Any treatments a child receives for a medical, emotional, or behavioral condition are going to create some anxiety for parents. Having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis is difficult in and of itself, but when coupled with therapies and interventions administered outside of the home, parents may feel particularly overwhelmed.
One way to alleviate the anxiety associated with a child’s receiving interventions outside of the home is to become educated about what the child’s interventions entail. Asking questions, reading the literature and research, and attending therapy sessions, as appropriate, are all ways to stay informed and to play a positive role in a child’s intervention.
There may also be intervention techniques that can and should be part of home care. Changes in diet, for instance, may be indicated in order to help alleviate some symptoms of ASD. If part of your child’s intervention is, for instance, a gluten-free diet or the addition of certain vitamins and minerals, then keeping up with that at home is important.
Speech and occupational therapies may require that parents follow up on techniques at home. Therapists and other medical professionals will be able to instruct parents on which interventions should be used at home.
If pharmacological therapies are indicated, then certainly parents must keep up with a medication schedule and look for any potential side effects related to medications.
Positive behavior support can be used at home. When reading to a child, ask questions such as “where is the dog?” or “what shape is this” and then reward the child’s response
Since children with ASD often do not adapt well to change and may be hypersensitive to sensory stimulation, parents should strive to make their home routine one that works for their child. Techniques used in a professional setting to normalize sensory problems may have some carry-over into the home.
Parents know their child better than anyone else so they will be able to tell what interventions seem to be working and which are less successful. Keeping a careful log of behaviors and reactions to certain intervention strategies can be very useful when deciding what course of treatment to pursue.
Having children is inherently stressful; having a child with ASD even more so. Parents may feel isolated, so becoming active in groups designed for parents of children with ASD may help them to feel less so. Such a peer group may also help parents to become educated about the latest intervention strategies and to “compare notes” about their experiences.
Two children diagnosed with ASD may exhibit very different symptoms, and parents should not expect a “one size fits all” intervention strategy. Remaining educated, following up with therapies at home, and maintaining clear communication with your child’s intervention providers are wonderful strategies for helping your child make the most of his or her treatment.