Question for parents with autistic kids

We do ABA therapy five days a week with extra speech and occupational therapy. All the kids are so different it is unreal. The hardest thing for us is that nobody in our family understands but it is impossible to understand until you have an autistic child. You can email me if you want more specifics. Our son is almost 4. lsustone57@gmail.com

We also found out when my son was 2.5 years old. It's like a punch to the gut when you first find out. Sounds like he is pretty high functioning, which is also what my son is.

Speech, OT, and ABA therapies have been by far the most productive for my son who is now 5. I would recommend trying to get your child into the Emerge Center in Baton Rouge as they can provide all the therapies in 1 location. Otherwise you will have to bring your child to different locations for different therapies all day every day. You or your wife would basically have to quit your job just to taxi your child around. Emerge is considered the best in the SouthEast and one of the best in the country due to how the incorporate the therapies in learning environments.

We still do not do any medications as for me that is a last resort. Most of the meds are mind altering type stuff that dulls them out.

From one parent to another, the best you can do is love your child. Do as much research as you can and try to understand Autism. Understand that your life will be different now as your child will probably not be able to handle most of the social situations that most others their age will. Autism children thrive on very strict routines, eating at the same time every day, going to bed at the same time every night. If you stay off the routine for too long of a time, they become demons very fast.

Due to the amount of overstimulation they experience on a regular basis, being rested and having high tolerance is very important. They don't process information or stimuli the same and it can take a while to learn what triggers a meltdown. Be as patient as you can.

Once you get them into the right programs, things should get better over time. As they grow, they get better as well and some even "grow out of it" which is not really true, they just become so adept at handling their autism, they can mainstream.

My son is 11 and we found out 2 he was high functioning autistic. He started speech and occupational therapy at that point through public school system they would come to our house before he began attending school.
I believe food has no factor in autism some people say gluten this and that but I believe they are nuts.....my opinion.
My son does take low dose of men's now but at your's age no need yet we only began meds once he couldn't pay attention in school even he would come home and say so. He knows the meds help him and we don't give it to him on weekends.
Go to pedal neurologist get a diagnosis it will help forcing school system and your insurance company help you.

Aba therapy, lots of great services out there. jcardi2@gmail.com

I would contact Early Steps asap. Although he would age out in a few months, they can be a great tool to figure out what is best for your kid.

I am a special education teacher and I teach high school so I don't have experience with kids so young nor newly diagnosed.

I do wish you the best of luck but from what I know there is really no way to tell at the moment exactly what he will need until it comes up. He may need Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, a Social Worker and when he gets to school will probably qualify for Special Education services.

My nephew was diagnosed around the same age and they got him into a school specifically for kids on the spectrum as soon as he was old enough. I truly believe it made all the difference. He is very very smart and is ahead of kids his age, he just falls behind socially at this point.

Just keep an eye on him and follow doctors orders about where and when to start looking into services.

For the record, my nephew is now 9 and he no longer receives services in school and no longer has any kind of therapy. This may be revisited at some point, especially during/after puberty when he may have trouble keeping up with all the changes going on in the various social circles during that time.

My oldest son is considered borderline autistic. At first he went to therapist but after a couple of years we stopped because in my opinion they weren't helpful. All I can tell you is good luck, it's tough on the child and parents. Expect mood swings, social problems and potty training throughout his childhood.

I have a daughter who was diagnosed with autism. She is 12 now, in regular ED classes and gets great grades. My best advice is to fight as hard as you can for everything you can get for your child. Never take no for an answer. There are no two artistic children alike( I teach special education). Take joy in any and every achievement, wether it be small or large. Don't be discouraged by set backs ( there will be plenty). Seek advice, but Always do what's best best for YOUR child (you know them best). Public school education is usually better for special needs students than private schools (they are legally bound to service your child). Treat them as if they are like any other kid.

There is almost no value in the answers in this thread.

Autism is a very very very broad brush.

Having a kid with autism can mean they never emotionally develop past the age of 3 with extreme dependence on routines, or it could mean they are obsessive savants of a topic of interest with only moderately retarded social skills.

Unless you know what he has specifically, no value in hearing from others experiences. No way of knowing if they apply.