Healthy Living

5 Healthcare Professionals You Should Contact If Your Child Has Autism

The following list consists of five different autism organizations you should contact if your child has been diagnosed with autism.

US Autism and Asperger Association (USAAA)

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The USAAA is a nonprofit center for autism that provides education, support, and solutions to people who are in need of advice. This organization started in 1995, and since the it has been trying to develop the quality of life of individuals with Asperger's syndrome, autism, and other similar disorders on the autism spectrum. In 2005, Special Abilities dissolved into USAAA Inc. with a purpose of providing the opportunity for everyone living with Asperger's syndrome, autism, and other similar disorders to fill their potential. They aim to do this by developing the Asperger and autism communities with education, proper training, accessible resources, support and partnerships with local and national projects.

Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)

CARD established in 1990. At CARD, they believe that recovery from autism is not impossible and they develop their programs with that in mind.

The programs are divided into two parts: CARD I and CARD II. Both types of programs include cutting-edge and comprehensive courses that can be customized to the specific needs of individuals with autism from birth to 21 years of age. These curriculums help autistic children learn to interact, communicate, make friends, and lead happy, healthy and better lives.

CARD's Specialized Outpatient Services (SOS) includes help in specific areas of concern for a family and develops and executes strategies to reduce behavioral problems and teach necessary skills. The main approach of CARD is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). ABA is the process of systematically applying techniques based upon the principles of learning theory to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior. Over the past 30 years, thousands of published research papers have documented the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Autism Treatment Center of America

The Autism Treatment Center of America is the worldwide teaching organization for The Son-Rise Program; which is a effective and completely unique treatment for children and adults with Autism, ASD, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), and other related disorders.

These organizations can provide support to deal with autism and help you:

Establish an interactive and warm understanding of your child's condition.
Execute effective educational methods for your child.
Immediately start a speech and language improvement program.
Improve the ability of your child to move beyond stereotypical 'autistic' behavior and activities.
Discourage undesirable behavior like hitting.
Guide your child properly by becoming a confident teacher yourself.
Relax and enjoy raising your child, without forgetting what you want for them.
Motivate and encourage your child to learn new things and to enjoy learning.
Recruit and train a group of volunteers.
Modify your child's learning environment to foster growth.
Find comfort and a sense of peace with the challenges of raising an autistic child.
Create and maintain an attitude of optimism and hope about the future of your child.

Generation Rescue

Generation Rescue is a national organization that provides information and immediate support to families affected by autism. They provide the following programs & services:

Rescue Angels: Rescue Angels are the network of more than 1,400 parents of children with autism from 48 countries who have observed significant improvement in their children; they step forward to volunteer their time to answer any questions regarding autism, give guidance, and provide resources to families in need.

Rescue Family Grants: This service provides autism treatment to families who need financial support for medical care.

The Autism Education Summit: The largest autism conference in U.S., it provides free access to people to learn about the latest therapies and research from leading physicians and researchers. It also provides opportunities for continuing education for first responders, health care professionals, teachers and legal advocates.

1-877-98AUTISM: A toll-free hotline to connect with people who can provide education and guidance on autism treatment options and information about service providers approved by Generation Rescue.

National Autism Association (NAA)

The NAA was established in 2003. Since then, it has developed and implemented direct-aid programs for families affected by autism. The NAA also provides support, education, autism research funding and ongoing advocacy.

They are working on:

Helping autism families by giving support in areas of greatest need, such as treatments, safety, and medical services.
Providing the latest information about researches, legislation, education therapy and treatment trends to their members and community.
Funding effective research which aims at real development for children with autism.
Helping raise awareness about autism.

The following programs are offered by the NAA: