Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon 2026

This picture is from the 2026 Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon held in Harrisburg, PA last weekend. The luncheon was started several years ago, and the main location is currently in Chambersburg, PA. The idea is to provide a special day for mothers and female caregivers of children with autism. It includes a catered lunch and a program with music and an inspirational speaker. This is the second year it has been livestreamed to other locations, and I have been part of the planning committee for the Harrisburg location both times.

My contribution to the event was to oversee registration. This involved keeping track of the online registrations as they come in as well as preparing the items we hand out at registration such as the name tags and programs. It was nice to be able to use my strengths to help out in this way.

The event went really well. We had 73 women in attendance and also provided childcare for 15 kids. There were a couple of hiccups that we can address for next time, but no major issues that I am aware of. I did have to personally step out of the after-lunch program because I was overstimulated after two days of in person preparations and then all the noise and bustle of the event. I hung out in the office for a while and did a few cleanup tasks before heading home. I didn’t have that level of difficulty last year, I was just exhausted, but I have been experiencing what many call autistic burnout for a few months, so that likely explains it.

I am hopeful that I will be able to do it again next year, but I will have to see how I feel when the time to start planning comes around. Perhaps there are changes I can make to how I participate so that I can still contribute.

Here are a couple of pics from the registration area: