By: Cris Italia
It's never easy for a parent to accept that their child is developmentally disabled. But even after acceptance, the uphill battle that comes after is what can make a sensitive situation even harder.
One in every 250 babies are diagnosed with Autism by the age of 3, and one in every 150 are diagnosed with a development disorder such as Aspergers, ADD, ADHD, speech delay, and others. With a large growth in the Autism spectrum, parents scramble for new information every day.
One person recognized the need and took action. Mindy Small, 45, a 23-year resident of Oceanside, recently released a book to help lower the stress level parents of Autistic children face. As coordinator of Autism Services for Herbert G. Birch Services in Manhattan, Small says she had so much information and wanted to share it with parents who struggle each day with their children to enjoy even the simple things.
"A trip to the temple, a vacation or eating in a restaurant can be stressful," Small said. "Unless you do advanced preparation, doing the simple things can be an unpleasant task." Small's book, "Everyday Solutions: A practical guide for Families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders," breaks down the simplest of tasks and lends parents new ways of finding solutions to everyday problems.
"Most of the information in the book are methods that have worked for other parents," said Small, a graduate of Hewlett High School. "During group sessions with parents we would brainstorm and come up with different tactics that worked in different situations."
With over 20 years in special education and more than 10 years working with the Autism community, Small and co-author Lisa Konente compiled several solutions to just about anything a parent has to go through with their child.
"Having an autistic child left me in the very lonely world of odd behaviors and problems that were never discussed in child development books," said Patricia DeLury. "This book addresses those unique, disruptive behaviors that autistic children possess and offers practical solutions for how to help them blend into our world."
"Everyday Solutions" includes tips from dressing, toileting and eating, to going to the playground, visiting the dentist, getting used to a new baby, and more.
Small says that teaching and working with children with autism spectrum disorders not only takes a lot of skill, attention and energy, it does not always produce the desired results, at least not right away.
Each of the vignettes in this comprehensive collection of everyday scenarios is divided into four components for ease of use: The problem is defined, its possible relevance to Autism spectrum disorder is explained, recommendations and strategies are offered and a summary conclusion is provided.
"There is a very detailed glossary explaining everything," Small said. "There are copy charts and graphics to help and we also include Websites that can give even more information." Best of all, Small says, is that the book simplifies the often-difficult Autism terms. "It's easy to understand and it's relevant to children from as early as pre-school to the age of 18."
For more information, write to AAPC, P.O. Box 23173, Shawnee Mission, KS 66283-0173, or log onto www.asperger.net.
