The Family Enrichment Weekend enhances healthy family functioning by promoting family resiliency. Family resiliency is the family’s ability to positively meet the challenges of life.   Strong families demonstrate resilience by problem solving, providing positive non-critical support, and promoting a sense of togetherness.     The Family Enrichment Weekend creates an environment where families have a positive experience working and playing together.   Traveling with a family, especially when the family includes a child with autism, will be challenging for each family at the Family Enrichment Weekend.   Just organizing the family to get to the event will be a challenge and spending two nights in a hotel room and two days in the presence of new people who do not know your child will be stressful. The Family Enrichment Weekend gives each family the opportunity to examine their ability to problem solve and meet new challenges in an accepting, well staffed, and supportive environment.   Throughout the Family Enrichment Weekend families work with the staff to solve problems using cooperation, creative brainstorming, and openness to others. 

The problem may be as simple as helping a child learn how to use the microphone, or as intense as helping a child who is over stimulated in the new situation. Families may find that they have become very rigid in managing their child’s behavior.  Schedules are always the same and there is no room for change.  At the Family Enrichment Weekend they have the opportunity to learn how to deal with changes in the schedule with the help and support of trained staff.   This experience will help families in future situations when they face similar challenges. Some families may be frustrated because the child with autism seems to cause chaos in the family.  Outbursts and meltdowns appear to be random and the family moves from crisis to crisis without any pattern.  The Family Enrichment Weekend offers an environment where the parents can see what is needed to support their child in a new situation and do what they need to do as a family to provide that support. Families also learn that all family members must be considered with equal importance when there is a problem.   So while some problem solving may be done to alleviate a crisis for the child with autism (e.g., allowing a child with autism to individualize and design his own picture schedule), the family may also work with the staff to solve issues for other family members.  For example, creating time for a parent to talk individually with another parent or professional, excusing a couple from sessions who needs to reconnect so they can have time together, and/or helping siblings network with a new friend. These successful experiences will help families learn how to cope with challenges and become more resilient in the face of stress and crisis.