What should I know about treating my child's autism?
Having gotten this far, you are probably more than a little overwhelmed, and wondering what in the world you are going to do. You may feel panicked and worried your child will never have a chance at happiness. Well, it is easy to worry, of course, but you should know there are a number of good treatments that can help people with autism improve greatly and learn how to function in the world on their own. There is hope.
There are, however, a million and one different treatments that different doctors, experts, and parents have advocated, and it can be very hard for parents new to autism to work their way through the maze of autism treatments to figure out which would be best for your child.
Unfortunately, it seems that no one treatment works for all autistic kids; nothing works the same way for two kids. So, it is important to tailor the treatments you choose to your child, and do a mixture of them for the best results.
As awareness of autism is growing, more and more people have claimed to know how to "cure" an autistic child; as parents, you should be aware that many of these treatments are bogus, do not work, and that their proponent is often only out to make a quick buck. These are, in effect, "snake oil" treatments—people claim they can do just about anything but they end up worthless. So as parents and advocates for your child, you need to become savvy about what treatments seem like they will work, and what are best to leave behind.
To help identify the best treatments for your particular child from among all of your treatment options, I have interviewed hundreds of parents just like you. They have confided in me what they have tried, what worked and what didn't.In my book, The Autism Survival Guide, you will see descriptions of the various treatments parents have tried, and which of these treatments they would recommend. This does not mean that a treatment that works for the majority of other autistic children will work for your son or daughter. However, if you see a treatment that you have not tried or were unaware of and lots of other parents are recommending it, you may want to investigate it further.
Treatments that are worth trying usually have scientific research to back them and/or testimonials from other parents who have tried the treatment and gotten good results.
Treatment Can be Expensive
One thing you will want to be sure to consider is how much money you can afford to spend on treating your child's autism. The unfortunate truth is that most autism therapies are either not covered by insurance, or only a small amount is covered. However, in the U.S., this may soon change; at this writing, new legislation has been proposed that would immediately require all insurance companies to cover all kinds of autism treatment.
Outside the U.S., many treatments are covered by national health systems. But there is no universal coverage for all possible treatments. Until this happens, money is certainly going to be an issue. And, of course, not everyone has insurance or national health coverage, which is another problem.
Some parents go all out and spend every last dollar on autism treatment; going so far as to sell their house or drastically change their lifestyle to pay for their child's treatment. Do not feel like you need to go this far. Your own life, financial abilities, and emotional health are important, too. Most autism therapies have not been proven absolutely to work or not work, so it does not make sense for some people to gamble everything on something that may not work the way they want it to.
Remember, ultimately you want your loved one to be happy and live the fullest life possible given their circumstances. Don't spend so much of your time treating your autistic child that you forget to be the loving mom or dad that your child with autism needs.
I enjoy and appreciate the information, anything to help my son and my own understanding of what life is like for Nicholas. It also helps me educate my son's teacher and EA which this process is ongoing and at times very frustrating.
My name is Matt Turner from Australia. I have a 6 y.o. with autism (fairly mild). I found your work insightful and helpful - my wife is a doctor and spent many hours wading through medical texts to no avail. Our son Finley Turner is a very bright, friendly, healthy, unconditionally loved boy who can lose it sometimes. The guide helped us understand what to do and it helps him as much as us. Thanks for the work and I have recommended you to other parents in similar situations.
I found your articles to be extremely helpful...I applaud you for sharing your story and helping others who are going through similar situations. Thank you for sharing your story.
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I definitely found your information helpful. My grandson was just diagnosed this summer. He is very smart and sweet. We will continue to be an advocate for him thanks to your information. I am including a picture of him. 
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I have been reading your Newsletter for a while now. Find attached a picture of my family. Joel is the little boy in glasses. Thanks for putting a smile on me. My knowledge and support is increasing. I feel more positive towards helping my son than ever.
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