Do you have a young child who has recently been diagnosed with autism? Do you feel lost and don't know where to start? Then this article is for you! This article will discuss what 5 areas to concentrate on, when your child is diagnosed with autism. The good news is that autism is now considered treatable; but treatment must start as soon as possible, to be the most effective.
The first thing to do if your child has been diagnosed with autism is to call the Autism Research Institute located in San Diego Ca, and ask for that a free parent packet be sent to you. The phone number is 1-619-563-6840. This packet will contain a lot of important information on autism and how to effectively treat it.
Also, contact your local Autism Society of America (look in your phone book for contact information), who can help you find service providers in your area, as well as other parents for support.
These four areas should be pursued together (if possible) and as soon as possible:
1. Health; Determine if your child has health concerns. Many children with autism have gastrointestinal difficulties (yeast overgrowth, high levels heavy metal), food allergies or sensitivities, or seizures. A lot of children with autism have one or more of these. Try and find a doctor in your area that treats children with autism. Or try Defeat Autism Now (DAN) that has a list of DAN doctors.
2. Investigate and consider using bio medical treatments of autism. The DAN group has an approach to bio medical treatments of autism. The book is called; Autism: Effective Bio Medical Treatments and can be found at http://www.autism.com.
3. Special Education is available for children with autism when they turn 3 years old under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Early Intervention from birth to 3 years of age is available under Part C of IDEA. This should be pursued as early as possible, for the best outcome. Just understand that you will have to fight for your child, to receive a free appropriate public education, which is their right under IDEA. Unfortunately parents are the main enforcement mechanism of IDEA, but your child's life is worth it.
4. The educational treatment for autism is applied behavioral analysis (ABA). ABA is a well documented and effective teaching method for a lot of children with autism. This teaching method involves 1 on 1 instruction and utilizes educational tasks that have been developed for children with autism. O. Ivar Lovaas is the person who developed this method many years ago.
ABA should be started as close to 3 years of age as possible, but definitely by 5 years of age. It should continue at least until the child is 7, but depends on the level of disability. ABA is expensive, but there are many court cases where parents have won the right, for the school district to pay for this educational program. If your child receives ABA for at least 25-40 hours per week, with qualified staff they could receive major benefit by age 7.
5. Educate yourself about Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), and seek treatment for your child if they have it. Sensory integration refers to our ability to take in information through our senses, interpret that information and respond to it. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is the inability of the brain to correctly process information brought in by the senses. People with SID may misinterpret everyday sensory information such as touch, sound and movement. Treatment is usually occupation therapy, with a qualified Occupational Therapist.
JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and has helped families navigate the special eduation system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com
For more information on the book, testimonials about the book, and a link to more articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.com
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