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Dear Readers,
.
ISSUE #1
I am not big on “reflections” messages, but January 2026’s surprising drop in work stress, year over year, has made me ask “why?” Looking back at early 2025 reminds me of being mired in three cases where people were living in situations that posed incredible risk to their health and safety.
Sometimes things like that crop up in bunches, and due to the Autism Connection team and Board obsessively sticking with our mission to be a lifeline, all three people are now, respectively:
1.) living in a safe residential home, regaining weight and peace of mind while recovering from a seven-month trauma of nursing home neglect and abuse,
3.) living at home, working, and meeting with a therapist to learn best communication and “disappointment management” in an Accelerated Rehabilitation Diversion program.
Those situations began in late 2025 and all resolved by mid-July. While we answer 260 monthly help requests from every part of the age, disability, and autism spectrum, some cases require significant daily attention and experience across systems like legal, physical and mental health, victim services, and law enforcement.
The stress in those moments is not the work itself. It is the knowing that while we are trying to fix things for and with people, they may be at serious risk every single day. Until a situation is resolved, we are never fully sure someone is safe. We are very glad to do such meaningful work for people who choose us for support. And when things work out, we feel their tremendous relief, having walked a very difficult emotional path with them at a pivotal time in their lives.