Monday, January 17, 2011

I want to provide my autistic child with good care. I am lost by the amount of literature and confusion. How should I start?

Before you start on any treatment for your autistic child you should be aware of the following:

There is no standard therapy for autism. If you go to 10 different health care workers, you will get 200 different opinions. There is no right or wrong about the treatments available for autism. Just the philosophical approach is different

Because conventional medicine has failed to cure it, many parents have lost faith in their physicians. So to develop a sense of comfort, seek opinions from several pediatricians about the treatment approaches. This will help you calm your fears about the variations in the treatment

The cyberspace is a great place to read about autism but this is the last place you want to seek medical advice. There are lots of individuals who are not even in health care who are now offering treatments for the condition.

Read about the disorder. The more knowledgeable and informed you are, the better the care you will be able to seek for your child

Do not always believe what you hear about treatment of autism. If one child did respond, it does not mean your child will respond. 
There is a great deal of variability in the disorder. A single isolated report of improvement with Gingko Biloba does not mean that it works in all individuals. The internet is full of false hype.

No matter what treatment is offered to your child, ask about the pros and cons of the. Understand what the published treatment guidelines are and know how much experience your specialist has.

Discuss the treatment options with your family but ultimately you as a parent will have to make the final decision

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