Early ASD Intervention is better than living in denial

Like all parents we want what is best for our child, no surprise there right? However, in some cases what’s best may not be as black and white as we would like. For parent’s, especially new parents to admit that their child may be “different” or not “typical” in comparison to their friends’ or neighbours’ children can be very freighting. We felt the same way, an official diagnosis from a professional telling you that your child is on the spectrum (ASD) fills any normal parent with a flood of emotion and dread, but it is crucial to except the issue sooner rather than later as the clock is ticking. A child’s development within the first 5-7 years is pivotal to their overall success later as a teenager and eventual adult. That is not to say that a child is lost after age seven, far from it, but by getting the help early unquestionably more progress can be made.

It’s such a shame for me to see children whom I strongly suspect of being on the spectrum going undiagnosed by parents who are unwilling to have their child go through the analysis of a trained professional, because they are scared of what they might find out or simply don’t want their child to be “labelled” or “branded” by others. While this is an understandable feeling, parents who ignore the problem fail the child from getting the proper help and government funding that can be widely available for ABA, IBI and other such programs or from private organizations like Kerry’s Place or Easter Seals. There are great public and private resources out there to help, but only after an “official diagnosis” has been given. The cost to getting the help a child needs without an official Autism diagnosis would be prohibitive to most working or middle-class families, so there is little upside to going without it.

If your child displays some of the more common initial signs of ASD such as trouble with social communication and social interaction, issues with nonverbal communicative cues, difficulties developing and maintaining relationships appropriate to developmental age or unusual repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and/or activities, please advise your family doctor about your concerns. You have nothing to lose but so much for your child to gain.

Malcolm Willins

Kaydan Sensory Solutions