Autism Resources Needed Looking for Other Parents, Etc for Advice

These are excellent informational websites:

http://members.tripod.com/~RSaffran/aba.html

http://www.aacap.org/

http://www.apa.org/topics/topicautism.html

http://www.autism.org/

http://www.schwablearning.org/

Hope this helps!
M.

Hiya, I am A. I have an 11 y/o son with high functioning autism. he was diagnosed at 2 y/o as severely autistic. With a lot of patience, therapies and caring professionals he is doing amazingly well in regular ed 5th grade. If you would like to get in touch I would love to help as much as I can.

____@____.com or yahoo messenger haleigh_anna4u

A.

Hi,
How old is your son? I understand the challenges you face as a parent of a child with special needs. I specialize in the behavioral treatment for children with autism and other special needs and so I work with many children, parents and families.

Yahoo has great groups you can join that are both local and national.

Check these sites out:
http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/fba.htm#ant
www.christinaburkaba.com/GettingStarted.htm
www.difflearn.com
www.asatonline.org/about_autism/autism_info05.html
www.autismsociety.org
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/VerbalBehavior/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Indiana/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrenanddisabilities/

Let me know if you have any questions! Take care, A.

i was just talking with my womens group about autism on friday (we are putting together a fundraiser for the autism society)
anyway, one of the members mentioned that she has a friend that knows of a vitamin or something that helps reverse autism... you should call my friend Neva at ###-###-#### let her know youre in my moms group (H.) and i gave you her # about the autism vitamin thing

good luck!

Hi,
You probably already know this, but the national autism society website is reliable and helpful as far as resources. There are a lot of unreliable sources out there, so I know it can be frustrating. I am a therapist who works with children with autism and some of the strategies that have been well researched and found to help the best surround a sensory integration approach and the use of the Picture Exchange Communication System to teach communication through the use of photos/pictures. I don't know how old your son is, but if he is under 3, he is eligible for early intervention services funded by the state of Illinois. You can call your local Child and Family Services center in your area (if you don't already have this in place) and have him evaluated for speech and occupaitonal therapy which really help to maximize learning. Illinois Masonic Hospital in the city has an Autism program and they are very helpful in both providing services, as well as with helping to find the best classroom program for when children transition into school.
Hope that helps a little.
M.

My aunt and uncle own a very successful business called Creative Exchange in which they use music therapy to work with autistic, behavior disorder and mentally handicapped children. They are nationally recognized and the only such group in Illinois. Please visit their website for more info. I have literally seen them turn children around.
creativeexchangemusic.com

K.

Hi I would love to talk to you or anyone that you know that has a special needs child.I am a child/infant massage instructor and I teach parents how to massage there special needs kids.The benifets are wonderful for everyone.And it really helps with kids with Autism
I am in a hurry this moring but you can contact me ____@____.com or call ###-###-####.
Thank you hope I can be of some help during this difficult time.
Kris R

Oh my gosh. i saw your post and had to respond. I think my son has Autism too and also would like to know of other groups to join. Where is the one you belong to. How old is your son? Erik is 4 and goes to Hope Wall in Aurora.

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Are you in the Dundee area? I am in West Dundee and my son has Asperger and goes to Delacey, which is excellent.

If you are planning on homeschooling, I would just make sure he gets plenty of social interaction as that is a skill that kids with autism really need to work on.

Hello,

I have a good friend who has 2 autistic children. She belongs to several groups and I think she has a therapist come to her home every week.

I will give her your posting.

L.

Here are website and chat groups that you can join:
Autism Society of America
Austism Society of Illinois
Cure Autism NOW
Autism Speaks

http://www.autismcommunityconnection.com/

I have a friend who's daughter teaches piano and music to kids with autism. She has great success with the kids. She is in the Naperville area, but lives in Bartlette.

Hi,
I sell Discovery Toys and we have some great products for Autism. We even have a kit that is loaded with a wonderful array of Autism support products. Please let me know if you'd like a catalog or more information. You can also check out my website at: www.discoverytoyslink.com/atoylady
C.
###-###-####

Hi,
I live in the northwest suburb, Prospect Heights, and our son has a sensory/motor disorder, but I have met moms with autistic children. We participated in 7 months of Early Intervention before my son turned 3 and it is an incredible program. His progress is unbelievable. Now he is in Early Childhood program at our local grade school with other 3-5 year olds with special needs. It has been a very rewarding experience.

Here is a great website that gives out great information on meetings and lectures pertinent to your situation:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/specialkidsspecialfamilies/

it's a chat group with a lot of postings for different issues and groups and meetings. I went to a couple meetings and the parents are wonderful and the information is great.

Good Luck!
Judy

www.autismcommunityconnection.com is wonderful.

I was just wondering if you have got put on any waiting list for the autism waiver? Or if you know anything about it? It can be really helpful to have someone with proper training give you the respite that you deserve. If you have questions, or want to talk more about it please get back to me. Im not sure what the rules are about it right now. My sister in law owns accesabilities and that is what they do. Good luck! Keep trying and working with what ever you have. My little brother (also has autism) wouldn't be where he is today with out my step mom being so great about teaching him. A.

Here is a website that might help, a friend passed it along to me. You might find a connection there...good luck.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/21...

You need to get your child into early intervention services asap. If you contact the nearest school to you they will be able to direct you to a 0-3 program. Early intervention is critical for children with disabilities. Also please know that there is no cure for Autism, unfortunately, but services such at special education, occupational therapy, and speech therapy can help a child with Autism have more independence and more effective communication. I am currently not teaching but I am a certified special education teacher and worked with children with Autism for years so if you have any questions please let me know. Also it is great that you are looking for a support network, so important.

I found this site

http://www.autismcommunityconnection.com/ACC_support_grou...

Also some teaching methods that are used a lot for children with Autism include:
PECS
http://www.pecs.com/
TEACCH
http://www.teacch.com/
Discete Trial
http://www.polyxo.com/discretetrial/

If you have any questions on these teaching methods please let me know.

Hi. I am so glad to hear that you are being proactive in your son's diagnosis. The earlier you intervene the better. I used to work in a clinic as para educator for children with autism. If you are in the Cook county or DuPage county area La Grange Area District of Special Education is awesome. If Pam Leonard is still working for them, she would be a great person to talk to. She was the autism expert when iwas working for them, although this was seven or eight years ago already. Also, Proviso Area of Special Education deals more with northern Cook County. I'm sure if y ou are not in their district they would be more than happy to tell you where you can go for more information, etc. Also, have you tried the PECS system yet? It is a wonderful thing, especially if verbalization is an issue. Also a picture schedule made with velcro tabs on back to be removed as each task/part of routine or schedule as they are completed can be great help depending on how old your child is. Laqbels on everything helps alot as well. I hope this helps.