After the Diagnosis; Start Therapy; Early Intervention Is Crucial for Autism

Now your life is changing.  Your week is now full of therapy appointments.  The therapies recommended by the team of evaluators are crucial, especially when the child is young.  I was told by our therapist that my son had a chance to learn skills because he is still developing.  My son had occupational therapy (OT) twice a week for 1 hour, speech therapy (ST) twice a week for 1 hour, and developemetal therapy (DT) once a week, for 1 hour.  The OT was at a local therapy center, as was the ST, and DT was in the home.  Between the therapies, two young kids, and research I was overwhelmed.  One piece of advice, you can sit in on the therapies, this helped me in knowing how to work with my son at home.  Become a friend to your child's therapist, they are a wealth of knowledge for you.  Make sure you get a Senory Diet for the home from your OT.  Go ahead and get an exercise ball at Target, it works just as well as the therapy balls and cost a whole lot less.  We invested in the exercise ball, 1 lb. ankle weights, a compression vest, weighted blanket (a local lady makes and sells these), weighted lap pad (I made at home).  FYI:  Any therapy tool you purchase for your child is considered a medical expense and can be a write off on your taxes. 

I truely believe that getting my son started in therapy less than a month after diagnosis help him.  From the age of 23 months until he turned 3 years old he was in therapy.  Six months into his therapy we added in a Developement and Speech group therapy, he began to thrive in this setting, he had at least one good model in the group to follow, by the time he was turning 3 he was the model for the other children.   Now at age 7 he is a mainstream student with support.  When my sons pediatrican asked me what I felt was the most important thing for them, I said Early Intervention is crucial!  You can still be in denial, just don't deny your child of the critical time in getting the services they need!

Here is a great website with a wealth of info and links to check out:
Autism Community Connections-Newly Diagnosed