Long time since I have updated this blog. Just have not had the time.
Treatment is still going strong. Increasing hours of ABA at increasing intervals. Things are going well. Speech is increasing, dexterity is increasing and normal play is pretty good. Besides the Lovaas style ABA we always try to make him ask for whatever he wants and try not to let him just motion for stuff. It is a continual task.
Having a child on the spectrum is HIGH stress. All the parents (hundreds that I know) have it. Some are higher stress than others but we are all well above average. It's interesting though as not much outside the house stresses me now.
An interesting side effect of this is work seems easier and all those other life things are really nothing to bother about now.
Just take it a day at a time and do what you can.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Getting things done
Over the last few months many people have asked me what they should do for their children. I feel a bit like a broken record but I have to remember this is new for each parent who asks me and it is probably one of the most important questions they will ever ask. "My son was just diagnosed with being on the ASD spectrum, what should I do now?"
Well, I always begin the same way. It had to believe but a diagnosis may actually be a good thing. If your child is showing signs of slower than normal development, go see your doctor and get a referral to get him tested (I say "him" and "boy" simply because most diagnosed children are male).
Getting diagnosed will allow you to begin with getting treatment which is something you want to do as soon as possible as it takes a while to get the funding and infrastructure set up.
If you think your child may be on the spectrum but received a negative diagnosis then you may want a second opinion. While the process is much better than it ever was, it still has room for improvement.
The next big step is funding and a consultant. Don't wait for the funding. Go after a consultant asap. Go to all the parent groups and other events and begin networking. Get to know all the parents in your area and learn all the things that are working for them.
Once you get your funding make sure you do your paperwork properly otherwise you will have headaches later. Again, work with other parents to see how they do it. The parent group is huge and you will be amazed at the support they provide. I personally know hundreds of parents in the same situation as myself and all will drop everything to assist me.
The choice of therapy is the next big decision. These days this is getting much easier as there are a few schools now teaching the Lovaas ABA and people are getting more educated on what works. Avoid all things too good to be true and remember to ask parents!
A good consultant is well worth the hunt. Once you have one build a team.
Well, I always begin the same way. It had to believe but a diagnosis may actually be a good thing. If your child is showing signs of slower than normal development, go see your doctor and get a referral to get him tested (I say "him" and "boy" simply because most diagnosed children are male).
Getting diagnosed will allow you to begin with getting treatment which is something you want to do as soon as possible as it takes a while to get the funding and infrastructure set up.
If you think your child may be on the spectrum but received a negative diagnosis then you may want a second opinion. While the process is much better than it ever was, it still has room for improvement.
The next big step is funding and a consultant. Don't wait for the funding. Go after a consultant asap. Go to all the parent groups and other events and begin networking. Get to know all the parents in your area and learn all the things that are working for them.
Once you get your funding make sure you do your paperwork properly otherwise you will have headaches later. Again, work with other parents to see how they do it. The parent group is huge and you will be amazed at the support they provide. I personally know hundreds of parents in the same situation as myself and all will drop everything to assist me.
The choice of therapy is the next big decision. These days this is getting much easier as there are a few schools now teaching the Lovaas ABA and people are getting more educated on what works. Avoid all things too good to be true and remember to ask parents!
A good consultant is well worth the hunt. Once you have one build a team.
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