About Me
Kia ora, I'm Iain!
I am a father of five children; four are now young adults, and my youngest child has a diagnosis of Autism with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile, ADHD and sensory processing challenges.
I have a background in psychology and I am a certified Professional Transformational Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Founder of PDA Father Figures Facebook Group, and active member of several other autism communities.
My son’s own needs and navigating this as a parent has given me a passion for walking alongside other parents and caregivers of autistic family members. I am driven to support them to find a way through what can often be a rollercoaster of challenges, emotions and uphill battles.
I deeply understand the challenges that can come with supporting neuro diverse loved ones. My own journey to support my son has been tumultuous, with a very steep, self-directed learning curve.
I read the books, I joined the groups, I watched the webinars and the YouTube videos – helpful, yes, but they more often than not left me with more questions than answers, and did not fulfil the need I had to connect with someone on a deeper level who truly understood what I was experiencing and could help me find a way forward that would work for my child.
I often felt alone, with an overwhelming amount of information to process, leaving me feeling isolated. I wished I had someone who could help me work through what I was feeling; help me to frame and get perspective on what I was thinking; support me to identify and understand my needs and goals for my son and I; and help me take steps to meet these goals so we could thrive as a family.
I now find my own experience often aligns with the struggles and emotions that many parents and carers in similar situations face.
The real turning point for me came when I realised that the existing support systems and resources out there were falling far short of addressing the deeper, holistic and personalised needs of caregivers like myself.
The realisation that there was a significant gap in the support system to meet these deeper needs of parents and caregivers is what sparked the establishment of AutSupport – a transformational coaching business designed to provide accessible and tailored coaching services to help parents and carers thrive, and navigate the various facets that come with caring for autistic family members.
AutSupport is driven by my desire to fill the support gap I found, and provide the kind of support that I wish I had had access to during those tumultuous phases of my own journey. I’m committed to enabling parents and carers to empower themselves by providing a coaching service that is tailored to their unique needs, grounded in the principles of growth, resilience, and well-being.
I create a safe space for us to work together from a holistic perspective, and draw on my expertise as a Transformational Coach to help you explore and identify your needs, goals, and create actionable steps that help move you and your child forwards positively.
I also work with you, and a very knowledgeable colleague, to identify what additional sources of support you might need and help signpost you through a complex health and education system. I have made AutSupport a koha (donation) based service to ensure that it is accessible to all families, no matter what financial situation you are in.
I look forward to connecting with you and exploring how I can help you and your family thrive!
Iain
Calling all PDA Father Figures!
Iain leads a dedicated Facebook group tailored to support fathers of children and young people with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile of autism.
This online community serves as an extension of AutSupport’s mission, enabling fathers to seek advice, exchange resources, and connect with peers navigating comparable situations. Iain’s active involvement in various dads support groups underscores his dedication to enhancing peer support and advocacy within the autism community.
Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.