There are lots of good interventions available for children on the autism spectrum. Each intervention has specific areas of strength; however no single intervention can possibly address the whole child. Our children are all individuals as well, and no one intervention works for every child. 

By using a combination of interventions specific and tailored to each child, we can often come up with an individualized and appropriate approach that can work well and cover more areas of development for each child.

Look at the topics list on the left. You can click on the specific intervention you're interested in for posts on that topic.

Some intervention strategies that will be discussed here are: Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), Verbal Behavior Analysis ( VB or VBA),  Floor Time, Speech, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and various alternative therapies, such as dietary intervention. - Sandra Sinclair, Autismvoice.com

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

I love this article from Lisa Jo Rudy about what NOT to do after your child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

You know, I remember the panic and sadness that I felt when I first found out about my son's diagnosis, and all of the "mad rush" things that I did to get knowledgeable and to try to make good decisions for him. To some extent, that's necessary, but remember when you go into this, that many people in the world of educating autism have only had training in one intervention, and really don't know much else outside of their intervention, although they believe their intervention is the best. Keep that in mind when looking around.

When talking to other parents and teachers who have learned more than one intervention, you will find that almost invariably those who have more than one intervention under their belt will have a broader world view of autism interventions and will understand the benefits of using more than one over time.

My experience has been that every intervention we have tried has helped our son, each in a different way. All have been effective for what they can do, and no one intervention covers all the bases. A customized approach is usually what's called for, despite what a lot of professionals trained in one method might say. 

The research available on all autism interventions is really not that well-done as yet. Some interventions say that they're research-based, but if you really look into their research, you will find that in the end, it's very difficult to do a good study.

For instance, the children in Dr Lovaas' group (only 19) were cherry picked for verbal ability by age 3 and normal IQ scores. Nonverbal or children who didn't score well on IQ didn't get in. Most people don't know that.

And even then, only 40% went on to regular school.

Don't get me wrong- ABA is a very good, very solid intervention for teaching tasks, imitation, and initial focus. The key to a good experience with ABA (or any intervention) is the TEACHER, and to know when to stop using it. ABA is best done with a younger child who has no skills whatsoever. The mistake many make is to do it harshly, or to keep doing it long after it's lost its effectiveness. 

We did ABA on our son in the beginning, had a fabulous, very fun teacher, and my son learned a lot. She broke a lot of rules, but you almost have to with ABA in order to get a good result with ABA. Verbal Behavior is a newer, more fun form of ABA that  a family should consider if they are thinking about ABA.

But ABA and Verbal Behavior are poor when it comes to teaching flexible thinking, social abilities and conversational skills- the skills that your child is severely lacking in and can't be learned in a rote fashion. For social abilities and communication, RDI, Son-rise and Floortime are far better interventions.

And no one beats a good speech therapist for teaching communication skills to your child.

And for healing your heart spirit and your family's heart spirit, nothing beats son-rise.

Regarding sensory difficulties, either having a good occupational therapist, or reading up and implementing how to help with this in your home, such as "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun" or "Just One Bite" for food textural and taste issues are great ways to help your child as well.

For your child, you may need stuff from some or all of the above, some done at the same time, and some in sequence.

I also love  her idea about "window of opportunity", the big urban myth. Someone introduced this idea and everyone latched on. Remember, "window of opportunity" an opinion. If your brain couldn't continue to develop, no one would ever recover from a stroke or brain injury. No one could learn anything new after age 5. Please! All of us have learned tremendous things long into adulthood. Your child will too.

And regarding the "rush to cure"-- remember that most children recover partially, not totally from their autism, so even though you don't know your child's potential, the most important thing is to value him or her now, as he is, and not what you wish he was. He will feel whether you truly accept him or not as he is now. Remember, he or she is a person, a child, first, who just happens to have autism, not the other way around.

Sandra Sinclair, www.autismvoice.com

As I was listening to Jenny McCarthy last night on Larry King Live, I was struck by the huge communication gap between parents and physicians. I can't imagine how these two groups will ever learn how to communicate without an interpreter.

The panel included 3 physicians and Jenny McCarthy. It was a battle of sorts, between  the professional, medi-lingo-savvy, detached physicians, and a passionate, angry parent of a child with autism, who believed her child was hurt by vaccines. In the end, neither party heard the other at all.

The problem is that both sides have almost totally different priorities. Both parents and physicians want the best for the children, but that's where the similarities end. Physicians want hard evidence, supported by a formal study before making a move. Physicians don't take the sequential anecdotal evidence that parents bring as significant evidence. Parents are motivated to protect their children from  harm, and aren't willing to wait for the bureaucratic glacier to move while their children become statistics- this is where the problem lies.

