Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Develop and Implement an Autism Treatment Plan

Once you have created an Autism Intervention Action Plan for your child, you can use it to develop and implement an Autism Treatment Plan.

Here’s how:

1. Use what you learned about how autism affects your child to determine which therapies, treatments and interventions you feel would currently be most appropriate and beneficial for your child. Write a rationale for each treatment you are considering to help you clearly communicate your reasons for choosing to pursue each treatment option—based, of course, on your child’s strengths, deficits, behaviors, capabilities and needs—to treatment providers, school personnel, service coordinators and funding sources.

2. Discuss your proposed treatment plan with loved ones and individuals who are knowledgeable about autism interventions that you respect and trust. Discuss the pros and cons of each autism treatment option you are considering. Carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each autism intervention you are thinking about implementing.

3. After you have finalized your basic autism treatment plan, prioritize the autism interventions you intend to implement. Place the therapies, treatments and interventions you believe are most essential for your child at this time at the top of your list.

4. From your own research, recommendations from other parents of children who have autism and referrals from physicians, therapists, consultants and specialists you trust, compile a list of potential service providers.

5. Contact the autism treatment providers you feel will best meet your child’s needs. Arrange to meet with the service providers whose qualifications, treatment approaches, fees and locations meet your requirements without your child present. Arrange for the autism treatment providers whom you would most like to have work with your child to actually meet your child. Make final decisions about which autism intervention professionals to work with after you have observed the prospective service providers interacting with your child.

No comments: