Autism - Chicago,IL

Who diagnosed him with the autism spectrum disorder? Did they not give you local resources to check out? Have you asked your pediatrician? You don't mention how his symptoms present themselves, but depending on what they are and how severe, your son may qualify for early intervention services with the local regional center (if he is under three) or the school district (if he is over three). You should definitely check them out regardless. Also, if you have the right insurance, you could qualify for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special education preschool that might not otherwise be covered through the regional center/school district.

As far as how you cope personally, try to see if there are support groups that you can join, either on line or in your local community. I know how hard it is to think that there is something wrong with your baby, worrying about what this will mean for his and your future, wondering if other people will treat him differently, if there was something you did that caused it and the subsequent guilt and recriminations you feel as a result. I've been there, and it stinks. But know you are doing your best for your son. It's good that you finally know that there is a reason for the challenges you've been facing and now you can tackle them head on with as much information as possible.

Good luck to you and your family.

Jae

hi,
my brother is severe autistic and he is almost 19 yrs old. my mom is an advocate for people with autism and has great resources..if you would like more info let me know she would love to talk to you

Good to see you have been able to access Early Intervention and RDI. I have heard great things about RDI. I have various resources for parents on my website http://www.autismclassroom.com
I tried to make the site user-friendly and useful to people. I also have book that focuses on Setting Up a Work Area at Home for your child. This book also gives parents a glimpse of some of the basic techniques that the teachers and specialists are learning about in their training and preparation to work with students with autism. I wanted parents to get a practical tool that was a quick read and something they could use right away.

There are a lot of resources. Go to the website - TACA - talking about curing autism (can't remembere the link right now). There is an active local chapter in OakPark and on the Northside. Therapy is very important. We have done a floortime approach with my son since he was 2 1/2. Go to www.floortime.com, www.stanleygreenspang.org, www.icdl.com.

Biomedical intervention worked a lot for us. We did the gluten/casein free diet for 3 years. Now we do enzymes and supplements.

Take advantage of anything free that you can.

If you have private insurance, you may be able to get some RDI or floortime covered. You just have to learn the codes. But first, make sure you know what kind of insurance you have. In IL, they are required to cover autism. However, if you company is self-insured they are not. And if you have private insurance, I am not sure.

Please feel free to send me a private message and I can give you more information. My son only has a diagnosis of sensory processing disorder. However, CPS tried to say that he had autism so bad he would never be out of a special ed classroom. CPS was wrong.

It takes a lot of energy - so remember to take care of yourself and ask for help.

M.

Depending on his age, either get him into early intervention (under 3) or if he's not in school yet, call your local school district to have him screened. Because of his diagnosis, the schools have to accept him into their free preschool program. Also, if you have private insurance, therapy makes the biggest difference. The earlier, the better. Also intensive therapy.

My son was diagnosed with Asperger's a couple weeks before turning 3. He entered the school system where he goes to the free preschool and gets OT and speech at school. He also has private speech and OT. My insurance pays everything except the co-pays. I've noticed a HUGE difference in the past year and a half!

Other things to know about : Subscribe to the Autism Society of Illinois website and the Schafer Autism Report. Join a local Autism support group too.

If you have money to spare, get an RDI (relationship development intervention) consultant. It's expensive and insurance doesn't cover, but I hear it makes a huge difference! You may also consider looking into a DAN doctor.

Good luck!! Get some support!!

Check out our latest post on Autism Awareness, part of our special Child Advocacy Month! http://sproutreviews.com/2010/04/13/child-advocacy-part-ii/

We are looking forward to our very first guest post this Thursday when Joanna from "The Story of Parenting a Child with Autism" gives us a real life look at family life with Autism.

I know it is tough to swallow. I have a now almost 8 year old boy who has autism. It is devastating, but now we just look at him and are thankful. It could be worse. A couple things that made a difference in our son's functioning was 1) Signing Time videos www.signingtime.com 2) L-Carnosine (google L-Carnosine and Autism and you'll see a study done and 3) early intervention - the more help you give him early, the better off he is going to be. I scoured YouTube when my son was first diagnosed, and I found nothing that was uplifting and hopeful. I have since posted several videos on his progress and I feel it gives other parents hope for their child's future. Please look up the videos on YouTube. They are under mhchitown. Also, check out HAVEDREAMS.ORG. It is a local organization in Park Ridge that provides programs for children with autism. Good luck.

Definitely if he is under 3, contact Early Intervention. You will qualify for free therapy, often in your home. If he is over 3, contact your school district as others have mentioned.

Keep all of your records. Make sure you have the names and scores for any tests that have been administered. If you have any questions about the diagnosis, look into having more testing done by someone else. (we got a completely wrong diagnosis from a pediatric psychologist that we saw at first.)

I do not have a child with a spectrum disorder, although my son with ADHD definitely has behaviors on the spectrum. I can't advise you specifically, but you will find that getting early therapies is going to help a lot and make a huge difference more quickly than you can imagine now. You're doing the right thing reaching out for information.

I also wanted to add that you should be careful in evaluating therapies. Parents of kids on the spectrum are constantly being asked to take sides, get on board with various expensive supplements, difficult diets, and "cleansing" therapies. Please don't feel like you have to try alternative therapies immediately. Talk to the mental health and medical professionals you know and trust, and start with the proven therapies first. Not saying these things aren't good - we've experimented quite a bit ourselves - but give yourself time to read and research.

Oh, and if your child is school aged, you will want to learn a little bit about the IEP process. wrightslaw.com is a good resource to start with. There is also a training in March in Naperville that you may want to look at (I am not affiliated with this group, just got the mailing through a local special needs association.) It's called Wrightslaw:From Emotions to Advocacy Training
with Pat Howey, paralegal and advocate

Saturday, March 20
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

http://www.sea200.org/ to register.

It's so hard! My 4-year-old and 3-year-old are both autism spectrum. Contact Early Intervention - it's run thru the State of Illinois, but you can get in touch with them through Easter Seals. Easter Seals also will get you in touch with parent advocates who can give you a wealth of information about you & your child's rights, support & services available to you, so much.

Hi,
I do not have personal experience with this but have 2 friends who have. First of all, with early intervention both children have done wonderfully! As devastating as this diagnosis must be, I just wanted you to know that I've seen parents be devastated and then happily surprised that with the proper treatment their kids live happy, healthy, great "normal" lives (and what's "normal" anyway?). Ask the doctor who made this diagnosis for resources. S/he should have offered that right away. Early intervention makes a world of difference. And maybe get a second opinion as one poster suggested. My niece was diagnosed with Asperger's and, after working with various specialists, is 100% ok and they are questioning the original diagnosis. You just never know. Best of luck to you and your son.

I understand how you must feel. Rest assured that a diagnosis is not a life-sentence. It is the first step in giving you reasons for certain behaviors. It also gives you an opportunity to provide early intervention. Best of luck!

hi
I just read your question, and I just feel like sharing this with you..
my boy 4 yo, got diagnost with autism s. too around a year ago...was really difficult , but around 8 mo ago I started with the casein free and woala eye contact back to normal and 3 week ago also gluteen free and guess what no more anxiedity and no more hitting head , is been hard with the withdrawl of the gluteen but is worth it the try....
as a mom I tried to check for everything that is around for my boy to help him to recover ..so I check and read many book and I found out about biometrical treatment ....is call DAN doctor defeat autism now....
so if you feel is right for you check it out
bye now

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