Presented By Generation Rescue

My son was diagnosed with ASD in July 2006 at the age of 4. He had always been called “quirky” by his pre-school teachers, but I knew in my heart that there was much more to his tantrums, speech delay, behaviors and massive gut issues than was being addressed.

So, the official diagnosis came of no real surprise. However, hearing the word “autism” sent a jolt through my soul that empowered me to get busy doing everything and anything I could to help my sweet, darling boy.

Immediately, we began with the traditional modalities: ABA, speech and occupational therapy. Slowly, I began to engulf myself in research. Thank Heaven for the internet! I enrolled him in a social skills group at the local University, a swim therapy group with his ST and OT; I started my own social skills program for other families with ASD children; but he was still struggling for control of himself.

So, I began reading about the integrative approach and the DAN! protocol. I just knew that this was our answer. I found an integrative pediatrician to supervise my GF/CF diet. We immediately began a mutli-vitamin, probiotic, L-Carnosine and DHA. Within three months, it was like I had a totally different child. He could have a conversation! He began to engage others in play rather than just parallel play. He was not fixated on certain toys. (His happened to be Thomas the Train). He became potty trained and was having more normal BM’s.

The true testament to my son’s recovery was my husband’s return from a four month military deployment. I began the diet and intervention when my husband left. When we picked my husband up at the airport, he tearfully shared, “I finally have my little boy”. It was the most dramatic thing he’d ever seen.

Prior to his witnessing it, he didn’t really believe that it would work, but he stands by the diet and supplements as the tools that turned our son around.

My son no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for autism; and we are ecstatic to share our story through our support group (and everywhere else) of our success. I diligently seek to help others initiate their GF/CF programs, eliminate toxins from their diet, as this is a massive undertaking; but it is SO worth the effort.

And so to my beautiful and special son, Evan, I say—shine on my love, shine on!

Kelli
Mother of Evan, age 6
Previously diagnosed with Autism

Source: toxins

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The only medical agent out there that’s routinely available and directly seems to help the temporal lobe are called the SSRIs, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. The drugs that come under this category are Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. What these drugs do is, for the first time, work on a specific pathway in the brain. They block the reuptake of the serotonin released.

If the serotonin released “stays around longer / more effectively,” part of the brain works better. Prozac may also alter part of the “neuro-immune” axis, working to increase blood flow and function in the temporal lobe. This increased blood flow and improved function of the temporal lobes, helps many behavioral and processing problems in these “autistic” children. By helping restore and preserve temporal lobe function, one may be helping maintain a healthier brain.

Importantly, this is not an effort to control the children with medicine. A very small dose, usually 2-4 mg, is used with a four or five year old. If controlling a child’s behavior was the goal, a dose of 10 - 20 mg would be used. Instead all that is needed to help function in the brain is a very small (but consistent) dose.

The purpose of using these drugs is an effort to get a child’s brain to work better. In the past, if you talked about an antidepressant you were thinking Valium, Librium, Phenobarbital, that’s how you “calmed” someone down. That’s not what you’re doing with Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft.

Pharmaceutical companies are trying to design drugs that will help the brain more physiologically than the agents out there did before. SSRI’s represent the first of new “designer” drugs, with the capability of acting physiologically within the brain.

These drugs can help a child medically to function better. They help transmitter effect and likely increase blood flow to the area of the brain that was not functioning properly before. And if the brain starts working, the results with these children can be phenomenal. These children are usually extremely bright. (Note: While capable of helping medically, this author believes strongly that one cannot judge their positive effects, avoiding negatives at low dosages, without controlling / combining diet and other steps at the same time.)

Michael J. Goldberg M.D., F.A.A.P.
Avalar Medical Group, Inc.
5620 Wilbur Avenue, Suite 318
Tarzana, Claifornia 91356
Telephone (818) 343-1010
Fax (818) 343-6585

Pediatrics & Young Adults
ADHD/ADD-Learning Disabilities,
Immune Dysfunction Autism

Source: adhd

Most of the children I see have healthy bodies with reactive and volatile immune systems. The first step, is to check functioning of various systems in the body. Unless another “medical” problem is found, the immune system is what is creating the misbalance / dysfunction in the brain.

