Raising Children with Autism: 100 Things Every Parent of an Autistic Child Must Know
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Questions Every Parent Has About Their Autistic Child; And The Answers...
Autism is a complex disorder, and there really is no one singular way to discuss or define it. But there is one thing that is true across the board when it comes to autism: the number of questions parents have.
I know what it's like to be unsure and worried about what to do for the best for a loved one with autism. I know all too well about the many challenges and frustrations that you are facing with your autistic child.
When my son was diagnosed with autism in 2009, I scoured every book and website I could find looking for answers. And for every question answered, there always seemed to be three more questions related to the original, and on and on. Many resources I found were either out of date, or written with medical jargons that only doctors could understand. You probably have the same frustrations on your journey to understand autism.
Fortunately you don't have to spend countless hours searching and verifying information like I did. I wrote this guide to cover a lot of the basic questions parents have, and a few you may have never thought of.
If you'd like to have a better understanding of the reasons behind your autistic child's behaviors, so you can help your child more and take some of the pressure off you and the rest of your family then this is the guide for you.
Here are just some of the things you will learn in "Raising Children with Autism: 100 Things Every Parent of an Autistic Child Must Know":
- What are the characteristics of Autism?
- What are the early warning signs of Autism that parents should look for?
- How do I get my child evaluated? & Will insurance cover all this?
- I want to have more children. Will they also be autistic?
- What does Early Intervention entail?
- How much therapy does my child really need?
- What are "biomedical" treatments?
- How dieting can help control autism naturally?
- The effectiveness of the most common alternative autism treatments
- What kind of services will the school district offer my child?
- My child never sleeps! What can I do?
- How to choose an ABA provider?
- How to cope with the stress of raising an autistic child?
- How to ensure the safety of my child?
- Is joining a parent support group really beneficial?
- Will my child ever marry or have children of their own?
- And much more...
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Raising Children with Autism - Katherine Smiley
Raising Children with Autism
100 Things Every Parent of an Autistic Child Must Know
Katherine Smiley
Copyright© 2013 by Katherine Smiley
Smashwords Edition
Raising Children with Autism
Copyright© 2013. All Rights Reserved.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via internet or other means, electronic or print without the author’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material.
LEGAL NOTICE
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this book. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of specific persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional.
This book is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in the legal, business, accounting, and finance fields.
The information in this book is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content contained in this book is for general information purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider before carrying on any health program.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Basic Definitions
First Steps and Diagnosis
Therapy
Medication and Alternative Treatments
The School District and Education
Day to Day Living
Social Life and Friends
Growing up: The Teen Years and Adulthood
Adult Time: Making Time for You and Your Relationships
Preparing for the Future and Other Information
Final Thoughts
Introduction
Autism is a complex disorder, and there really is no one singular way to discuss or define it. But there is one thing that is true across the board when it comes to Autism: the number of questions parents have.
When my son was diagnosed with Autism in 2009, I scoured every book and website I could find looking for answers. And for every question answered, there always seemed to be three more questions related to the original, and on and on. Fortunately you don’t have to spend countless hours searching and verifying information like I did. I wrote this guide to cover a lot of the basic questions parents have, and a few you may have never thought of.
The questions are divided up into larger topics starting with the basic definitions, diagnosis and treatments, and then moving on to school and home life, socialization and the teen years, issues involving your own well-being and future decisions and other tough choices, as well as a list of other resources.
I’ve divided it up this way because someone with a teenager on the spectrum is probably already familiar with what kinds of therapy are available, while someone who is just beginning to suspect autism in their child has a million basic questions and may not even know where to begin.
While it is impossible to cover everything about Autism in this guide, it does give you the basics needed to begin to understand this complex disorder, some basic advice and tips to get through some of the aspects of autism you may find difficult, and the vocabulary and knowledge to look for your own answers in the sea of information out there.
Basic Definitions
1. What is Autism?
This is the primary question, isn’t it? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental spectrum disorder that generally appears by the age of three, recognizable by an inability to form social relationships, impairment in communication and a stereotyped behavior patterns or fixations on repetitive activities or restricted focus and rigidity.
Because it is a spectrum disorder, it means that no two people on with autism have the same kind
of autism. One person may be completely non-verbal, and fixated on how elevators work, while another person could be verbal but completely unable to engage in social activities. This is why we refer to people diagnosed with ASD as being on the spectrum.
In order to diagnose Autism, a patient must exhibit six of the criteria set up in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th addition or DSM-IV: with at least two from the social interaction criteria, and one each in the communication criteria and restricted and repetitive behavior criteria. So no two diagnoses will necessarily look the same.
Those NOT on the spectrum are referred to as neurotypical, or typical.
2. What are the characteristics of Autism?
When it comes to children and development, while it can be different for each child, there are some general characteristics