My son was "educationally" diagnosed with Autism shortly before he turned 2 years old. Should I get an "official" diagnosis and where would I get one? Thanks for all the input.

Does anyone know what state has the most to offer for children with autism? As far as insurance programs that will cover ABA, treatment centers, programs, etc....? I'm desperate for my sons well being and willing to relocate or whatever is necessary to give him the best opportunities to live an independent adult life. I feel like insurance holds the power to determine my sons life. They say yes or no as to if my child receives the education he requires and as of now, they are saying NO! It's to… read more

My son is currently in what they call Early Childhood Special Education Program at our local Elementary School. I'll like to believe he will eventually transition to the regular school system program but I'm curious to hear if this similar situation may have happen with any of your kids. In other words, is it something possible to transition from special education program to regular one?

My son is currently 44 months old and has been taking ABA Therapy at home since October of 2016. He is currently taking 6.5 hours of ABA therapy 5 days a week from 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM. He was non-verbal prior to ABA therapy and is now saying 10-20 words when prompted. His ABA therapy takes place in our home. We were thinking about sending him to preschool for 2 days a week from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM so he could get some interaction with other kids. Our ABA therapy is… read more

My son was diagnosed with autism today. He is 4 and he is now in a regular ed preschool and he never had therapy. His first IEP meeting will be held in one week. I'm totally new to this journey and I'm not sure what I should try to achieve at the first IEP meeting. Any suggestions? The psychologist who evaluated him strongly believes he should be in special ed preschool instead of his current regular ed school. Is it going to be the best decision for him to go with special ed? Very confused and… read more

My daughter is 3 she was diagnosed in March. She does not talk yet. She does day her ABC's point out letters. She also count's to 20 and sings. She has sensory problems. Loud noises ate what bothers her the most. Lately she plugs her ears with her fingers if she thinks anything is going to be loud. I was wanting to know if she sounds similar to anyone else's child. What worked to help in education. I am looking into preschools right now. They have a aba school but I'm hesitant about aba. What… read more

It is possible that my son's toileting woes are due to encopresis. I'm trying to get him regular in the hopes that I can help him complete his toilet training. Has anyone out there been able to do this with a teenager or adult?

Looking for advice...This fall we are supposed to begin preschool through the school district. She has been doing ABA three days a week right now and will be bumping up to 5 days a week, 2 hours a day and also speech and OT. The great thing about her ABA is that it is at a center with lots of other kids, but she isn't necessarily comfortable enough around too many children. She gets easily overwhelmed when there is too much going on in a small space. Her IEP is already in place, but her… read more

I am worried that my child has autism. He is 19 months old and he doesn't even have one word. He used to have 5 words at 12 months old but then he stopped saying them. He does not even say mama or dada. I am very worried. He had a speech eval today and the pathologist mentioned autism. She said three things worried her. 1) he had 5 words that he lost 2) he has no speech and even though he follows basic directions he seems to not understand what we say, and 3) he has short intense tantrums. He… read more