Unfortunately, new, potentially safe immune modulators (steroids, IVGG, are old immune modulators, neither generally safe or effective with this type of immune disorder) are not yet available. Until these immune modulating drugs are scientifically tested in controlled studies, the way to help these children must focus on an overall approach using efforts / steps and medicines available now. By the time a child is referred to my office, their immune systems have not been functioning well for a very long time. This dysfunctional process did not occur overnight and it takes time to “cool” down / help “normalize” the body and the immune system.

The closer you can bring the body towards normal, the better the chance that the body may shut off this reactive and dysfunctional immune system. It is a difficult and complicated process to make the body heal itself especially after years of dysfunction. But if you remove some of the “offenders” that cause the immune system to fire when it shouldn’t, you’re making it easier for the body to normalize.

Michael J. Goldberg M.D., F.A.A.P.
Avalar Medical Group, Inc.
5620 Wilbur Avenue, Suite 318
Tarzana, Claifornia 91356
Telephone (818) 343-1010
Fax (818) 343-6585

Pediatrics & Young Adults
ADHD/ADD-Learning Disabilities,
Immune Dysfunction Autism

Source: immune

I usually begin by testing the blood to determine allergies that could possibly trigger the immune system to react. Often autistic children come up allergic to a large number of foods, not necessarily because they are actually allergic, but rather because their immune systems are so “revved-up,” they react to everything.

This reaction may or may not occur as a traditional allergic reaction of asthma, a rash or hives. But what does occur is an immune mediated, abnormal “shut down” of blood flow in the brain that affect the language and social skills area of the brain and central nervous system function.

I generally start to improve the immune system by placing the patient on a diet free from dairy products, chocolate, and whole wheat. The reason for this is to help reduce the stress on the immune system. If dairy, chocolate and whole wheat are taken away, 96 - 98% of probable “food” allergies are alleviated. However, I do not believe that you can correct this condition by diet alone. If this were possible, parents (and physicians) by now, would have heard of multiple, “unbelievable” successes over the years. Reputable “institutions” would be conducting clinical trials to investigate the “successes.”

Since nutritional therapies have not resulted in cures, or even published reports of significantly improved cognitive function, it is illogical, in fact potentially detrimental, to put these children on extreme diets. However, sometimes these children put themselves on extreme diets by only eating a limited number of foods. I don’t think there are a lot of normal children who would be healthy on some of the diets these kids put themselves on.

For most of the children, all that is necessary is to eliminate the “main offenders” in their diets that will cause the immune system to react. It is not necessary to eliminate all wheat. Some doctors and homeopaths recommend the elimination of all gluten and wheat. I think these children show improvement because when they are put on a gluten / wheat free diet, they no longer eat whole wheat. Usually, all that is really needed is to eliminate whole wheat and other whole grains (due to allergenic potential) from the diet.

I do not normally focus on casein beyond eliminating the primary milk products. Because even though they may, in theory, play a slight role in the background, if the allergies overall are lowered, it will decrease the immune system firing off.

It does not matter if “allowed” processed products are used, as long as they do not appear to be a “trigger.” But, avoiding the “main” offenders is extremely important. Eliminating too many products from a child’s diet, increases the risk of disturbing a child’s metabolic balance, rather than helping to normalize it. (Note: Many supplements meant to compensate for the diet extremes, may in themselves have allergenic components, acting as negatives triggers to the immune system and the child overall. They may fail to be properly absorbed or contain dangerous impurities. Children may be at far greater risk from diet and “supplements” than any perceived risk from properly used pharmaceuticals.)

