option, such as a nanny or an au pair, may be a better choice.
Holly, a mother of three in San Francisco, has a 10 year-old-son, Trevor, who has special needs, is undiagnosed, and keeps losing skills. Her family gets the support they need from Sonia, a professional au pair and occupational therapist, from PROaupair.
“Everyone always says how do you do it all,” said Holly. “My husband and I both have our own companies and three kids in three schools. I forget sometimes that we do it all because we have a third adult in the house.”
But not, just any live-in caregiver can provide a family with a child with special needs the support that they require. For many families, having an au pair with specialized training is important. Claudia, a mother of two from Texas, switched from a regular au pair to a professional au pair trained as an occupational therapist after her son Kai was diagnosed with special needs.
“By the time you’ve been to the pediatrician and neurologist, do an MRI and everything else you can think of to figure out the underlying cause, we got a diagnosis of tubular sclerosis,” said Claudia. “We realized that just a regular au pair without a specific skill set mat not be enough so we switched from having a regular au pair to having a professional au pair and in our eyes its been the best thing – not just on a personal level but we also see that he keeps making progress.”
PROaupair’s professional au pairs have extensive childcare experience as well as degrees in childcare-related fields such as occupational therapy, pediatric nursing, physical therapy, special needs education, or early childhood education. This special training makes them an asset to families with children with special needs, since they can design a care plan that is specifically tailored to the child’s needs.
“Mona, our au pair from PROaupair, has brought laughter love, professional expertise, and her cultural traditions to our house,” according to Cassandra, a mother of two. “From her first week with us, Mona sought ways to connect with our two children, ages 6 and 2. Our six-year-old son has a rare genetic condition, which includes cognitive disabilities and developmental delays. Mona quickly identified what made our son smile and was not afraid to jump in and engage with his favorite activities. We are so thankful to have been matched with Mona.”
For more information about welcoming a professional au pair into your home, please contact PROaupair at 844-787-6566.