Son, age 5, Diagnosed with ASD: Now what?

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Hello. I've finially gotten the courage to post.

My son got a DX of ASD, high functioning and could have gone AS, but they went with ASD instead. This was about two weeks ago.

We are waiting for an insurance referral for speech through our insurance company so he doesn't lose the language he has. In the past he'd dropped some of his sounds. He is currently being treated for GAD (generalized anxity disorder). After his evaluation, my husband and I were getting a couple websites, a phone number for general information, and a book title on social stories with a recommendation to purchase it. We were also told to go through the school IEP process to help with his educational needs and OT. School is several months away. In school district he's in, they go to school two days one week, and three days the following week. I guess I'm failing to see how this is going to be much help for Joshua in the long term.

So as parents, with limited resourses, what do we do do help our son? I'd be happy with a place to start.

Thank you so much. This website has been such a help. It's offered so much hope to us.
Wendy

For anyone to help you with a place to start, they would need to know where you live - different countries have vastly different laws and processes. This is true for the education system and the health system.

You can check out my Autistic Kids Channel on YouTube (user vids4autkids1), my YouTube Speech Channel (vids4autkids3), and my Reading Channel (vids4autistickids). All of the channels have hundreds of educational/teaching videos for kids to watch in the "playlists."

Speech lessons for little kids can be found in the "uploads" section of the Speech Channel, the "playlists" secti9on of the Speech Channel, and on the Reading Channel. (As each letter is presented, various vocabulary words beginning with that letter are presented).

The "favorites" section of each channel contains videos made by doctors, professors, special ed teachers, etc., designed to inform adults about the various issues involved. Everything is 100% free.

The channels also contain links to free resources and other free YouTube channels.

I have only made about 25 videos, but there are about 4000 on my various channels--many made by speech experts, reading specialists, doctors, etc.

I would suggest joining your local Autism Society, requesting information from your school system (often, there is a lot on-line), and checking out your insurance coverage in order to get plugged in locally and to make practical decisions.

Also, are right about the school's help being unlikely to bring the child up to the highest level that he can achieve, particularly if he has speech issues.

I live in Austin, Texas, and am a member of a very large, active Autism Society chapter, so I get to compare notes with other parents all of the time. From what I have seen and heard, optimal speech results occur when the child attends a good private school for autistic children, gets a large amount of good private therapy, or a parent figures out how to work with the child and works extensively with the child at home (either homeschooling or working every day after school, on weekends, and during the summer). Some parents have a whole lot of success with video and computer based therapy, which require little knowledge and effort on the parents' part. See my websites.

Also, whenever you have the TV on, you should have on the closed captioning for the hearing impaired. Use English subtitles with DVDs. Repetition is good for speech, also.

No real advice but welcome to the group and hugs to you!!

Nutmegfae, welcome. Getting your therapies and services in place should be your priority and it's a good time to start since it's summer and most schools are out. And, getting an IEP set up to start working towards his/her educational goals. Does your school only have one program for him? You might want to consider paying for a private preschool or kindergarten if you need more...that's if it fits your budget. Many parents do morning Special Ed and afternoon, private inclusion for preschool and kindie.

Also, in terms of services, the ASD diagnosis does render more, sad to say. It breaks my heart that many insurers and social services networks aren't as forthcoming to providing support for those with Aspergers, especially ABA. So, having the ASD diagnosis may actually be a benefit in terms of getting his support services set up.

Either way, it sounds like you're on the right track. I would start studying books and websites on autism to learn exactly what your son's areas of needs are and how you can also help him as a parent.

God Bless

I think you've got a solid start. You should be able to research what happens during things like floor time therapy and start it on your own. A lot of that was, after all, developed from observations made by parents, things they had tried at home with their kids and found effective. Get on the floor with your child and engage with him as much as you can. I guess it's hard to recommend anything further without knowing more about the specific issues your child faces. And, well, I'm a big believer in letting the little ones explore what interests them at this age, without having to be forced into the standard educational box.