Two days ago, a research study came out which evaluated the impact of a particular autism therapy - The Denver Method - on toddlers. The findings made it clear that about 20 hours a week of a program combining elements of behavioral and developmental therapy really can help, even when kids are very young.
Today, the US News and World Report website came out with an excellent article on How to Get Early Intervention Therapy for Your Child with Autism. Suggestions include reaching out to your state's early intervention program, getting your child evaluated quickly, and more. All of this is good advice. Here are additional resources for finding early intervention:
Have other resources to share? Let us know!
Back nearly two years ago, I wrote a blog about a book called Autism Heroes. In it, I wrote:
[The book] suggests that parents who manage to love their children with autism "unconditionally" (whatever that means) are heroes. Parents who attempt to find useful treatments for their children with autism are heroes. Parents who decide NOT to try to hide their child from the world or deny their autism are... yup, heroes.
I went on to say that heroism, in my opinion, goes far beyond being a good parent. Heroism, in my opinion, involves true altruism: the desire to help others with no thought of self.
I've thought about this issue quite a bit, especially since readers are still commenting on the blog. And I still believe I was correct. Caring for one's own child, even when it's very difficult, is not the same thing as being a "hero."
I knock myself out for my child with autism. I work double time, homeschooling and working. My husband and I try every avenue we can think of to help our child succeed. We drive an hour and a half so that he can get the best possible math tutor. We've tried an incredible range of treatments, some quite expensive. In fact,our lives are significantly harder and more expensive because we have a son with autism.
And yes, I've done things for kids who aren't mine. Over the years, I've created a special needs summer camp that's served dozens of kids with autism. I've developed posters, products, a book and a website to help others who are living with autism.
But the truth is, the camp was developed, in large part, to serve our son. The posters came out of work we did to to help our son. The website, at least in part, is a way for me to better understand my own child.
There are people out there who travel into war zones to save the lives of children they've never met. There are people who rush in when disaster strikes, to build up the levees or dig for survivors or otherwise serve people they've never met. They do this out of the goodness of their hearts, because they believe they can help.
Those people are truly heroic.
Those of us who do what we do to make our kids happier or more successful are good parents. But a hero is more than a good parent. A hero's work must reach beyond home - and beyond self.
A hero may be a good parent. But simply being a good parent, in my opinion, is not enough to be proclaimed a hero.
Yesterday, a press release came out announcing that a study comparing a particular autism intervention - The Denver Model - appears to be more effective than standard interventions (in this case about 18 hours per week of occupational, physical, speech and social therapy) when applied to toddlers with autism diagnoses. This is an exciting finding, and particularly so because it offers a real, scientifically verified approach that combines the present gold standard, Applied Behavior Analysis, with age-appropriate developmental techniques to build social and communication skills.
It is very important, however, to note that this study was not designed to determine whether the earliest possible intervention yields the best result. In fact, despite multiple headlines to the contrary, the study did not compare outcomes for children at different ages. It focused on toddlers because the Denver Method was designed for use with toddlers and preschoolers.
IS early intervention best? Certainly it's a very good idea to start therapy for a child with autism as soon as it's clear such therapy is needed. But there is no research to show that a child who starts therapy at, say, 18 months, is more likely to build skills than a child who starts therapy at age three. Dr. Sally Rogers, one of the researchers leading the study, says:
The fact that all the positive outcome studies of autism come from children who started interventions before the age of five is important. Very young children are at home and surrounded by families who are teaching all the time. ... We don't have empirically-based, proven treatment models for one year olds.
Bottom line: researchers using stringent scientific methods have found that the Early Start Denver Method for treating toddlers and preschoolers with autism is effective. We don't yet know if it's MORE effective than intensive Applied Behavior Analysis. We don't yet know if starting at 18 months is MORE effective than starting at 30 months. And we do know that while the outcomes from this study were promising, none of the children in the study ceased to be diagnosable with an autism spectrum disorder as a result of the intervention.
One more positive and exciting note: Dr. Rogers tells me that the entire Denver Method protocol, including evaluation materials, curriculum and more, will be available to the public on the web. She feels that while some parents will be able to implement the protocol on their own, most should enlist the help of a therapist with autism experience:
This material will be most useful for people who are working with a therapist who doesn't have a set curriculum or approach. OTs, speech therapists, people trained in early childhood intervention [could all make effective use of the Denver Method materials].
Yesterday I wrote a blog entitled
How Should We Present the Autism Spectrum to the Public? It's received some very thoughtful responses, and inspired me to present this challenge to interested readers:
If you were to craft a single message about autism spectrum disorders for the general public in 100 words or less, what would it be?
Of course, I'm not a broadcaster - but this site does receive over 500,000 page views per month. And I will make a point of steering readers and subscribers to your messages. So please feel free to speak your mind!
