Autism Is An Emergency
Autism rates are rising, and with the increased demand for autism services the wait for both diagnosis and treatment has also increased to unacceptable levels in many places. The average age for a child to be diagnosed and begin treatment is now 4 or 5 years old. And, that’s just the average, there are many children older than 5 just receiving an initial autism diagnosis. That is unacceptable when there is now evidence that accurate autism diagnosis can be made at 18 months to 24 months of age. That is a 2-3 year delay in starting interventions during the most critical time of development. Early intervention research is crystal clear that the sooner and more intensive the interventions start the more effective they are at closing developmental gaps.
Autism treatment is an emergency. We wouldn’t wait to treat a disease like leukemia or diabetes so why should we wait to treat the delays and behaviors associated with autism? The system is broken for parents trying to seek out help. It may have been a struggle to convince the doctor that your concerns were valid. Maybe you were told to “just give it another year.” Or, that you were being a neurotic mom or a worrywort. Maybe you had to wait for months or even over a year for the evaluation. Then, you had to wait for the results. Just when you think you can breathe a sigh of relief and take a minute to process all of the evaluation information about your child and the diagnosis, you now are faced with the next mountain to climb…. Setting up services and interventions. The recommendations at the end of any evaluation report give you a list of things to do but, usually, give very little information about how to do them.
Most parents hope to have professionals to guide them through this process and tell them how to help their child. Waiting on the professionals may lead to further delays. I strongly believe that parents can learn what they need to know to start interventions at home immediately. You can educate yourself about your child’s needs and develop a clear plan prioritizing which therapies and services will best address those areas. Parents have to become the leader on their child’s treatment team.
Okay, I know that may sound intimidating but I want you to know that there is no better person than you. “But I’m not an expert.” You absolutely are an expert on your child. No one knows your child better than you. You are the best advocate for your child because no one cares more about them than you. You spend the most time with them and have the unique opportunity to educate yourself on effective interventions that you can start using immediately that will teach your child new skills and decrease problem behaviors. Professionals will come and go. Even a committed and knowledgeable team of therapists will change but you are the constant factor and can assist in continuity when natural attrition happens.
So, how do you learn what you need to know to become the leader in your child’s treatment plan?
Identify your child’s priority areas of need.
Coordinate therapy based on these priority areas with providers that understand and will focus on key areas of need.
Start interventions at home immediately. Look for parent training resources and programs including The Autism Parent Solution to get both education and also coaching to help grow your skill set and confidence and give you the support you need to start.
Find a trustworthy and supportive community of like-minded parents. But, please be careful on the internet as there is so much incorrect information as well as negative people.
Practice self-care so that you can stay calm and focused during this process. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or feel pressured to move forward. You want to be in the best mindset possible when making these decisions.
If you want to find out more or discuss your child’s unique situation, than set up a free clarity call today.