Do I Get My Child Diagnosed?

by Ben Sidman

This is a question that parents of children they think may have social difficulties have to ask themselves. And it is a really difficult question to answer.

The type of questions that parents ask themselves:

* Why does my child need to be diagnosed? * How is an autism diagnosis going to affect my child in the future? * Am I labelling my child? * What will happen after I get my child diagnosed? * Can the diagnosis be removed?

The route for a diagnosis starts when parents believe their children may have a social problem. The likelihood is that they will look up a set of symptoms from a doctor or from the internet and try and match the child with the different types of behavior. Once the parents are fairly sure that their child fits a certain condition, they then look for some confirmation. This is where the difficulties start, because there are very few ways to get any definite assessment without actually diagnosing the child.

If you do have an assessment done which says that your child does have a social disorder, then you are faced with the question, do you get a formal diagnosis? The way parents have their children diagnosed is typically done by a specialist or group of specialists that assess them against a set of behaviors and abilities. If the child fits a certain number of behaviors or abilities then they can be formally diagnosed as having a social disorder or syndrome.

Here are some benefits and disadvantages:

Benefits

* Once you have a diagnosis you can move on and stop guessing * Helps parents to know how to deal with the condition * Helps Specialists and teachers to deal with the child in the correct way

Disadvantages

* Possible label they will have forever? * Can be used as an excuse for blaming the child (e.g. at school or with siblings) * Is it necessary? Especially when dealing with high functioning autism * The diagnosis is subjective and may not be accurate

Getting a diagnosis is very much a decision for the parents and should be considered in detail if the child seems to be a borderline case. The best thing to do is to face realities about your child and whether they really need help. If they do then you could be making an important step forward in getting your child diagnosed because a diagnosis will probably lead to a clear plan of development. On the other hand you must not let a diagnosis be in vain.

Give it time and avoid making hasty decisions. If you feel a sense of time running out then you probably need a diagnosis to help you move on. You must also be open minded, don't make decisions based on emotion but remain factual and clinical about it. If you can do these things then you will be making the right decision.
About the Author

Ben Sidman is a Parent of an amazing autistic child and founder of The Autism Support Community - an informative and friendly web site for parents with autistic children

Top Ten Ways To Cope When Caring For Someone With Autism

by Ben Sidman

No matter who you are or what you do, caring for someone with autism is difficult and can often stretch you to your limits. Every now and again you can end up feeling like things are getting on top of you. The trouble is that more often than can become every day.

There is no magic wand to take all the difficulties away but there are many ways to improve the quality of your life so that it is much easier to cope with the day to day caring for people with autism.

This is a list of ten simple things that you can do to help you get back on track and help you cope better:

1 - Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

We all go over the top when it comes to worrying about the minor things that can happen. Really you only need to worry about something that can harm your safety or can seriously affect you in the future. Anything else doesn't really matter. So don't worry about juice all over the floor if it can be wiped up easily - even if it has happened 5 times already that day. You won't solve these problems but stressing about them.

2 - Don't Take It Personally

So your autistic child said - 'I hate you and wish you were dead.' These are almost never words of sincerity but words of insecurity or frustration, and you can't take it personally. As soon as you take things personally they become personal and the bad feelings between each other get worse. Let your child test their frustration and test anger, and show them why it is bad and how to deal with it properly. This is hard to do but remember one thing, as soon as you see red and get angry, you are not in control. So don't take it personally.

3 - Don't Try And Fix Your Child

There is no known cure for autism and if you try and fix your child to behaving and acting like someone that doesn't have autism then you are going to get really frustrated. The best thing you can do is to accept it and try to make things feel better. This can be hard, especially for those people who have a natural instinct to fix problems. The problem is that autism often comes across as bad behavior which can be fixed. Don't be fooled into thinking you can fix autism - just make it better.

4 - Try To Recharge Your Batteries

So many parents continue to deal with the day to day that they don't take time for themselves. Whenever you can or whenever you feel you need to, get some help and take a break. If this means a few hours of sleep or a whole day of retail therapy then do what you need to do to make sure you take a break. Be productive and make sure you come back feeling recharged and ready to cope again.

5 - Get Organised

This is a big one. Organised people get more done. Caring for autistic people takes extra time, so if you organise all the medical papers, routines, school takes then you will become more efficient. If you organise your time effectively then you won't drag your heels doing loads of things that just take up time.

6 - Make Chores Second Nature

There are usually many chores that need to be done, like, helping with exercises, making special meals and so on. If you organise these into a list of chores and carry them out as a set daily or weekly routine then they should become second nature. If you can make them second nature then it is easier to do all those tasks as if they are as necessary as brushing your teeth. Then they don't seem like a chore anymore, they are more like one of those things you do everyday and won't feel like you are taking up time to doing things you don't want to do. It also sets a really good example.