So where is this glacier? It's the CDC. Some say the CDC is prioritizing protecting our children from acquiring infectious disease at the expense of causing autism in some individuals, some say the CDC is protecting the vaccine manufacturers from litigation and the resulting fallout for the drug companies, but the CDC says that it just doesn't think there's sufficient evidence to support that vaccines can cause autism. Until there's a different global viewpoint at the CDC, parents will have to continue to push for vaccine reform.

What do I think? I think that autism may very well show up in some individuals as a result of immunization injury. I don't think that happened to my son, as he was showing signs of autism very early on, before he had any vaccines. However, I think that it's entirely possible that vaccines could trigger autism in some individuals, especially with all the vaccines our children have to take early on. I'm not 100% positive, but it seems like the evidence is certainly pointing in that direction.

The vast majority of children who are vaccinated don't become autistic, which is the main reason why the CDC states that vaccines don't cause autism. But there's one theory out there that could burst that belief bubble... The theory that there may be a genetic predisposition in some individuals to develop autism, much like the genetic disposition to develop cancer. And it goes like this...

We all know people who have smoked like crazy, lived to 100, and haven't developed cancer. Yet others get cancer at 30, smoking or not. With cancer, we all know that it's a question of genetic disposition. For instance, if you possess a genetic predisposition for cancer (like a lot of people), you can set it off really easily by smoking. If you don't have that particular predisposition, you can smoke like a chimney all your life, and you probably won't get cancer. Likewise, if you have a genetic predisposition for autism, you may set it off with a vaccine, and if you don't have that disposition, you probably won't.

Is this theory correct? I don't know, and even all the people who've convinced themselves that it's true (like Jenny McCarthy) still don't unequivocally know either. But it sounds quite feasible to me, and I think that in time we'll all find out-  sad but true, that vaccines can indeed, cause autism in some people.- Sandra Sinclair

www.autismvoice.com

Here is Jade's video, and how she recovered from autism, thanks to her parents and Son-Rise volunteers. This is a story of a little girl who lost her skills and then regained them again, and is now living a normal life. Not all children can fully recover like this, but I hope that this shows the world that there is no such thing as false hope for autism. - Sandra Sinclair, www.autismvoice.com

 

 

The website for Son-Rise intervention is www.son-rise.org .

I highly recommend the Son-Rise program for autism.  Son-Rise, like RDI, is very empowering for parents, because as a parent you realize how very important you are and how much influence you really have on your child's progress.

Most children with autism respond well to Son-Rise, because the program establishes trust quickly with the child and as a result, they are usually more willing to interact with you more and accept more because of that level of trust and interaction. I also love how there are no limits or expectations put on how far your child can go with this program. There is a healing that happens in your heart and mind for your child and for your family regarding what autism means to you through Son-Rise, and I'm very grateful for their approach.  

Shortly before Thanksgiving, John and I were fortunate enough to attend the Son-Rise New Frontiers Program in Sheffield Massachussetts.

Son-Rise, like RDI, focuses on the interpersonal, communication and flexibility goals first, then uses those skills to build other friendship and conversational skills, and focuses lastly on academics, reasoning, self-help, and motor skills.

New Frontiers is an advanced training program that builds on the foundation of the Son-Rise Start-Up. In New Frontiers, we learned specifics on how to establish program goals, and the techniques on how to achieve them, as well as looking at our own beliefs about what's possible.

We learned how to use both our child's activities and our activities to achieve our goals - to build length of interactional attention, to increase flexibility, to build language and communication skills, and ultimately to build friendship and conversational skills.

This is not done in a static way, but rather in a more flexible way, through interactive play and later on adding role plays, always adding to what we're doing and what we've done before. We learned how to keep growing and expanding our goals and activities to make them gradually more and more complex and changeable over time so that a child can learn how to deal with the world effectively within our program first.

We also learned how to be students of ourselves- regarding our feelings, attitudes and beliefs about our child, ourselves, our program, and how our child exists in our world. This is the only program out there that deals with the head and heart of the parent, and the people working with your child. You learn how to learn from yourself and from your child, how to examine and question your beliefs about what's possible and what's important, and how to ultimately be in a good place with all of this, while always trying for more.

The foundational idea of Son-Rise is total acceptance of the child as he is, while always extending kind invitations for more growth. Son-Rise goes with the child instead of against the child, so the child feels some control and trust in working and playing with you, and that helps the child to feel safe about gradually allowing new things in. Consequently, there are very few "no's" at the beginning. Once the child has mastered basic flexibility, social, and communication skills, that's when more "no's" start to come in.

