| As the financial crisis tightens its noose around this | | | | Behavior Analysis) therapist told us that she would not |
| country it occurred to me that of the 500,00+ people | | | | work with us unless we sat in on the session and |
| out of jobs, that 1 out of every 150 of them are a | | | | followed up. As blunt and as difficult it was for my |
| parent of a child with autism. With the loss of insurance | | | | wife, it helped her understand what he was doing and |
| and a steady income families who already were | | | | she was able to continue the lessons learned |
| struggling to pay for their child's therapy , now have | | | | throughout the day. The first thing to do is contact |
| little or no way to pay for the help they so desperately | | | | current therapists or past therapists and ask to meet |
| need. As a father of a 6 year old on the spectrum, I | | | | them to discuss how you can help. If you are currently |
| am constantly reminded of the difficulties that families | | | | still in therapy you should ask to sit in and ask a lot of |
| are facing and believe that parents can do something | | | | questions after the therapy to figure out how to best |
| about it. The first thing a parent must understand is | | | | associate certain techniques. |
| that they are the people their children trust the most | | | | If you are not currently working with that therapist, |
| and although our autistic children face many challenges, | | | | meet them for coffee and discuss what your child |
| they are first and foremost children. This means that | | | | was doing and ask for tips that you can do to help |
| they can respond to us. The key is finding a way for | | | | obtain certain skills. Have the therapist give you |
| them to respond. For some this is easy, for others | | | | homework and then compare notes at the next |
| much more difficult. | | | | session. Your therapist will be very excited to see your |
| Each and every step our children take should be | | | | interest in what they are doing and will be more than |
| celebrated no matter what it is. The keys to surviving | | | | happy to continue to help you. With consistent therapy, |
| these tough times is to become a parent therapist for | | | | you will see results, maybe not right away, but |
| your child and have other members of your family, | | | | constantly working with your child will have a positive |
| community, church do the same. Throughout the past | | | | impact on both of you. In up coming articles, we will |
| 4 years my wife and I have been proactive in helping | | | | discuss more in depth what types of techniques can |
| our son by becoming a student of the different | | | | be learned, how to take data and how to use this to |
| therapies that he has taken. Our first ABA (Applied | | | | impact your child and keep your costs low. |