The G.I. tract is loaded with lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight infection and disease).Those lymphocytes communicate with the brain. What has always made sense and is “logical” is if the body is sensitive to milk protein and whole wheat protein, coming into the G.I. tract it could cause the immune system to fire.

As research evolved, it was found that milk and dairy can actually cause a microscopic blood loss in the intestine by a “reactive” inflammation of the bowel. It is interesting to note that most of the world’s populations get violently ill when given cow’s milk. Apparently, it’s not a normal human trait to digest the cow’s milk proteins.

Asian people have much healthier arteries than we do. One of the major assumptions for this is that they eat soy protein instead of dairy protein. Dairy is the number one source of cholesterol. The entire family can be helped indirectly if milk is eliminated from the meals. Parents often worry if their child is getting enough calcium. Soy and rice milk often have calcium and vitamins A and D added. However, if a child (girl or a boy) is eating a normal diet, they will get enough calcium.

In the teenage years, girl’s diets should be supplemented, if you’re not giving them a lot of dairy. But usually, this is not necessary in these first three or four months. As time goes on a calcium supplement may need to be added. Often I will suggest Tums®. Tums® are a very safe source of calcium for a child and they taste good. Inter-related is the fact that many children and adults who are sensitive to milk but still continue to drink milk products, often have iron stores that are low. Their Hgb. / Hct. are chronically on the low side of normal, even if they were not truly “anemic.” This is typically because of a microscopic blood loss occurring through this “inflamed” mucosa. If dairy and milk were eliminated from the diet, and then a biopsy of the intestine was done, the mucosa(the mucous membrane that lines a structure e.g. mouth and lips) would look normal. If milk and dairy were then reintroduced, the mucosa would look raw and inflamed. (Therefore, in approaching the idea of “leaky” gut, helping the body by removing negatives, is more important than “supplements” and nutritional “fixes.”)

As a pediatrician it has been fairly routine for me to see a child do well on formula (even a cow’s milk based one) for 12 months, but when the child is switched to real milk, the child experiences congestion, stuffiness, upset stomach, and a whole realm of symptoms not seen before. Whole protein, unprocessed food is much more allergenic and has a higher incidence of causing the immune system to react.

The truth is, there is not as bad an allergic reaction out of a processed product. When a food is processed, the protein structure is changed. So a child that might go berserk on milk… may not have a reaction to “processed” cheese. When the protein structure is changed, the food will not give as large an allergenic reaction.

Products from the health food stores are not necessarily the best for autistic children because they are less processed and more pure. They have a lot of whole wheat and grains. For these kids, the cheapest white bread (without milk, whole wheat, or whey) is often the best choice.

To illustrate how peculiar the immune system is, when parents seen the results of the food test come back, a routine phone call is, “How come you did not say ‘no eggs’?” You’ll almost always see egg white and egg yolk with very high numbers, and yet I will usually say “ignore it.” The reason being, unless a child has eczema where yolk or egg are triggering off a skin reaction, for some reason the immune pathway fired off by eggs doesn’t seem to play a role in what we are talking about in the brain. I rarely have to worry about taking a child off of eggs, even though you may have this “huge reaction” on the food “screen.” This illustrates how parents need to become aware of what doctors have known and “fought” about for years, there is no “perfect” food test / screen, results must always be interpreted in their clinical context. Too often, parents are being “guided” by interpretation of food and metabolic screens that do not have the capability to do what the parents wish. Many mistakes are potential being made, that may be “metabolically” and physiologically hurting these children.

Although processed food might give a lesser reaction, the importance of avoiding allergens cannot be stressed enough. In the beginning, it is especially important to avoid foods that might trigger the immune system. If the immune system is triggered, the body is affected for a minimum of a week to ten days (or longer). So it’s necessary to be particularly strict at the start of the treatment, when the goal is to cool down the immune system.

If it comes down to choosing a food (cheat) with milk or sugar, choose the sugar. From the sugar the child may get hyper for a few hours, but it wears out of their body relatively quickly. From milk protein or other allergens, the immune system can be affected for up to two - three weeks. However since sugar feeds yeast, it is a good practice to minimize sugars in general.

