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Treatment for autism generally focuses on teaching children
many of the basic things that most of us take for granted. For example, a child
with autism may laugh at a child who is crying and not have any idea why that
reaction is unacceptable. Part of that child’s treatment would be to explain
to them, over and over, that when someone is crying, they’re probably sad. An
autistic child might not understand what “sad” means, so an additional
component of the treatment would be explaining what sadness is. Another part of
the treatment would be to try to get the autistic child to learn to recognize
what a said face looks like, because people with autism often are unable to
understand what facial expressions mean.
This one small example may help you to understand how
complex the treatment for autism can be. Teachers and other specialists have to
break down the child’s behavior one tiny bit at a time, and then address all
the myriad issues from many different angles.
For parents, finding reliable, effective programs for their
autistic children can be challenging. This is crucial, because research shows
that effective, early intervention that lasts for at least two years during the
pre-school age can result in improved outcomes for children with autism.
Questions parents
should ask treatment providers
Here’s a list of questions from the National Institute of
Mental Health for parents of autistic children. It can be extremely difficult to
know how to evaluate special programs for your child, so this list may be
helpful:
- How
successful has your program been for other children?
- How
many of the children from your program continue on to normal schools? How
well do they do in those schools?
- How
much experience does the staff have in the treatment of children and
adolescents with autism?
- Are
your daily schedules and routines predictable?
- How
much individual attention will my child receive?
- How
do you measure progress? Will you be monitoring my child’s behavior
closely?
- Will
you give my child tasks and rewards that are personally motivating?
- Does
your environment minimize distractions?
- Will
your program prepare me to continue therapy at home?
Being the parent of a child with autism is a never-ending
job. To be successful, you have to constantly keep up with the latest
information, not to mention all of the work you need to do with your child at
home on an ongoing basis. Consider joining a support group in your area so that
you can connect with other parents of autistic children. Their input and
experience can be invaluable as you learn to navigate this new territory.
Source:
The National Institute of Mental Health; The New York Times, Science Times Section, “Lifting the Veils of Autism, One by One,” 24 February 2004;
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