Autism NJ has info they will send you for free indicating what to do the first 100 days

Devereux literally changed our lives. I hope you have the same great experience with them. He was an inpatient at the one in Malvern but we do our weekly therapy at the one in Phoenixville. They are also great for other resources. Get on their mailing list and they will send you postings for all sorts of free meetings, lectures, camps, services, etc. They have a complete staff of couselors, therapists, doctors, teachers, etc. I am so thankful to live in an area where we have such a wonderful resource.

i feel your pain. My son wasn't diagnosed until he was 13! Getting an HFA diagnosis in the throes of puberty was just wonderful!! (can you sense my sarcasm?) As MyZettle stated above, the 100 Day Toolkit on the autism speaks website is very helpful. Also, i see that you're in Chalfont. We have had amazing support from Devereux. I believe there is one not too far from you. My son was actually admitted for 2 weeks after a 911 call but we ended up with a wonderful therapist. While he was there, they realized that his previous dr had him on the wrong meds and they switched them while they had him for observation. Within a matter of days, his behavior turned completely around. We use the location in Phoenixville for our weekly therapy and my son loves it there. He said it's the first therapist he ever felt really understood him and he actually enjoys going.

I highly recommend reading "The Autism Book" by Dr. Bob Sears and "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. The proper nutritional support can make SUCH a big difference for our kids. Traditional therapies are important as well, but the gains we've seen from those have been of the "slow and steady" kind rather than the dramatic jumps literally within days of adding certain nutritional supplements. The research is piling up that certain biomedical treatments are effective, at least in a subset of those with ASD, but since much of it is very recent don't expect your general pediatrician to be familiar with it. Find yourself a good physician who specializes in treating ASD from a biomedical standpoint (many, though not all, are affiliated with Defeat Autism Now!)

Thank you!