7 - Relax

There are lots of people that will tell you about stress management and even more that would like to sell you something to cope better. This is more than just taking a time out to sit down. It is more like not getting stressed. Getting stressed increases your heart rate and gives you a feeling of uneasiness. This then makes you irritable and less able to cope with what is going on. Caring for autistic people can be very demanding. But people usually get stressed about the same things that happen every day, such as tantrums and broken furniture or shouting. If these things happen every day then they will probably happen tomorrow as well, and so there is no point in worrying about it. Just be ready to deal with it the next day, and if it doesn't happen then rewards all round.

8 - Be Prepared

There is no better way of dealing with difficult things then being prepared. This may mean you put a plastic sheet under the dining room table to catch the mess, or it may mean getting an ID tag for going to the park. What ever you need to do to get yourself prepared will be a step closer to helping you cope better with whatever happens.

9 - Reward Yourself

No matter what you think, you are doing a great job. Caring for autistic people is difficult and take a lot of time and energy. So reward yourself for all your hard work because you deserve it. And when you have coped with a particularly hard day, reward yourself even more.

10 - Talk To Others

Please don't underestimate the benefit of talking to other people who are going through the same thing. There are many people who are dealing with what you are dealing with and many more that are probably dealing with worse. And if you seem to be dealing with a very difficult family situation then there are many people that would love to speak to you. The autistic community is a group of unique people that are probably the best educated and trained people to understand what you are going through. So use them.
About the Author

Ben Sidman is a Parent of an amazing autistic child and founder of - an informative and friendly web site for parents with autistic children.

How to Detect Autism in Child

by Masni Rizal Mansor

Every parent wants the best for his or her kid, wishing only the best, good health, bright future and prosperous life to the child.

But one morning it just hit you, your child is turning 3 years old next month but still remains unresponsive to you. Your child is not as interactive as other kids would usually be. 'Could my child be autistic?'

Any parent would be alarmed.

Autism may sound familiar to you. It is however important to first establish that this is not an infection or a contagious disease. This is actually a condition where the brain of the child has developed differently, resulting to certain ramifications that affected the system of the child and manifesting in the lack of interpersonal skills of the child.

This condition occurs to 1 child in every 700 in the population. It was found also that this is most likely to occur among the boys. The signs manifest at an early stage in a child's life. It is necessary that you be cautious of your child's behavior and responses.

How does one detect autism?

The signs of autism may be observed as early as 18 months to 3 years age of the kid.

If your child is experiencing difficulty in the following aspects, it would be helpful to consult a doctor or an expert:

* Looking at others - Can he or she not look at you straight to the eye when you try to communicate?

* Playing with other kids - Does he or she avoid other kids or automatically shies away?

* Imagining - Can he or she not handle make-believe games?

* Communicating - Are there words that he or she cannot say or will have to be said over and over before he or she can grasp it?

* Repetition - Are there mannerisms or motor movements that he or she keeps repeating for no apparent reason or purpose?

* Changes - Is he or she inflexible to changes? Does he or she get alarmed when you change a certain routine, like waking up while it is still dark?

Some babies can actually manifest signs of autism

* Babies that do not look in the eye can be displaying signs of autism, especially if they would rather stare at moving mechanical objects or parts of it.

* Too calm babies should also be observed. Are they able to lie for hours without crying?

* When babies do not play or do not interact with other babies.

How does one address this condition of autism?

The cause of autism is still unknown. That is why parents should not blame themselves if they feel that they had been negligent in taking care of their kids during infancy, or if a mother thinks she might not have properly taken care of herself during pregnancy.

Just as the definite cause is still unknown, there is no definite treatment to get rid of autism.

Even if the parent may not be able to free his or her child from the condition, the best option to the parents of an autistic child is to address the problem. It is best to consult an expert on this field. Know the various peculiarities of the kid. The family may have to stick to a definite lifestyle to adjust to the needs of the child. This would require extra patience also. Send the child to a special education school. If the autism of the child is relatively mild, be sure that you inform ahead the teacher or the principal of the condition.

You have a special child. The kid is special, because his or her abilities are different from the ordinary kid her age. Provide special treatment and care needed. Give your attention. Stay by his or her side.

More than anything else; simply make the child feel your loving care.
About the Author

Masni Rizal Mansor is co-publisher of . He provide tips and review on aspergers syndrome and symptom of aspergers syndrome in child.