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"Hi. Come in. Sit down and we'll get to know each other. What? Yes, there's bike upside down in my living room. My daughter loves to sit there and spin the wheels while eating cheese nuts. What are cheese nuts? Oh, that's right, you don't understand the language here."

Part of the fun of having an autistic in the house is we have our own language that no one else understands. Cheese nuts are cheese balls. A Public out place' is when we leave the house to go somewhere. Clothes shopping is a breeze because you don't bother to look at clothing that's made of certain fabrics. No zippers, buttons, or anything that feels funny'. No surprises either, we know exactly what time and day we are going to be doing something to follow her schedule.

Autism is a psychiatric disorder that affects the way the brain uses or transmits information usually resulting in communication and social deficits, the need for a rigid schedule, and doing repetitive behaviors. Autism was discovered in the early 1940's while Asperger's was not felt to be a form of autism until 1994. The list of Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASD includes Aspergers, PDD-NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), Rhett's, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Autistic Disorder. I don't believe it to be the epidemic it is being made out to be. I believe that more people are being made aware of the problem and testing is becoming more accurate by the medical profession which makes it appear that it is growing.

Along with more accurate testing comes the ability to understand and help those that have a Pervasive Development Disorder.

What has helped me understand my daughter the most are books that have been written by people who have autism. Having them explain what they experience has helped me figure out why my daughter behaves as she does in certain circumstances and be able to make it easier for her. For example when a non-autistic sits down to dinner they concentrate on the taste of the food and conversation around them. They can tune out the sound of the fan or how the chair feels underneath them. Autistic individuals have trouble tuning out background noise or how things feel. They become bombarded with all these feelings until they have what is termed a meltdown.

I want to help my daughter understand body language, be able to find the words to express what is on her mind, focus a bit better, and have a few friends. Since every individual is different there is no one set training program if one is diagnosed in the spectrum. But there are many options available and nothing will be lost by trying them all until you find the one that works for your child.

Developmental, Occupational, Speech, and Physical therapies are available to help build any of those skills your child maybe behind in. A lot of people have seen improvement when using a casein and gluten free diet in autistic children. There are Behavioral Specialist Consultants who spend time with your child in the home and community to see what areas they need help in. They then provide an individualized behavioral treatment plan for the child and services for the family. The BSC can recommend a Mobile Therapist or Therapeutic Staff Support worker to provide individual therapy or behavioral interventions in the home, school, and community. There are also various support groups available in person or online that can give tips or offer the needed emotional support to those who needed it.

For more information:
http://www.nimh.ni h.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
http: //www.autism.org

Learn more about this author, Heather Hetrick.
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