Dear Mary

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