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Q. I'm a parent. Why should I do therapy with my autistic child? |
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A. Because the data shows that the best outcome occurs when children have parents who do table therapy as well as generalizing in the natural environment. This is not to say that there are NO children who recover though their parents did not do some form of therapy. But do you want to take the chance?
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| 2. |
Q. I think parents who run ABA programs just don't accept their children as they are. What do you think? |
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A. Nothing could be further from the truth. ABA programs are not for children who are just different but are fully functioning and independent. ABA programs are for children with multiple deficits in many if not all areas of development. These children- these eventual adults- will have NO life if we cannot help them learn to function independently. These toddlers very often do not recognize their parents from a ball. We would like very much for these sweet babies to be brought to their fullest potential as human beings. This charge is our duty as parents.
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Q. ABA is only for the rich. Don't you think. It's not fair? |
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A. ABA is expensive and the lack of support from insurance, schools, and the government in general is abhorrent. However, many families with moderate incomes have ABA home programs and have sacrificed much to do so. These parents are not wealthy. Indeed, to support their home program, many work two and three jobs, some sell their homes, down size their lifestyles, borrow large sums of money...you get the picture.
While it is true that the wealthy can afford ABA programs more easily, other parents can too. The bottom line is, many parents today FIND a way to get the resources they need to run their program. You must not let an initial lack of financial resources stand in the way of your child's future. If your child had cancer and a $100,000.00 procedure would save your child's life, but insurance would not pay for it....Would you give up and lament your financial problems then? NO, you would find the money, somewhere. That is how we all must approach our situations with Autism.
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| 4. |
Q. Who is AutismTreatment.info? |
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A. AutismTreatment.info is a website created by and for parents of children with Autism. We are currently running In-home programs for our children to treat their Autism. Information on the website is derived from our own personal research, experiences with our children, with other children with Autism, with therapists, consultants and professionals.
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| 5. |
Q. What are your professional qualifications? |
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A. Bethany Reirdon holds Elementary Teacher Certification in Texas and Oklahoma; other than that, we are NOT certified. WE ARE NOT HEALTH OR LAW PROFESSIONALS OF ANY KIND.
However, between us, we do have many years of experience working with children with Autism
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| 6. |
Q. How do I begin an In-home program? |
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A. Start by doing research- read, read, read. Get some of the books on our "Must Read Book" list. Obtain one or more of our Autism E-Books related to starting an In-home program. Visit websites from our Links page and find parents groups in your local area that have parents that are CURRENTLY doing an In-Home program. They will be some of your best resources.
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| 7. |
Q. Should I do ABA or a Bio-Medical Intervention? |
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A. Both should be considered. They are not mutually exclusive. In most cases of Autism, the best (and sometimes the only) way to help your child learn is using the principles of ABA in an Intensive Behavior Intervention program. But medical and dietary problems can SOMETIMES be an obstacle in the progress of your ABA program. If your child has any behaviors, problems or biological functions that appear out of balance, don't just count it off as being part of his/her Autism- investigate the problems with your doctor, or preferably a doctor experienced in treating the medical problems commonly manifesting themselves in children with Autism. For more info see our Diet and Bio-Medical section. |