Families of Autistic Adults Network

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Families of Autistic Adults Network

A practical support and educational resource platform for overwhelmed families navigating neurodivergence, transitions, and everyday life.

Created by Rhonda Rainbolt, certified neurodivergent coach and founder of FAAN.

🌐 FAANetwork.org

09/06/2026

Sometimes caregiving doesn’t look like caregiving at all.

Nothing is happening.

There’s no appointment today.
No paperwork to complete.
No crisis to solve.

But your mind is still working.

How did they sound when you talked to them?

Was something a little off?

Should you check in—or give them space?

Is this something they can work through themselves, or one of those times when they really do need help?

What happens if Plan A falls apart?

When you support an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent adult, so much of the work can happen before anyone else even realizes there might be a problem.

You notice.

You remember what happened last time.

You calculate.

You prepare.

And perhaps hardest of all, you constantly decide when to step forward and when to stay back.

Respecting someone's independence doesn't mean pretending they never need support.

And acknowledging how much thought goes into providing that support doesn't make the person you love a burden.

Both things can be true.

Sometimes caregiving looks like doing nothing at all—because nobody can see everything you're already calculating.

**Nobody told me how much of caregiving would happen before anyone else even realized there was a problem.**

This week on the FAAN blog, we're talking about the caregiving nobody sees and what it means to always be thinking three steps ahead.

🔗 Read the full article at https://www.faanetwork.org/family-support-articles/the-caregiving-nobody-sees-when-youre-always-thinking-three-steps-ahead

08/30/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of back-to-school is realizing that you have become the unpaid project manager for an entire support system.

You are checking whether accommodations are actually being followed.

Repeating the same information to teachers, therapists, transportation staff, and administrators.

Watching portals for missing assignments, unexpected grades, or messages you might have missed.

Keeping copies of evaluations, plans, emails, and meeting notes.

Following up when one person assumes someone else handled something.

And helping your child recover when something that looked perfectly reasonable on paper did not work in real life.

There may be an entire team involved—but somehow, the parent becomes the only person responsible for making sure all the pieces connect.

That does not mean the individual people involved do not care. Many teachers and support professionals are carrying more than anyone sees, too.

But when communication is fragmented, the work of holding everything together quietly falls back on the family.

Parents should be part of the team.

They should not have to function as the entire communication system for the team.

Sometimes the exhaustion is not coming from caring for your child.

It is coming from managing every system that was supposed to help you care for them.

08/23/2026

Nobody Told Me the Hardest Part of Back-to-School Might Happen at Home

The teacher says they had a great day.

They followed directions.

They participated.

They held it together.

And then they came home.

The shoes came off.

The backpack hit the floor.

And everything they had been holding in all day came with it.

Maybe it looks like anger.

Maybe tears.

Maybe silence, irritability, refusing dinner, hiding in their room, falling asleep at 5:00, or suddenly being unable to handle one more question.

And sometimes the hardest part is hearing “They did great today!” while wondering why the child who walked back through your door seems completely spent.

Both things can be true.

They may have had a good day.

And getting through that good day may have taken almost everything they had.

Back-to-school isn't only about helping our kids get out the door in the morning.

Sometimes it's about becoming the soft place they can land when they finally come home.

Nobody told me that part.

08/14/2026

Hygiene is one of those things nobody really talks about.

We expect that, somewhere along the way, our kids will learn to shower regularly. Use deodorant. Brush their teeth. Wash their hair. Put on clean clothes.

And when those things continue to be difficult into the teen years — or adulthood — it can be frustrating for everyone.

But what if it isn't as simple as “they just won't do it”?

Sensory differences. Executive functioning. Low energy. Transitions. Difficulty recognizing body cues. Even the number of steps involved in something as ordinary as taking a shower.

Sometimes there's a reason something that looks simple from the outside feels incredibly hard from the inside.

That's why I created Nobody Told Me: Hygiene & Body Care — the first guide in a new FAAN series about the things families often find themselves navigating without anyone ever really preparing us for them.

It's practical. Judgment-free. And focused less on “How do I make them do this?” and more on “What might be making this hard — and what can we try?”

The 13-page digital guide is available now for $3.

🔗 https://faanetwork.gumroad.com/l/hygiene-body-care

Because sometimes understanding why is where things finally begin to change.

FAAN | Families. Always.
Support. Understanding. Community.

08/09/2026

The hardest things about back to school usually aren’t on the school supply list.

It might be wondering whether the new teacher will understand your child.

Whether the accommodations will actually happen.

Whether they’ll eat lunch. Use the bathroom. Ask for help. Handle the noise. Make it through the day and still have something left when they get home.

For some families, it’s helping a teen or young adult navigate a new semester with more independence expected of them than they may be ready for.

And for others, back-to-school season is a reminder that their child has aged out of school altogether — while the need for support certainly didn’t end with graduation.

There are backpacks to pack and schedules to learn.

But there’s a whole other list parents are carrying, too.

If this season feels heavier than a new box of crayons and a fresh start, you’re probably carrying some things that never made the school supply list. ❤️

08/02/2026

Back-to-school season isn't just for students—it's a season of quiet work, big hopes, and holding it all together.

Behind every first-day photo is a parent, caregiver, or family member who has spent countless hours planning, preparing, advocating, and hoping for a successful year.

If this season feels exciting, overwhelming, or a little bit of both, we see you.

Wishing every family a school year filled with patience, understanding, small victories, and more good days than hard ones. 💜

07/27/2026

Did you know?

Many autistic individuals and others with qualifying permanent disabilities may be eligible for a FREE Lifetime America the Beautiful Access Pass.

The pass provides access to 2,000+ federal recreation sites, including many National Parks, National Forests, Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands across the United States.

Before applying:
🤍 Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements.
🤍 You'll need documentation of a qualifying permanent disability.
🤍 Apply through the official website or at participating federal recreation sites.

Learn more:
🔗 https://www.recreation.gov/interagency-pass/types/access

Sometimes the best adventures begin with simply knowing what's available.

— FAAN 🤍

07/21/2026

Leaving this here today. 🤍 FAAN

07/12/2026

🤍 ~Rhonda

07/08/2026

Sometimes they can do the thing.
They just still need you nearby while they do it.

The phone call gets made—but you sit in the room.
They go into the store—but text you from aisle three.
They handle the conversation—but come back afterward to sort through what happened.

It can leave us wondering if we're helping too much.

But independence and support are not always opposites.
Sometimes the question isn't, “How do I get them to stop needing me?”
Maybe it's:
“What support helps them do more for themselves?”

I wrote more about the space between doing it for them, with them, and simply being nearby.

🔗 Read the new blog:
https://www.faanetwork.org/blog/independence-and-support

Address

1444 S Belcher Road Suite C #2019
Clearwater, FL
33764

Telephone

+18134925708

Website

http://FAANetwork.org/, https://calendly.com/rhonda-faanetwork/free-20-minute-parent-support-consult, http://FAANetwork.

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