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Autism, is a way of life.
This will effect everyone and every aspect of your life. Even
friends, going to the store, doctors, even the park. It's not bad,
just different.
Before we get into all of that lets start at the begin. I am going to
assume you've already been diagnosed with Autism, PDD, ADD-
NOS, ADD, ADHD, Angelman, and/or Aspergers. Regardless
of the title I'm sure your feeling as I did the day my daughter was
diagnosed. Helpless, hopeless, lost, shocked, and in general like
someone had kicked me. Well, we are here to help.
Lets start with the basics. Autism is a complex biological
disorder that generally last through a person's life. It is called a
developmental disability because it starts before the age of
three, in the developmental period, and causes delays or
problems with many different ways in which a person develops or
grows.
In most cases Autism causes problems with:
Communication, both verbal and non-verbal
Social Interaction with other people, both physical(such as
hugging and holding) and verbal (such as having a
conversation)
Routines or repetitive behaviors, like repeating words or
actions over and over, obsessively following routines or
schedules for their actions, or having very specific ways of
arranging their belongings
~John Hopkins Institute
1 in 166 children have autism.
Numbers are increasing at a steady rate!
While I know that is very general it's the "clinical " definition of
Autism.
What do you do now?
You've been diagnosed. Well early intervention is key. If not THE
KEY. Start with Occupational Therapy, get an evaluation. Most of
the time children with any type of spectrum disorder are going to
benefit from OT. Then get a Physical Therapy and Speech e-val.
These are fundamental with our children. While not all children
need PT most need speech.
Good therapist are not easy to come by. First, try to find a
location that has all service in house with a low turn over ratio. In
other words the therapist have been in the same location for a
long time. Experience counts! However, so does an open mind
and while I don't like to generalize most long time therapist don't
keep training or going to conferences. Not to mention they don't
have an open mind to new research, methods or homeopathy.
We will get to those later. Ask a lot of questions & follow your gut!
The best advice I ever got was from my own mother who said;"If
you don't know the answer, follow your heart and sleep on it."
Moms are great! Her advice has helped me time and time again.
When dealing with Autism, answers don't always come easy and
often times you will drive your self nuts trying to find them. Take
your time. They will come to you.
Now having said that lets get to what you might have to face.
Please keep in mind that no child with Autism is the same.
Hence. "spectrum disorder." There are endless combinations of
what may develop over the life time of your child.
I've been around hundreds of children with ASD(Autism
Spectrum Disorder) No two have been alike. Many of our
children have sensory issues. They don't like the feel of their
clothes, food, or toys. An OT can help with this. Remember ask
lots of questions and be PROACTIVE. If you ask the therapist
they should show you things to do at home to help between visits.
Remember that this is our opinion and what worked for us. We
feel that out of every option these are some of the most
important. From here theres schooling issues, diet, doctors,
specialist. You're going to have your hands full but we hope this
website will encourage and enable you to keep moving forward.
We are here to talk with and offer advice. If nothing else
remember your not alone.
Over view on where to start:
Call to get an e-val by a licenced OT, PT and speech
therapist
Call and apply for SSI(social security income)
Join an on-line list such as Alexis Foundation
Apply for Medicaid
get a food allergy test
Start the GFCF diet
Call FDLRS and join their mailing list
Call and get on the wait list for med wavier from
Developmental Services
Get on as many buddy list as you can to get more info
The library is a great source for books! Read as much as
you can
If your child is under three he or she might be able to take part in
Part C an Early Intervention Program. They can be reached at
407-317-7430
If your child is over three call Septa (Special Education PTA) and
get on their mailing list.
Please check out the IEP page for children over the age of three.
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