It is also important to encourage the children to eat more protein. This will help balance out their own amino acids, which in turn will help alleviate some of their problems. All these children need protein. It is also necessary to restrict the starches. Healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners should be served.

Sometimes this process of restoring the immune system to normal can be very deceptive. The child is doing extremely well, and appears almost well or “cured” to a parent, when everything suddenly falls apart.

A child may appear to be well, but unless the body has shut off this process, they still have a reactive, volatile immune system in the background. Even if a child is functioning at a extremely high level, a child should not be regarded as “cured”, unless the immune system has truly returned to normal.

While a few rare children will actually outgrow this process, especially if you have taken steps to help normalize their bodies; realistically, it will probably take the advent and usage of new drugs that are immune modulators, to truly shut-off their dysregulated immune system.

This treatment needs to be thought of on a continuum. The closer the child gets to normal, the better the chance that the body may shut off this process. But unless you’ve gone that last little step, unless this process shuts off, it must be assumed that the immune system is still volatile and potentially reactive.

The only principle I have continued to find logical over the years, is the idea that I’m trying to just help a child “normalize” their body (and brain). Can I help them balance out their body? If I can change the diet, their own body can help balance itself. There continues to be no evidence in these children of any pre-existing, built-in enzyme or metabolic defect. Therefore, by focusing on the overall intake, encouraging more protein, less starch, a child’s body will help balance out and replace needed amino acids ( the building blocks of the body) and other nutrients.

With rare exceptions, I will never say don’t do something if you truly see a child do better and it’s safe, but in most cases I have found that you can get to the right point if you just think of it as cool down the body’s immune system, help “safely” where medically and nutritionally possible, and extremely important, avoid offenders or triggers. If a child is doing better and their allergy test said they were not allergic to apple, but you give them a drink of apple juice and the child is bouncing off the walls, it doesn’t matter what the test said, that child should not have apple juice. And this is the way parents have to work with their own child.

Until new immune modulators are tested and ready for use with patients, I regard each step of treatment as an attempt to help “cool-down” the immune system, and help the body “adjust” itself in a healthier manner. While the principles are becoming very consistent, each child (his/her body and brain) must be “individualized.”

Michael J. Goldberg M.D., F.A.A.P.
Avalar Medical Group, Inc.
5620 Wilbur Avenue, Suite 318
Tarzana, Claifornia 91356
Telephone (818) 343-1010
Fax (818) 343-6585

Pediatrics & Young Adults
ADHD/ADD-Learning Disabilities,
Immune Dysfunction Autism

Source: allergens

If the blood work suggests that a herpes related virus or “unidentified” retro-virus might be in the body, a therapeutic trial of the antiviral drug Zovirax (acyclovir) is given. The only thing (in theory) treated with Zovirax (acyclovir) is a herpes related virus. If a virus is present and it is gotten under control, it’s one of many major steps necessary to help the body and the immune system.

On a few of the older children I am now starting to use Valtrex, which is an improved version of Zovirax (acyclovir). I never recommend something for a child unless I can say, “It is safe.”

When herpes virus is discussed, we all think of cold sores, vaginal sores, but may not consider chickenpox, CMV (cytomegalovirus), or Epstein Barr. These are also herpes viruses. Being in the herpes family, they have the unique ability to sometimes stay around even after the overt symptoms are long gone. They hang around the body and live in the nerves. Perhaps a “new” Herpes related virus or retro-virus may be playing a role in some of this epiphenomena. However, at this time we do not have the technology to explore and understand how all of this works.

