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One up on Autism
Learn the Signs and Act Early
By Teri Brown
Early last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started a new campaign called Learn the Signs. Act Early. The goal of the campaign is to teach parents what the normal developmental milestones for their children are and when they should be occurring. By learning the signs, parents will be much better equipped to detect signs of problems.
Kim Stagliano, a mother of three autistic daughters from Plainville, Mass., is a firm believer in early detection. Her first daughter was finally diagnosed at 29 months, but Stagliano believes she would have called Early Intervention earlier if the doctors had given her any sign that something was truly wrong.
"If you think your child might be autistic, trust your gut and spring into action," says Stagliano. "Call Early Intervention and schedule an appointment with a neurologist immediately. Your diagnosis is your credit card for services, even prior to school age. Learn everything you can about therapies like ABA, Speech and OT. Above all, don't delay taking action. The sooner you start helping your child the better. The younger kids have the best rate of accomplishment and even recovery."
Early, early, early seems to be the catch phrase from parents and experts alike.
Dr. Catherine Rice, a behavioral scientist on the CDC's team on developmental disabilities, believes early diagnosis is of paramount importance. "Research has demonstrated that early detection of developmental disabilities and appropriate intervention can significantly improve functioning and reduce the need for lifelong interventions," says Dr. Rice. "For example, children with autism identified early and enrolled in early intervention programs show significant improvements in their language, cognitive, social and motor skills, as well as in their future educational placement."
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