A Realtor's Job is To Help Fulfill Our Customer's Needs
As Realtors, our job is to help customers with their real estate needs. What about those people who may have particular needs. How may we help them? Fortunately, there are experts and professionals that can help people make their home purchase more acceptable to every family member. One of these particular needs is helping those families with relatives who have Autism. According to the Autusm Society, about 1% of the world population has an autism spectrum disorder. It is estimated that 1 baby born of every 68 births in the United States has Autism. It has also been on the rise increasing 6% to 15% a year from 2002 to 2010. At some point, Realtors® will be dealing with a family who may have a child or sibling with Autism. I do everything I can to point my customers in a direction that will help them make the right decision based on their needs. This fits those parameters. Below you will read a blog from Karen Fiddler that may help point you in the right direction. Here is another blog that helps explain more about home decorating and what you can do to make the environment of your home more pleasing to a person who is Autistic. One of the key factors to remember is that every person has different needs to help them with their Autism. It is up to family mambers to help decide what specific requirements will work best for your situation.ORIGINAL CONTENT BY KAREN FIDDLER, BROKER/OWNER BRE# 01494165
~ ~ ~ Home Design For Autistic Families
This week was a rewarding one. For the first time, I had a very special family with very special needs. One of the children has severe autism and the youngest seems to be exhibiting similar signs. For families dealing with autistic children, the home environment is very important. As we all know, children in particular need to feel safe and secure at home. This is especially true for special needs children who can see the world as a scary place with many uncertainties. This family had done it's research. They have worked closely with their therapist and other experts to determine what the home environment should be. One of the steps they took was to consult with a home remodeler who specializes in designing, remodeling and building homes for the Autistic Community. While this family was not building from scratch, we used all this information to find a home that the children could love and in which they could thrive. I was motivated to learn more about Home Builders who specialize in building homes for people with Autism. In my research, I found a company locally who does just this. Autism Home Design uses a specific process to ensure that the home is a customized solution for that family. During this process, they gather all the information available and do a detailed assessment. This includes not only the person affected with Autism, but the family as a whole and it's unique dynamic. They they design a home to suit these needs. One of the things I they talk about is how to present the design to the child. Children with Autism do not like change. So Autism Home Design uses specialized social "stories" and visual aids to help the child become a part of the solution and gain an understanding of the changes to come. Finally, they make a point to state that they work with the family even after completion. They use professionals to determine if the needs found during the assessment were achieved, and if they need to adjust once the family is in. This goes long past the traditional home decorating or Feng Shui. Families living with Autism might need entire walls moved or rooms redesigned. Not all families are able to build from scratch, as was the case with my clients, but educating themselves....and me...is helping us find a home which will provide the caring environment for their children and family. Simply amazing! KAREN FIDDLER DRE #01494165 Broker/Associate HÔM SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY M 949.510.2395 [email protected] http://activerain.com/blogs/greatwestern http://www.search4ochomes.com/
;){kind=link}