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What Parents Can Do At Home For Their Kiddo With Autism

First Steps When your child was diagnosed with autism you wasted no time in getting him all the services he needed.  You hired an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. You got him all the supports possible through the special education program at his preschool.  You even enrolled him in a sleep study. More Improvement Yet you still have this nagging feeling that there’s more you can do.  You may not be a professional, but you know and love your child, so you bring in your own kind of expertise.  How can you use that personal knowledge to help your kiddo? There are several activities you can do in the comfort of your own home to improve your kiddo’s verbal communication and help him interact more comfortably in social settings. Visual Supports For children with autism, auditory learning is not their strong suit.  Pictures help reinforce verbal communication used in conversations and for giving instructions. … Keep Reading…

How To Get Services For My Child With Autism

Does My Child Have Autism It is best to determine that your child has autism as soon as possible.  There is no cure for autism, but the symptoms can be managed.  Regulating symptoms makes it possible for your young child to learn critical social, communication, functional and behavioral skills. Watch What She Does An effective tool to help you gauge if you need professional assistance is on the Autism Speaks website.  It’s called the M-CHAT-R, or the Modified Checklist in Autism for Toddlers, Revised. Through a series of 20 questions you can highlight specific behaviors that a child with autism can display.  Make an appointment with your pediatrician right away if the checklist indicates your child may have autism. The Two Step Process Developmental Screening and Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation The first step to getting a diagnosis for autism is the developmental screening.  It’s a short test that involves your pediatrician asking you questions about what … Keep Reading…

How Can Autism Affect My Child?

His Story of Autism One of the best ways to share the autism experience is to share the story of someone who has autism. Perry’s experience is probably a lot like many other kids who have autism.  As his mother Mary Elizabeth recounts, “Our personal journey into…autism began…with the birth of our son, Perry. Since the beginning, he struggled immensely. The first thing we noticed was that he seemed very restless.” There are many areas in a child’s growth that are directly impacted by autism. A few of these issues are gastrointestinal (GI) problems, feeding issues, disrupted sleep and anxiety. GI Problems According to the Autism Speaks and Interactive Autism Network websites, GI problems are very common among children with autism.  There seems to be more information and studies compiled on the link between autism and chronic constipation. However, there are several other GI problems associated with autism, such as: abdominal pain, gastroesophageal reflux and … Keep Reading…