INDIANAPOLIS — Ausome Indy, known for its moms' network, is now creating a space for fathers of children with autism, as CDC data shows one in 31 children is affected.
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The organization was born out of a personal search for connection. After her son's autism diagnosis, co-founder Kate Miller couldn't find the support she needed.
"There wasn't a group... and I kept thinking, how is there not a network of people?" Miller said.
That search led Kate and her sister Ellen to create Ausome Indy. Other parents quickly recognized the same void.
"I searched high and low for people who understand and people who get it, other moms with special needs kiddos... you are going to love it here, it is your newfound village," Alicia Thomas, whose daughter has autism, said.
Since launching its moms network in 2021, Ausome Indy has grown to more than 1,300 members, offering resources, friendship and hope to families across the Indianapolis area.
"Our goal is to be there as the diagnosis of autism continues to rise. We would like to be one of the best places to raise a child with autism... That's why we call it Ausome Indy," Kate Miller said.
The organization also hosts sensory-friendly events, which have drawn in families like Anastasia and Nathan Stohr, whose son has autism.
"I felt like I could breathe. They don't have to be this put-together person. He can go out here and spin in circles and do whatever he wants to do without having any judgment," Anastasia Stohr said.
Co-founder Ellen Miller said creating a welcoming, judgment-free environment is central to the group's mission.
"So many of our families have isolated themselves, so we try to make you comfortable so you can come at your messiest," Ellen Miller said.
As the moms' network continued to grow, leaders noticed fathers were also seeking connection and support.
"The dads are just as isolated. They're struggling just as much," Kate Miller said.
Nathan Stohr echoed that sentiment.
"There's not a lot for Dad's, even just support or way for us to blow off steam," Stohr said.
Jill Norton, who has two sons with autism, shared why her husband joined the new dads group.
"Dads, he can relate to, aside from his traditional friends that don't really understand his world as a father," Norton said.
As autism rates continue to rise, Ausome Indy's leaders hope new families will find the organization from the very start of their journey.
"To see moms with grown adult sons with autism, who may still need a lot of help, that's what gives me hope," Kate Miller said
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