Decades ago, I was a very young and overwhelmed parent that felt lost and lonely, useless and powerless.  I became a mom much too early in life and I struggled with a very premature infant that had special needs. I was newly married, alone and isolated in a place far away from my own family with very little support.

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Not soon enough, but gratefully, I crossed paths with a woman I call my SOS, a Supportive Objective Someone, who guided me to grow and thrive as a parent. This connection had such a positive impact on me I decided I wanted to pay it back someday. Next I joined a mom’s group to continue to receive support and be an SOS to others. Soon I found myself as the new facilitator of the group. 

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Fast-forward seven years and two children later. Soon after my third child was born a friend of mine confided that a neighbor had sexually abused her daughter and I found myself not only being an SOS to her but a strong advocate as well. My objective to help parents deal with parenting challenges was intensified.

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This experience caused me to grow again as a parent, a person and a professional. I established a non-profit agency to prevent child abuse in my community and then went on to finish my college education and acquire a Masters in Social Work while going through a divorce and parenting three adolescent boys. PHEW!

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Out in the work world I held various roles: all working with and helping parents grow. I spent the bulk of my working profession employed as a school social worker counseling parents and children whether in the regular classroom or special education arena to maximize their greatest potential - regardless of abilities.

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In 2005 I went back to school to become a PCI Certified Parent Coach® and started my online parent coaching business, The Progressive Parent, LLC, the following year. Four years later, I acquired a client who had twins, both on the spectrum. This mom was challenged by the school system as her daughter's were about to enroll in kindergarten. With my guidance and support she was able to advocate for the best possible placements for each girl. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to focus on helping parents of children recently diagnosed with autism and Parent Coaching for Autism was born in 2010.

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Since then I have worked with: a parent of a child with ASD in Australia to reduce her daughter's social anxiety and expand her ability to interact socially with her peers and acquire friendships at school; a single dad from Canada who was struggling to help his son with Asperger's make a positive transition into adulthood; a grandmother of a seven year old boy in Maine to better understand and manage his behaviors as well as discover new ways to communicate with him; and have transformed the lives of many, many more along the way.

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Having acquired fifteen years of experience I decided to compile my wisdom in a book, AUTISM PARENTING: Practical Strategies for a Positive School Experience - Over 300 tips for parent's to enhance their child's school success was published in the fall of 2016. My goal is to write more books that address various autism related topics.

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In the meantime, I'm here to help you uncover abilities in order to change possibilities for you, your child and your family. Let's chat so I can listen to your story and guide you to maximize your child's greatest potential! I help parents from all over the world tap into a more conscious parenting style. I'm just a phone call away. You don't even have to leave the house or get a sitter! How convenient is that?

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My mission continues to be helping parents achieve harmony in their home, work and family life in a more mindful way. My past experience working within schools equips me with the necessary knowledge to navigate any school system in order to adequately address the special needs of students. My extensive training in child abuse prevention, conflict resolution and mediation also allows me to help parents raise victimless children that are resilient to all forms of child abuse and bullying. 

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What do I do when I'm not writing or coaching? Running my business from home allows me the flexibility to enjoy the physical activities of gardening, hiking and biking, along with the calming practices of yoga, mediation and other leisure interests that nourish my soul and enrich my life.

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Contact information

Phone: 207-615-5457

eMail: cmchammer@gmail.com