How Do You Help Children With Autism?
Having a child with autism, hearing that first diagnosis, or questioning some of the early behavioral issues, for a parent, can be a trying and often isolating time. Sifting through the voluminous information on causes, treatments, and therapies can also be quite overwhelming, especially with no one to offer guidance. To begin with, if you’re a parent, or know someone, who has a concern about atypical behaviors in their child, you should begin by receiving a medical evaluation by your family practitioner. If a concern is noted regarding PDD/NOS (some of the characteristics of autism) or autism spectrum disorder, the family or parents can request that their school district provide a comprehensive psychological-educational evaluation that identifies the need for fine/gross motor, socio-emotional, academic, and speech language supports. The evaluation can result in the recommendation of many related services, ie. occupational and/or physical therapy (OT/PT), academic support, social skill
