OC Mamas and Papas of Autistic Children

When asked what people love about Orange, the answer (aside from amazing shops and restaurants) is almost always community.  Neighbors, business owners and even visitors can feel a sense of community within Orange through its annual events, celebrations and friendly conversations.

Although Orange has so many great things to offer, Tiffany Montero found something missing.  After Montero’s oldest son was diagnosed with autism, she looked for a local community for families like hers.  When she didn’t find one, she created that community herself.

“I felt really alone at that time,” says Montero, who lives in Orange.

Although she has an educational background for special needs children, Montero found parenting a child with autism and forging a sense of community while doing so to be challenging.  In response, she started a support group with the idea that families like hers were also in need of similar opportunities and resources.

Now, the OC Mamas and Papas of Autistic Children has more than 600 members on Facebook.  The group enables families with special needs children to connect, share resources, post events and ask questions.

Eventually Montero, who has two sons with special needs, expanded from an online support group to play dates in the park.  Families with special needs children can attend the monthly Hangout at Steve Ambriz Park in Orange on Saturday afternoons.

“You go into a community where everybody gets it,” says Irma Roybal, who attends the Hangout with her five-year-old autistic son.  “It helped us feel not so alone.”

Roybal says her son enjoys the tables with sensory toys, crafts and snacks at the Hangout.  The children have plenty of room to run around and play on the playground, and parents often take turns keeping an eye on the kids while other parents talk and mingle.

Along with the Hangout, which is great for families to make friendships and connections, Tiffany wanted to devote a night just to the moms.  About once a month, Montero hosts a Special Needs Mom’s Night Out in an Orange establishment on Tuesdays, where moms have a bite, make new friends, ask for advice or simply have a well-deserved break. “We need a breather,” says Montero.

Karina Contreras, who has an 11-year-old daughter with autism, met Montero through her daughter’s school.  Montero invited Contreras to the Hangout, where she found a sense of community.  Contreras has also been attending and enjoying the Special Needs Mom’s Night Out.

“It’s nice being able to hang out and relax with the other moms,” says Contreras, who says teaching a disabled child is a unique experience.

Both Contreras and Roybal feel that initially having a child with special needs can result in feelings of isolation or withdrawal.  They are grateful for the community that has helped their families thrive, as well as the woman who has helped nurture that community.

Montero knew she was making a difference when she attended an annual autism conference and a non-speaking young adult with autism stressed that it is the parents’ responsibility to get the kids out of the house and help them make friends.

“I looked at my husband and started crying,” says Montero, who felt it was a sign to keep the community going, and she has.  Sometimes the Hangout reaches 18 families, and she finds herself busy introducing families to one other.

Although expanding the group is important, Montero, Roybal and Contreras agree bringing awareness to the special needs community is key.

“Everyone wants that connection and friendships,” says Contreras.

More information:
OC Mamas and Papas of Autistic Children on Facebook
Naranja_Native on Instagram
Tiffany at 714-886-7040.