Michael J. Goldberg M.D., F.A.A.P.
Avalar Medical Group, Inc.
5620 Wilbur Avenue, Suite 318
Tarzana, Claifornia 91356
Telephone (818) 343-1010
Fax (818) 343-6585

Pediatrics & Young Adults
ADHD/ADD-Learning Disabilities,
Immune Dysfunction Autism

Source: antiviral

Behavioral therapy for autism is popular as it reportedly has a high chance of success. In this type of therapy, your child quickly learns that only appropriate behavior is rewarded while inappropriate behavior is not encouraged and in fact, they will be ignored. The success rate of behavioral therapies increases if the sessions are started at an early age; that is before your child turns 3 years old.

You would probably find that your autistic child will often challenge your parenting skills by exhibiting extremes in behavior. Extremes of behavior would include such things as temper tantrums, self injurious behavior, aggression and agitation. Essentially, he is dictating to you what he wants and his preferences. If he does not get what he wants, you are made to suffer the consequences. Rather than giving in, you should in fact learn how to teach your child a more appropriate way in which to get what he wants.

This is where a consistent program of behavioral modification comes in. You can learn how to cope with the behavior of your child and also guide him to more socially appropriate behaviors. An autistic child usually has no sense of social awareness. Such a program must consist of 4 components: a structured daily routine; behavioral control; communication; and applied behavioral analysis.

You should design a structured daily routine as your autistic child can have an idea what to expect. It has been found that autistic children do not usually cope well with inconsistency or change. Therefore, sticking to a daily routine is important as much as possible.

The next thing that a parent must learn is how to control tantrums and other such behavioral issues. In doing so there are 3 factors to bear in mind:

1. Deal with those behaviors that are dangerous to the child or those around him first. You would need to stop these behaviors with firm words and actions. Try not to show your child any anger while doing this though.

2. You need to teach your autistic child how to sit down as it may not be easy for him to do so naturally. The best way in which to do this is to reward appropriate sitting behavior while either ignoring or giving a negative consequence for inappropriate sitting behavior.

3. Autistic children tend to have bizarre, stereotypical, repetitive behaviors. The most obvious of these are finger flapping and rocking. These can be very distracting and thus a firm command to stop is suggested for use. Next direct your child to another activity that will not allow him to continue these behaviors.

It is crucial that you talk to your child regularly. In your communication, be both simple and direct. You need to use short, clear sentences without going into explanations or using too many words. Shorten your instructions to manageable tasks. You want to avoid confusing him.

Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is a form of behavioral therapy that is well recognized for its success rate of 47 percent. ABA involves breaking down tasks into individual components. Then, whenever a child successfully completes each step of the task he should be rewarded. However, it is important to note that ABA is not the only behavioral approach to treating autism nor is it a cure for autism. Still, it is a good option to consider in terms of helping your autistic child.

My friend ’s son has autism.

He never sleeps or at least not for any length of time and she is exhausted.

Over the years sleep deprivation has been a real problem and the only time she gets any rest is when he goes to respite care. Even then she admits to spending the whole of her waking hours thinking and worrying about him.

Quality time is something neither she nor any of the other family members get to enjoy and the strain is beginning to show.

However, she is according to the latest reports, one of the lucky ones. It seems that two thirds of families with members who have special needs get no help at all and that 8 out of 10 of them are at breaking point.

Unless you are in such a situation you cannot appreciate the difference just a few hours of being able to lead a normal “ordinary” life can mean. It ’s often the only thing that keeps families going - the difference between them being able to cope or not.

Unfortunately, however, the money and support pot is only so large and as situations change so do services. Just as they can be given, equally they can be taken away and anyone who receives respite lives in the shadow of regular assessments and reviews.

Part of you wants your child to improve and the other half doesn’t because you know you risk losing what little help you may get.

In an ideal world there would be help for everyone who needs it but there isn’t and unless you can build up your own support network many families struggle.

My friend ’s son can legally leave school this summer. He wants to go on to college with an autistic unit and do a Life Skills course. He can and most probably will do so with support. He’ll also be entitled to transport there and back.

However, once he reaches nineteen everything will change.

