Autism and Development Disabilities
It’s clear something isn’t right with your child.
Your baby didn’t sit or crawl when her sister did.
She doesn’t seem interested in interacting with you or anyone.
At two, she says a handful of words, but not nearly as many as her sister or cousins did at that age.
She throws huge tantrums every day.
You know your baby is slow to develop skills, but…
You’re afraid to ask someone who might tell you she isn’t “normal”.
Finally, you work up the courage to ask your pediatrician.
If the pediatrician is older, he may say that all children develop differently and recommend waiting and watching her. Other pediatricians will send your child for evaluations by speech or occupational therapists.
The specialist may diagnose your child with moderate speech delays.
An occupational therapist may diagnose sensory sensitivities and fine-motor delays.
Both may recommend weekly therapy.
Nobody mentions she the word Autism, but you wonder and it’s scary.
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Steve develops normally but has some odd behaviors.
Steve spoke sentences at a very young age and showed an unusual interest in maps.
At four years, he could look at a globe and tell you the countries names.
At six years old, Steve knew all the US states and capitals.
Steve seemed very bright. In fact, he spoke like a little adult.
You knew Steve was a sensitive boy.
He hated bright sunlight and loud noises.
Steve needed things to done in the exact same order every time. If not, he would emotionally meltdown.
He was clearly a “different” soul but no one, except you, suspected there was something wrong.
In second grade, Steve started needing to go to the bathroom frequently at school. He hated the smells and loud noises in the school lunch room. Often, he would spend most of lunch in the bathroom.
Steve needed to use the toilet more frequently. The teacher called to say she was worried that he had some bladder problem. When you took him to the doctor, there was no physical problem.
The doctor suggested you take Steve to a psychologist to see if something was bothering him emotionally.
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As of April 2018, the frequency of Autism was identified as 1 in 59 children (1 in 37 boys and 1 in 151 girls).
The difficulty in diagnosing Autism is that if you see ten children diagnosed with the disorder, you often see ten very different children.
I know, because one of my sons has Autism.
He wasn’t diagnosed until he was eight years old. By the time we got the diagnosis, it was actually a relief to have an explanation for his odd behavior.
At first, the diagnosis and its implications were terrifying.
Over time, we adjusted to the new normal.
I studied and became expert about Autism.
I’ll use my expertise to help you and your child.
The initial psychotherapy session is with the parents or caregivers of the child suspected to have a developmental disability or Autism. This will allow us to talk as adults about your child, his passions, weaknesses, and life history. We’ll discuss his challenges and yours as his parents.
Next, I’ll meet with your child.
In the first session, I’ll try to find out about his passions, and what motivates him, to establish a relationship.
Treatment strategies for challenges will be woven into play therapy sessions.
With Steve, and his frequent toileting, treatment involved gaining an appreciation for his comic strip characters. I used his comic characters to help teach him how to cope with his anxiety, which was the source of his feeling the need to toilet frequently.
Therapy also included social skills training and coaching.
I recommended Steve receive occupational therapy for his sensory sensitivities and fine-motor weaknesses.
I worked with Steve’s parents to develop optimal parenting strategies that addressed his sensory sensitivities, social awkwardness, and anxiety.
I can help you and your child as well.