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AUTISMINFO.COM©
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Important
Web Links:
Autism
Network
Resources for Physicians
Autism-Resources (John Wobus' Site)
Autism Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV)
Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI)
Center for the Study of Autism
Database of Successful Treatments Being Used by Parents
Developmental Delay Resources (DDR)
Etiology of Autism, Marie Bristol-Power, Ph.D., NIH
GFCF Diet Parent Support System
Holiday Letter for Friends and Family
IDEA 97 (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997)
Leichtman, Lawrence G., M.D., Ph.D. (Secretin Summary)
Reed Martin, J.D. Special Education Law
"Imagine you were in a foreign, noisy and crowded city at night, not understanding the language spoken, recognizing a few words but not really comprehending situations taking place around you, wanting to express a need for help but not being able. This experience may begin to help you relate to what a child with autism feels on an ordinary day."
Gihan Ramadan, Arab News
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If
you are the parent of a newly diagnosed child with autism, or if
you have had a diagnosis for a while, and are having difficulty
dealing with the situation, PLEASE read this.
The biggest obstacle many parents have with helping their child is getting past the grief and overwhelming emotion involved. Once this emotion is understood the parent or caregiver is able to focus on the effective treatments, therapies, and testing that are needed to make progress toward recovery. The first instinctive question is why is this happening to my child. This is not a "religious" website, however the following discussion is warranted. Those who have faith (of any type) ask the question, “why God, are you doing this to me?” The answer is quite simple, God does not hurt people. God does not allow disease, tragedy, and pain. God has no control over these things. God is available for strength and comfort. The first step in helping your child is not to blame God, but to turn to Him for support. There are many excellent books on this topic. Two of the best may be Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People, and Dr. James Dobson’s When God Doesn’t Make Sense. Harold Kushner is a rabbi from New York who had terrible tragedy in his family. His 3-year old son Aaron was afflicted with progeria, a rare condition that causes premature aging and early death. His son and family suffered for 11 years before Aaron’s death at age 14. Rabbi Kushner writes: “If God is a God of justice and not of power, then He can still be on our side when bad things happen to us. He can know that we are good and honest people who deserve better. Our misfortunes are none of His doing and so we can turn to Him for help. Our question will not be Job’s question (Old Testament reference) “God, why are You doing this to me?” but rather “God, see what is happening to me. Can You help me?” We will turn to God, not to be judged or forgiven, not to be rewarded or punished, but to be strengthened and comforted.” He further writes: “We don’t have to beg or bribe God to give us strength or hope or patience. We need only turn to Him, admit that we can’t do this on our own, and understand that bravely bearing up under long-term illness is one of the most human, and one of the most godly things we can ever do.” Attitude is Everything! You must have a blind faith that your child will make progress. Eventual recovery must be your long-term goal. Full recovery may not happen in all kids, but progress will occur in almost all cases. Progress, no matter what the degree, is a victory, and should be celebrated. Progress will provide you with support for the future. Progress will pick you up when you are down. Progress will give you and others the strength that will be needed in the future. Be a Leader and Motivate Others!
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Tutors, therapists, doctors, and all involved with your child need support and motivation on a constant basis. As a parent, you must be the one to provide this motivation. Be a leader, take charge, and always have a winning attitude! Your constant positive attitude will rub off on others. People around you will become infected and they will look forward to working with you and your child. Your positive attitude will help your child. Upon initial diagnosis, our well-meaning developmental pediatrician gave us a prescription for the usual speech and occupational therapies, ordered some basic tests for our child, and seemed to be more concerned about our (parents) well-being. She suggested marriage counseling and therapy (possibly to prepare us for the day when our child may have to be institutionalized). What she failed to realize was that our marriage was rock-solid, and we did not have any intention of ever institutionalizing our child! Autism certainly can wreck a marriage or relationship and drive a parent to despair. Do not let it. If you have a spouse or partner, work together and support each other. Autism has strengthened our marriage in many ways. A positive response to this challenging situation will help your child and benefit you personally. Our pediatrician is a wonderful, caring and competent doctor. He has seen our child since she was born, and has been visibly shaken by our child’s diagnosis of autism. Although he is nearing retirement, he has no experience with autism and has felt insecure in his lack of knowledge and helpless in his inability to treat the disease. He has signed off on dozens of tests which he does not fully understand, that we have requested. We have tried to “educate” him as to the etiologies that we believe are involved in our child’s case. This is also a situation where encouragement and perseverance by the parents have been critical for progress. Always keep in mind, this is about your child. An hour spent in despair, may have been spent researching, planning, ordering and organizing testing, working on the ABA program, setting up activity schedules, putting together information for tutors and caregivers, corresponding with doctors, or any number of other productive activities. There are always a multitude of things to do when it comes to autism. All of these things will benefit your child and assist in the progress. There will always be “down” moments. Try to channel your energy away from this moments toward productive activities. If you have a recent diagnosis, time will help a bit. The first few months are particularly painful, even for the most optimistic of persons. Work
Hard!
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Sign
Our Guestbook Searchable Databases: Combined Health Information Database (CHID) Online Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP)
Crash Course in Autism; Holiday Letter about the challenges autistic individuals face during the holidays. New eLearning course; What is Autism? From The Autism Society of America. Significant statement on the incidence of autism in the sixth edition of Child Neurology-2000, Menkes & Sarnat. We Cured Our Son's Autism by Karyn Seroussi Helpful Hints for Persons with Autism (This can be posted in a school or other public place) Tips for Dealing with Doctors and Labs Tips for Families with a newly Diagnosed Child Dr.
Jeff Bradstreet's Excellent 74 Page Biomedical Summary (PDF
format, may take a minute to load!) Autism
Recovery Network's excellent Resource
Guide. A great start for families of newly diagnosed kids.
(PDF
format, may take a minute to load!)
Click
here to get Adobe Reader. New! California Special Education Statewide Enrollment by Disability Category 1985-1999; (illustrating a dramatic rise in the rates of autism.) New! Autism Card That may be Displayed in a Public Place. The Autism Society of America's position on the relationship between vaccinations and autism. (PDF document)
Houston Nutraceuticals Digestive Enzymes
Misfortune sometimes a blessing in disguise. Star NFL Quarterbacks and their special-needs kids. Article: Autistic student, parents realize a dream. "It's
not easy living with these kids(with autism), and anything that
makes their lives better makes the family's life better," Living
as an Autistic (a 1st-person account) Site
Awards: Autism Society of Florida Member's Choice for helpful websites Featured on Newstalk 920 am Melbourne, Florida |