My friend has worked incredibly hard to get her son where he is today. If you knew him as a toddler you would never have believed he’d achieve so much. His bad behaviour is under control although he can still say some hurtful things and in school he achieves Level 2 in all his lessons. This is, infact the level one would expect from primary school children but never the less it is a great achievement and proves he can learn when he is taught.

Outside of school he is inept in many areas and couldn’t possibly be left on his own. He needs to be in a supported environment with people who understand his needs and are prepared to make allowances for him. That ’s the problem.

Through the years of determined effort his disability is now termed “higher functioning autism” and my friend has been told as her son no longer has severe behavioural problems or a severe learning disability it is unlikely he will receive any funded support once he leaves college.

What ’s she supposed to do?

Autism is on the increase and all these autistic children will grow up into autistic adults. They’ll all have to leave school eventually so where will they go and what will they do? Apparently only 2% actually get “employed”, some spend a few days at day care centres or in social enterprises but what about the others?

And of course, that ’s just for autism. There are a lot of adults with other disabilities too. You do see some as trolley pushers of shelf stackers in supermarkets but have you ever seen one working as a cashier? I haven’t.

In UK this week it was announced that a company established specifically to employ disabled people around the country is reducing its factories by half. Seemingly the government is cutting funding and thus the workforce has to be reduced. If that is the case then it ’s very short sighted.

If these people can’t go out to work in a suitable environment then they will have to stay at home. Someone, usually a family member, will have to look after them which in turn means that they can’t go out to work either.

Unless rapid changes are made there ’s going to be a lot more people staying at home because in recent years there has been an autism epidemic.

It ’s a major worry and not just financially. Being bored, broke and undervalued is not a happy combination for anyone yet alone someone with a recognised disability.

My friend is worried and so am I.

My son has autism!

Parents are already familiar with the stress that comes with preparing meals, bathing, homework, shopping and so on. In addition to these stressors are those parents meet with parent-child conflicts, time schedules to meet and a child’s well-being in general. A family who has a child on the autism spectrum experiences added unique stressors.

Current research suggests that parents of children with autism experience greater stress than parents of children with intellectual disabilities and Down Syndrome. A child with autism may not be able to express basic wants and needs in the same manner as individuals without the disorder. Parents are often guessing why the child is crying. Is it because he/she is hungry, thirsty, hurting or sick? Not being about to determine the child’s needs can leave parents feeling frustrated and filled with sorrow. The child with autism unable to communicate with its parents effectively may be left frustrated and unhappy. This frustration can lead to aggression and self-injury behaviors that can make the child a danger to himself and to other family members.

A lack of appropriate leisure, play and social skills often require constant structure of family time, which can become quite difficult to accomplish in the home environment. Families may not be able to attend events together at scheduled times. Mom might have to stay home with the child who has autism, while dad take another sibling to their baseball game or school band concert. This in turn can create problems in the marital relationship in addition to whatever other problems already exist. There is often a lack of qualified people who can care for the autistic child while mom and dad find time to spend alone.

Additional problems may be struggles with getting the child with autism to sleep through the night or eat a wide variety of foods for proper health and nutrition.

Other sources of stress for parents of children with autism may include:

• Reactions from society: Parents may feel self-conscious about taking a child with autism out into the community. The may fear others will stare or make rude comments about their child. These problems may leave parents of children with autism experiencing a sense of isolation from friends, relatives and community

• Concerns about future care: Parents know they provide their children with autism the best care possible and they fear that no one else will take care of their child like they do.

• Finances: Evaluations, home programs and therapies can drain a family’s resources. One parent may have to give up his or job to take care of the child leaving the family with even less money to meet financial obligations.

• Feelings of Grief: Many parents of children with autism grieve the loss of the “typical” child they expected to have. They also grieve the loss of a lifestyle they expected or planned for themselves and their family. This can be an additional source of stress on the family, which is ongoing.

