Finding Resources

As said in another post, when I first discovered that Noah had autism, I needed help and support. What has helped Noah is the wealth of resources offered where we live.  It is important that parents know where these resources are located.  Finding out if your child has autism, PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder), Asperger's Syndrome, a specific learning disability or another developmental disability is vital.  Once discovered, it is important that parents intervene early (also known as "early intervention") to help children reach their full potential.  In my case, intervention began at at the age of 2 and has led to Noah being placed from a special day class, to being mainstreamed in a regular class, to now being placed in a private school (Catholic school) alongside his brother.  It led to his grades improving, involvement in clubs/organizations and an increase in his friendships.  I fully support early intervention and encourage other parents (regardless of the child's disability) to claim it because it lessens the effects of the condition.  In my situation, it was home-based (skills taught and applied at home), school based (skills/resources taught and applied at school) and center-based (skills taught and applied at his speech center).  It has helped Noah and I can honestly say, he is successful.  The school district where I live provided these resources to me.  I encourage other parents to ask for resources from their school districts.

I live in the California area and some resources that I have used are the Westside Regional Center, Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center (absolutely wonderful) and Autism Society of America.  The Center for Autism and Related Disorder (CARD) is also a great resource to use.  My cousin (who also has a son with autism) lives in the Nevada area and I have told him about Autism Speaks, Autism Society of America (in Nevada) and Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Southern Nevada (FEAT).

If you need help finding a resouce, let me know.  Just leave a comment by clicking on the word "comment" write below the post. -Tasha