In my experience, when a child is learning the basic stuff about how to be flexible, how to trust another, how to communicate and how to interpret and respond to the world around them, that you can use Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) or Son-Rise. However, just speaking from my own experience, Son-Rise is probably the easiest and quickest way to get through those really tough early stages with the least amount of resistance from your child.

I'm so glad that we looked into Son-Rise. It's a highly practical and healing way to remediate a child's autism.

Sandra Sinclair, www.autismvoice.com

Don’t be Afraid of the Myths and Misconceptions about Autism.

Parents often feel sad, afraid and confused when they learn their child has an autism spectrum disorder, and It’s no wonder -- autism is often portrayed as a grim, lifelong disability, from which there is no hope of recovery.

Of course, these expectations are based on outdated information about people who grew up a generation ago, when only the most severe cases were diagnosed, and treatment was practically nonexistent. Unfortunately, parents are still given this outdated information, presented as if it’s still accurate and relevant in our present day.

These misconceptions lead to more fear, more sadness, limited expectations, and feelings of incompetence in parents about how to best help their child. As a result, some parents rely entirely on other people to work with their child and to make decisions for their child, instead of trusting their own instincts, knowledge, and abilities. Parents are their child’s best resource, yet somehow that’s not the message they’re getting from the experts.

 

Don’t be Afraid to Believe in Your Child’s Potential.

Each child has their own unique, unknown potential. Everyone who works with your child must believe in his ability to learn, grow, and have a bright future.

With effective intervention, the vast majority of children experience improvement, ranging all the way from slight recovery to complete recovery, and everything in-between. The degree of recovery a child experiences depends primarily on his unique potential, combined with whatever learning opportunities he experiences.

Learning opportunities are not just teaching style and content alone. A child's overall environment and expectations are also an integral part of his learning experience.

Knowing these things, we can do three very powerful things for our child:

1. We can love our child as he is now, and provide a positive, nurturing environment.

2. We can keep a completely open mind as to how far our child can go.

3.We can present lots of positive opportunities for learning and growth.

If we do these things, our child will have the opportunity to truly fulfill his unique potential.

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions.

If your child has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, it’s important to ask questions. Ask as many as you need in order to feel confident in your understanding of the disorder. Even if you get most of your initial questions answered, you may find there are still many questions that no one can answer conclusively, because in many ways autism research is still in its infancy. Researchers are still gathering information regarding cause, prognosis, and what interventions are most effective.

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Your Options.

Get to know all your options. It takes some time, but continue to seek opinions and advice from people with different backgrounds in autism. Even after your initial questions have been answered, it’s still a good idea to consult with additional people with different types of knowledge and expertise.

For instance, you may want to ask a few different doctors, psychologists, teachers, therapists, and parents with contrasting approaches to autism about their opinions and experience. Our understanding of autism is continually evolving, and one person may have knowledge that another does not.

As you gather more and more relevant information, you will make better and better decisions for your child. Remember, no decision is carved in stone. In fact, you’ll probably change direction and switch approaches a few times, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the process of learning what works best for your child, and adapting to your child’s changing needs.

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Work with Your Child.

Never believe that the experts have all the answers and that you should not get involved with your child’s treatment program. Talk with the experts to learn more about what you can do at home with your child. Do further research by reading books and articles on autism, attending classes and conferences, and talking to other parents.

You know your child better than anyone else. In addition, you have an undeniable bond with your child that no one else could ever possibly have. Take advantage of your bond to teach your child, build his self-esteem, and explore treatment options you feel will work for your child.

Regardless of their potential, children will seldom go beyond the expectations of their parents. We can't know how far our children can go, but we can take the lid off the box of low expectations, by having faith in their ability to learn, and by providing the loving environment necessary for them to achieve their highest potential.

 

Sandra Sinclair, www.autismvoice.com

"That doesn't work." How many times have we heard this statement in terms of therapies for autism? Is it fact or opinion, depending on who is saying it? The answer may surprise you.

 

In our present academic environment, and actually in a lot of areas of life, if someone isn't up on something, they're usually down on it.

 

That means if someone doesn't know that much about something - ie, if it's not within the area of their expertise, they're often critical of it, especially if they don't know anything about it! Ludicrous? Yes. But often true.

 

I attended an autism conference a couple of months ago, where I endured a session called "Fads in Autism".

 

The theme of the session was that ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) was the only therapy that "works" in autism - that everything else was the scheme of some huckster, trying to make a quick buck, at the expense of parents hopes, dreams and pocketbooks. The projection screen listed just about every therapy for autism ever known to mankind, all deemed the work of con artists or well-meaning people who didn't know what they were doing. 