Sibling’s sources of stress may include:

• Embarrassment around their peers and jealousy about the extra time parents have to spend with their brother or sister

• Frustration about not being about to communicate effectively with a brother or sister who has autism

• May be the target of aggressive behaviors of the child with autism

• Worries over their parents stress and grief about the child with autism

• Concern about their role as a future caregiver for the sibling or siblings with autism

Grandparents also grieve over the loss of the typical grandchild expected and may be concerned about the stress and difficulties their children are experiencing. Grandparents often want to help but lack the skills to deal with children who have autism.

How can families cope with the stress of living with a child or children who have autism?

Some suggestions for helping families may include:

• Remember that you must take action before progress toward solutions can be made

• Take time for yourself and other family members to avoid burnout

• Keep in mind that just a few minutes per day can make a big difference in taking time for yourself

• Do things for yourself that you know normally makes you feel better

• Parents who have children with autism have a greater need to reward themselves

• Family members need to reward one another

• Spouses need to acknowledge the hard work each is performing

• Thank siblings for watching or helping their brothers and sisters who have autism

• Spouses need to find time for alone. This may include watching T.V. together when the children are asleep or going out to dinner

• Families may also want to engage in activities occasionally without the individual with autism. Everyone deserves some time together that is not threatened by the challenges of autism.

• Network with other families affected by autism

• Attend support groups for parents, siblings and grandparents through educational programs, parent resource centers, and local chapter of the Autism Society of America.

• Prayer

• Exercise/yoga

• Keeping a journal

• Keeping a daily schedule of tasks to accomplish

If you witness a family member or a friend showing signs of stress even if it means you will not be appreciated for your efforts, getting as much assistance for a child with autism and their families can only make things better over the long term.

Source: American Autism Society

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

As a parent, you do not have the time to consider why or how this happened, only what to do next. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone in your struggle. By researching the disorder and finding others going through similar situations, you can help you child while still dealing with your own emotional response.

Know Your Rights: Laws and Autism

Join a support group for parents with autism. You can find these by contacting the national Autism Society of America. From there you can find local branches, many of which offer support groups for parents and families with an autistic child. Being in contact with other parents in a similar situation can not only help you feel less alone, but it can provide you with a myriad of resources.

A parent support group will also help point you in the direction of the best doctors, intervention programs, and workshops for both your child and your family. Find a support group for any other children you have as well.

Many parents forget that they are not the only ones who must learn to live and communicate with an autistic child. By locating a support group for your other children, you can help them from acting out or acting against the autistic child by teaching them about the illness. As a parent, you must create a supportive environment for the entire family in order to properly manage your child ’s illness.

Consider marriage counseling if you are married. An autistic child can put serious strain on a marriage, leading to escalating arguments, neglect of each other, and even perhaps blaming each other for the situation. Marriage counseling from the very beginning can help a couple through this discovery and rough transition, and help build a better supportive environment for your children. Your marriage should not end as a result of having an autistic child, but the sad fact is that many of them do. Prevent this by using one another for support and by understanding that you may need help to deal with one another now and in the future.

Most importantly, start on the path to becoming an expert. Many times pediatricians or psychiatrists are not experts on autism, which can lead to improper diagnoses or incorrect treatment options. As your child ’s best advocate, you must know everything you can about autism. Parents of Autistic Children can be a great resource; this organization offers training and workshops.

The ASA has a newsletter and also offers a variety of information, from diagnosing to treating. As always, remember that a support group of parents with autistic children can always provide you with books and research that focus on the reality of the situation. Educate yourself and those around you to provide the most beneficial things for your child-love and guidance.

If you or your child has autism, some of the most basic things you can study and learn are your rights. Every American citizen is protected under the constitution, and there are special laws that have been passed to help protect people with autism and other disabilities.

By knowing the laws that protect you or your autistic loved ones, you can live in a world that provides better opportunities to everyone, regardless of not only disability, but also race, gender, and ethnicity. This is simply the first step to creating a more tolerant world in general.

