According to the data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021, approximately 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With the continuous increase in the prevalence of children with ASD, parents should empower themselves with the knowledge of ASD and the importance of early intervention.
Autism Partnership, as one of the largest and most established international service provider of “Applied Behavioral Analysis” (ABA) therapy to individuals with ASD, we have always been providing our best clinical advice for new parents with children of ASD. For parents whose children have just been diagnosed with ASD, they are often confused by the overwhelming information available to them.
In view of this, we have compiled some important information to help parents better understand ASD and its treatment:
1. Symptoms of ASD
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental delay, and the severity and symptoms of ASD varies greatly among individuals. When parents suspect that your child may have one or more of the following symptoms, please don’t be hesitate to bring your child to the hospital or professional clinical experts for consultation and assessments as soon as possible.
2. Early Signs of ASD in Toddlers – 18 months, 2 and 3 years old
The signs of ASD vary in different age group. Parents can have prelim assessment and estimation on their child’s ability based on the corresponding development stage.
3. Causes and Recovery of ASD
For parents of children who are newly diagnosed with ASD, the most concerned question is whether ASD can be cured and why their child has ASD. There are various opinions on these topics, but the most authoritative and scientifically based explanation is:
4. Important questions to be considered when finding the right treatment
For new parents of children with ASD, after a period of hesitation and sadness, the next most important step is to grasp the time of intervention to their child. Finding a timely and effective treatment method help to maximize the child’s ability based on their learning needs and develop more age appropriate skills for further development. There are numerous treatment methods and agencies, some key points that parents should be aware and consider includes:
5. Common Misconceptions & Myth
With more than 20 years of work in this field, we heard of many different misconceptions and myth about ASD and treatments that might cause impact on parents logically and emotionally during their journey of finding treatment to their child.
6. The most widely used and scientifically proven treatment of ASD
Every year, there are many new therapies, professional insights and suggestions that claim to have significant effectiveness on the treatment to people with ASD, word of mouth between parents, and medicines that claim to be able to cure problems of ASD, but most of them are lack of rigorous scientific proofs and studies to support the effectiveness.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is the treatment with the most research support and is scientifically proven to be effective to children with ASD. Currently, there is no other treatment method that proves to be more effective than ABA, or with the same rigorous scientific evidence as ABA.
Book a FREE 1-hour session with our consultant
For parents who have concerns about their child’s development or would like some advice on what to do to help their child and learn more about our services, AP welcomes any parents to book a FREE 1-hour session with our consultant. We will meet with the family to identify the child’s areas of strength and weakness. We will also provide clinical advice about schooling, priorities of therapy if needed and general guidance about ASD.