(Yeagertown) -- A central Pennsylvania group that offers support for parents of children living with autism spectrum disorders in rural areas is looking to expand. Parents of Autistic Kids, or PAK, is a group of about 12 parents in Yeagertown, Mifflin County that meets once a month to talk about raising an autistic child. Autistic children as well as their siblings are also invited to socialize while their parents chat. The group's co-founder, Melissa Maxwell, says sharing their personal experiences helps parents cope with the stress they sometimes feel. "We have families that have children who have been diagnosed for a while, and we also have families who have newly-diagnosed children," she says. "They kind of lend support to one another, you know, 'Hey, I'm going through this. What did you guys deal with when you went through that and how did you handle it,' type of thing." Maxwell says she wants to make sure people in rural communities, such as Yeagertown, know about support systems, like PAK, that can help when parents feel overwhelmed. She adds the group, which is funded by the Juniata River Center for Human Services, hopes to grow by recruiting more members and hosting fundraising events, such as a walk to raise money for autism research. Anyone interested in attending the meetings can call Maxwell at (717) 248-8540.