Position ideal for grad student focused on special needs or psychology and looking for room and board with salary or live-out and working by the hour on a split schedule. I'm a lawyer and a single parent who works from home in Herndon, VA with my kids who are 16, 14, and 11, all of whom are on the autism spectrum with associated anxiety. My kids are pretty independent and at an age where a nanny is inappropriate, but we do need someone with some knowledge of high functioning autism, sensory integration, and anxiety. Two of my kids also identify as LGBTQ, so any candidate would need to be supportive of or identify with LGBTQ rights.

A great match needs to be someone positive and enthusiastic, as well as calm. I would need help with laundry, driving, and in large part just helping with the kid-related tasks of running a household, working around studies or internships.

Although my kids have some special needs with sensitivity and social skills, they are not defiant or disrespectful, so we generally do not have discipline issues. It takes a little more attention sometimes for them to understand fully a social situation or to work up the courage to try something new, but they are a really joyful bunch and older so they are very independent. I think it's important to explain the special needs of my children because it takes a certain kind of personality and temperament to live with kids who are different and also to enjoy them. My kids' differences don't define them, however, and they can be really loving and fun. We are a pretty eccentric family, and tend towards an "alternative" rather than mainstream sensibility. We love technology, humor, embrace caregivers with tattoos and piercings, and accept people for how they are (assuming that they are kind and empathetic). Consequently, our kids are kooky, creative, kind, and fiercely loyal to the people they love.

I'm looking for someone who is enthusiastic, mature, and laid back in temperament. We like to laugh a lot at our house, so a sense of humor is important to us. Special needs skills are a plus to better understand our kids' needs, but I think much of these communication styles and interactions can be learned with the right personality fit. Even though my kids are on the autism spectrum, they are very engaging, just socially awkward (of the "nerd" variety). Having a similar sensibility is a big plus.