The first law with which you should become acquainted is I.D.E.A., or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The I.D.E.A. covers children ages 3 to 21 and provides autistic children with the special educational programs they need. The I.D.E.A. gives parents the right to be involved with education decisions concerning their child made by the school.

Your child first needs to be assessed to qualify under the I.D.E.A., and this is best done by a private professional. In the end, your child has the right by law to receive a free public education that is appropriate for his or her skill level. If your public school has no such program, they are required to find one or create one at no cost to you.

Also become familiar with and knowledgeable about the American Disabilities Act. Under this act, discrimination due to disability is prohibited in the workforce, as well as with state and local government, public accommodations, the United States Congress, public transportation, and telecommunications. For example, if you are autistic, but have the skills to do a certain job, you cannot be refused the job because of your autism.

Other laws provide rights for people with autism so that they are constitutionally equal to others. One such law says that people with autism have the right to vote, and accommodations must be made so that this is possible. Another says that autistic individuals cannot be refused housing based on disability. Others provide equal rights in all other aspects of life,

and these should especially be studied if your loved one with autism is in a health care institution. By knowing the law and how it applies to yourself or others with autism, you can be sure that justice is upheld. If you have questions, local law officials should be ready and willing to answer you or provide you with material to answer your own questions.

Remember that ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse for anyone, so be an advocate for yourself or others with autism to prevent mistreatment.

No parent wants their child to be autistic, but for those parents who are faced with a child who has autism, relief can be found by applying the some autism strategies. Strategies for autism provide parents with different ways to help cope and manage the disorder. After all, autism isn’t a condition your child will get over, grow out of, or die from; it is simply their way of life. Therefore, it is essential parents know how to make the life of their autistic child a safe, comfortable, secure, and happy one.

Creating a good life for an autistic starts with providing them structured routines and secure environments where they can learn and practice socializing with others. Of course, before an autistic can feel comfortable within an environment, he/she must first experience what most autistics dread – change. Therefore, the first of the autism strategies that will be discussed which a parent needs to focus on is desensitizing their autistic child to new environments.

Many autistic children react badly when they are taken from their home and placed in a new setting. To help ease the child into the new situation, they first need to be exposed to it for a short time. As soon as the child begins to act up, they should be removed from the environment and taken home so they can calm down. The child should be taken back to the same place the following day and only be place back in the environment for an extremely short period of time. Following visits should slowly become longer and coupled with rewards and positive feedback. Such a strategy can help a child cope with new environments such as a classroom, and give parents eventual peace of mind.

Autism strategies involving self awareness are another excellent way to manage autism. Self awareness skills assist children in learning how to relate to others by first teaching them how to relate to themselves. Teaching an autistic how to manage their emotions helps them to learn about the same emotions experienced by others. This increases their awareness and understanding, and helps to make communication easier.

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Speaking of communication, parents need to take great care in ensuring that they communicate slowly with their children and make communications as direct and basic as possible. It is also important for parents to make sure they have their autistic child’s full attention before attempting to communicate.

Different therapies are also excellent autism strategies you can introduce to a child with autism. After your child was diagnosed with autism, you likely discussed different treatment options with his/her health care provider. If you have not yet discussed treatment or therapy methods, you should consider doing so.

The reason is because certain therapies such as speech and cognitive behavioral therapy help children develop communication skills, and teach them how to express emotions, and control obsessive behaviors so they can learn to be more content when around others, and in specific situations where they would otherwise feel anguish.

Finally, one of the best autism strategies you and your autistic child would benefit from is joining a local support group. Allowing your child to socialize with other autistics, and obtaining emotional support from other parents who understand what you are going through, is a great way to cope with your situation and learn how to better manage your child’s disorder.

Keep in mind that when you are trying different autism strategies, you need to carefully observe the way your child responds to them. Remember, no two children are alike, and this applies to children with autism as well. Not only are there five different autism spectrum disorders, but no two autistics with the same disorder are the same. It may take some trial and error to find suitable approaches and interventions for your child.