PEWAUKEE, Wis. — A Pewaukee mom with two adult children with autism realized she made it through difficult times because others reached out a hand. Now, she wants to do the same for other parents. She started a free autism support group.
TMJ4 News received an email from Sandra Lomeli’s friend, saying we needed to meet this “dedicated mom who’s working to help other parents.”
Sandra Lomeli has two children on the autism spectrum.
"He was non-verbal until he was about seven years old,” said Sandra, talking about her son Rick.
Though her children are adults now, she says it was difficult to navigate their school years since they both were considered low-functioning.
"He has an IQ of about six or seven years old,” said Sandra.
She realized she got through it thanks to the kindness of other moms and parents offering advice. She decided to create a place where all families could come together and help each other.
Watch: Pewaukee mom starts autism support group to help others
"There are very few resources to help you navigate this, especially when you are in the school system,” said Sandra.
It's what drew Sandy Krause to attend the free Brilliant Morning support group last month. She has two neurodiverse children, including one in college.
"One of the things that happens when you have a child with a diagnosis is that you need a community, because it feels very lonely when you have a neurodiverse child,” said Sandy.
Sandra is now making it her mission to make sure no caregiver has to feel that way.
“Somebody helped me. I had that and had that privilege I felt compelled to pay that forward where I can,” said Sandra.
TheBrilliant Mornings support group will meet on Saturday, October 19th in Milwaukee on the UWM campus.
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