Confronting Autism Early Is The Key To Effective Therapy

This study, which we called “Grandma Knows Best,” showed that frequent interaction with a grandparent, primarily the grandmother—who isn’t as reluctant to share her concerns—dramatically accelerated the age of diagnoses, by four to five months. This is very significant; an “earlier” autism diagnosis normally refers to a few weeks rather than several months. These results suggest that close family and friends should feel comfortable saying something—and parents should be receptive to hearing it—because doing so may lead to earlier detection and treatment. Help Yourself, Help Your Child If you have a child with autism, it is vital that you become a strong self-advocate, because it can take time, effort, and perseverance to find the right experts for diagnosis and treatment and to line up the services your child needs. · Talk with parents who have been through this before and can help you navigate the service delivery and educational systems. · If your school district is paying for treatment, as is the case in many states, make sure there is no delay in getting started. · Be aware that to qualify for services, you will need a report written by a competent center that identifies the services required for the best outcomes. · Be prepared to seek professional or legal advice on how to ensure that your child receives the services he or she needs. Help is out there. But to start, parents of children with ASD must recognize that there is a problem. The key ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news