 

And there was our expert, telling us they all didn't work. The true cons were lumped into the list with some helpful and valuable therapies and approaches. What a terrible shame for parents new to the world of autism therapy.

 

Basically any therapy that didn't have their research completed- was on the list, which is basically just about everything but ABA. It was interesting that speech therapy and special education were notoriously absent from the list.--both non-data-taking strategies. I can only guess that was because there were special educators and speech therapists present.

 

So what happened? Everyone in the room seemed to agree, as evidenced by a sea of bobbing heads. Parents were mesmerized, happy and thankful that this man saved them from going into the abyss of choosing the wrong intervention for their child. I've never been so unnerved. I wondered if we'd all have to drink the pink koolaid next.  

 

When a person presents themself as one who backs up what they say with research, everyone in the room will assume the opinion is factually based, or may not even realize it's an opinion at all. After all, a behavior analyst would never say anything that wasn't backed up with research, right?

 

Well, as it turns out, at least with this guy, there was no attempt to separate fact from opinion.

 

I remember when I was new to this whole process. When a behavior analyst said that something didn't work, I assumed that they had research and data to back it up. I believed that ABA was the only effective autism intervention and that everything else was either crap, ineffective, or certainly very secondary to the effectiveness of ABA, because that's what I was told. It wasn't until my child experienced benefits from other interventions that I knew a different truth.

 

My son did benefit tremendously from ABA. But he also benefitted tremendously from Relationship Development Intervention, Verbal Behavior ( a form of ABA), Speech, OT, PT, and Special Education. None of these are peer-reviewed to the satisfaction of the man who lead the "fads" workshop. But all have helped my son. Do I care that the research isn't in yet on these? No, I don't, because I've seen the results myself, however "anecdotal", or individual they may be.

 

Let's see things for what they actually are. Are there useless therapies out there - produced by opportunistic hucksters just waiting to vacuum the cash out of our wallets? Of course there are. As parents, we have to determine what's effective and what's not.

 

In the meantime, our children are getting older every day. If we wait until every peer-reviewed journal ok's every considered treatment, our children will probably reach adulthood before another treatment finishes research. Because of this time delay, we must weigh and discern which interventions are effective and appropriate for each individual child. It's a very personal decision, balanced on knowledge, discernment and discretion. 

 

What the phrases "works" and "doesn't work" actually mean:

Getting back to what works and what doesn't -- I used to assume that the words "works" or "doesn't work" was probably something to do with effectiveness to help a child recover from autism. I was wrong. What "works" means: the therapy produces behavioral change, according to peer reviewed journals. 

 

(and as a side note - what kind of behavioral change? How much are we actually saying and not saying with that very vague statement? )

 

If there's not enough peer-reviewed literature on something, it's customary and acceptable to say "it doesn't work" . This means that every therapy in it's infancy, including ABA in its early days, "didn't work".

 

Let's think about this - There's not enough peer-reviewed research on how many people can walk or talk. It's purely anecdotal evidence at this point - no research, no peer-review. According to this line of logic, walking and talking isn't valid or real. Parenting "doesn't work" to effect behavioral change in children. Teachers can't teach new things. Nothing works unless you've thoroughly researched and peer-reviewed it. You see how ridiculous this can get? How much does this mirror what's happening in the real world, and how can any new idea survive in this environment?

 

At it's root "Doesn't work" usually means that either the research on the method is still in process, or the research to date is flawed, or that there is no research at all as yet. It has nothing do do with whether the therapy is actually effective .

 

This would be a more truthful statement: "While things look encouraging, doubtful, etc, we don't have enough research to know the true effectiveness, of that treatment as yet". Or "I don't know anything about that therapy and cannot comment." 

 

So, ladies and gents, the next time you hear an "expert" say something "doesn't work", ask them what evidence they have that it doesn't work. If they say something like "there is no evidence that the therapy can produce behavioral change", you know what it really means. (see the paragraph above.

 

--Sandra Sinclair, www.autismvoice.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

 

For Asperger's, Autism, PDD, PDD-NOS, and other autism spectrum disorders:

 

"Newly Diagnosed Autism Spectrum: How You Can Help Your Child."

 

 

 

 

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MP3 File

 

This is a free Mini Course with 7 clear steps you can take to help your child now. 

 

As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I wish something like this was available when my child was diagnosed. That's why I wrote this course.

 

"Newly Diagnosed" covers understanding the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, getting an evaluation, choosing interventions, finding resources for education, support and advocacy, and updates from Autismvoice.

 

No matter where you are on the journey, the resources and  information contained in this course can be helpful for families of children with autism spectrum disorders.

 

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