It doesn't have to be an "either-or" situation. My DD's preschool combines techniques from ABA, DTT (another behavioral approach), Floor Time, and RDI. ABA and DTT are very good for teaching self-help skills. Floor Time and RDI are better for naturalistic social interactions. Our kids benefit from both types of therapy :-)

Don't wait, start looking into the ABA right away. You can mostly likely find providers online. Your provider should be a BCBA (Board Certified Behavioral Analyst) and you will need to hire therapists to work with him in your home as well. (But find a good BCBA first.)

Try your local Autism Society of America chapter. Autism Speaks is a good resource as well. Here's the link to Autism Speaks' 100 Days Kit. http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/too...

At pathfindersforautism.org, you can find a link to Newly Diagnosed information (look on the right). It's primarily a Maryland-oriented organization, but it may help give you an idea.

As an aside, I disagree about the "robot" comment, to be honest.But we also used Relationship Development Intervention and liked that as well. Consultants for that too, and they're usually a little cheaper than a BCBA. But ABA is the only evidenced-based treatment, along with some biomedical interventions. You'll find that there's no "right" answer for every child on the spectrum, so trust your instincts and do your research!

Thank you guys! I looked at the ABA link and also looked up the DIR Floortime and the Son-Rise. It's kind of confusing/overwhelming to process. I really don't even know where Mason would fall - or how you even get started with any of these programs. We live in a relatively small town so there aren't a lot of options close by. His behavorial dr is 2 hours away but that was the closest one. Do you find them on their own or have to have a referral or what? I wanna do what's best for him but kinda lost on what that even is :( We just started him on Tenex for his maladaptive behaviors a week and half ago and I know that isn't going to fix everything, but should I wait to see how that goes first or what??

We had an in-depth psychological analysis for our son when he was 18 months old by someone recommended on the LAFEAT website. She was the one who recommended 20-30 hours weekly ABA. Assuming you are going to have an the same type of analysis by an MD or Psychologist they could probably give you the best advice as to what type(s) of therapies are appropriate for your child.

If you could send me your address off-line to my email I'll send you 2 DVDs I have that are pretty cool regarding Son-RIse. I'm sure other parents of ABA could do the same. My email is [[email: [[email: [[email: (Email address can only be seen by the question and answer creators) Brad is almost 7 so I'm a few years ahead of you so I hope I can be of some help, as many of the other moms and dads on this site, too. Perhaps you should do a search on "Find Parents" at the top of the page to find parents in your area. I always find comfort and resources with local people, too. Yes, it's overwhelming but just know we've all been there before.