Wednesday, May 24, 2006

ASD: The Parents' Experience

This article touches on the agony of parents of kids with ASDs - always wondering - did we do enough - always second guessing our actions on behalf of our children.
Here are some tidbits:

"Only in the last three years has government funding for autism research surpassed private funding. Parents have been the driving force. They are the lifetime advocates for their child. ...They have led and will continue to lead the way.”

" New Jersey Department of Education statistics show nearly 7,400 children with autism were eligible for special education services in 2005. In 2002, that number was just above 4,600. And a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed 5.5 children out of every 1,000 have been diagnosed nationwide. The CDC is conducting a 13-state study, which includes New Jersey, to determine if occurrence rates are on the rise."

"Early intervention is most important... The sooner ASDs are diagnosed, the more effective treatments are. Knowing that, many parents feel they're in a race against time. Specialist waiting lists in South Jersey can be six to 18 months. "

“They say these first years are critical. You lie awake at night asking, "Did we do enough, early enough? Did we waste too much time?' That's the hard part.”

No comments: