Dear Mary is a weekly column whereby readers may submit questions to [email protected] and receive answers related to autism.  Mary Rosswurm is executive director of Little Star Center and also the mother of a son who has been diagnosed with autism.  She understands…

Dear Mary,

 My child was just diagnosed with autism and he is two and a half years old. I am feeling overwhelmed by all the treatments available and every person I talk to tells me to do something different. How do I know which one will work for him?

-– Laycee, Kokomo, IN

 Hi Laycee,

I understand how overwhelming it can be right after the diagnosis and everybody has an opinion about what to do. I think it comes down to resources – your child only has so many hours in a day or in a week  and you only have so many dollars in your pocket. You want bang for your buck. Research based treatments are what you should look at – however, everybody will tell you that everything is “research” based. So you need to be a savvy consumer and do your research.

I love the Association for Science in Autism Treatment. Their website is www.asatonline.org.  You can go there and look up most any treatment and find out if it is solidly researched. It really is a great resource! The mission of ASAT is to educate parents, professionals, and consumers by disseminating accurate, scientifically-sound information about autism and its treatment and by combating inaccurate or unsubstantiated information. ASAT promotes the use of effective, science-based treatments for all people with autism.  I hope this helps!

Mary Rosswurm

Executive Director, Little Star Center

Little Star learners got some fresh air and a chance to move around at Cool Creek Park.  The playground was a great place to be on a summer’s day.  The swings! The slides!  Playing ball!  Simple pleasures are the best!

 

Little Star learners visited the Indianapolis Zoo recently to see the animals and play in the water park.  The favorite activity for most, however, was the dolphin show!

Assistant Clinical Director Leigh Broughan, MA, BCBA, cautions parents of children with autism to be discerning when reading about trendy treatments, diets, or products that claim positive changes in behavior.  For example, one recent story stated that eating specific mushrooms may have positive effects on a person with autism’s behavior and may reduce repetitive behavior.  Unfortunately, no actual scientific studies were provided for these claims.

Another recent article asserts that children who have had negative past experience with dogs will find the potbellied pig to be a good therapy animal.  Although animals can be fun and make good companions, there have been no actual scientific studies of animal therapy for autism.

“Parents need to know how to look for good science,” said Leigh.  “I respect parents wanting to try different things that might help; however, I want parents to make good, informed choices and know how to evaluate treatments so that precious resources and time will not be wasted.  Some fad treatments can even adversely affect a child’s health.”

Leigh serves on the board of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT), which is dedicated to disseminating scientifically-validated treatments for autism.   The organization’s website (www.asatonline.org) provides descriptions of a variety of treatments on its website, including whether good scientific evidence exists to support each one or if there are health risks associated.  The site also offers tips for parents to help them evaluate treatments they hear about and determine if they are real or pseudoscience.