National Autism Awareness Month continues through April, spreading the message about the disorder and how families can identify and treat it in their children.
Adapting educational goals are a big part of that process, and Bloom Behavior Therapy Psychologist Dr. Becky Nastally along with Families on the Spectrum Board Member Kim Steele spoke with Kate Lochte on how families with students on the autism spectrum seek services from schools.
Referring to a previous interview, Nastally recalled three warning signs of autism in children:
- Language/general communication. Most children in this age bracket are able to speak simple words or sentences, or follow basic commands. Struggling to develop in this area could be a warning sign.
- Social skills. Typically, kids at this age take an interest in their environment and the people around them. They show affection to their parents, too. Autistic children may seem distant and isolated.
- Restrictive/repetitive behaviors. This includes things like pacing, rocking back and forth, using the same words or other repetitive activities.
Speaking to education, Nastally says there's a fourth sign - sensory issues. She says some children in the spectrum may perceive the world around them differently compared to others.
"It is truly a spectrum disorder in that tendencies and characteristics can vary as well as levels of functioning," Nastally said.
Steele says the most common way of helping a child on the spectrum in school is to create an IEP, or individual education program. This is a special education service that evaluates your child's strengths and weaknesses, then builds a program around them.
However, each phase takes a significant amount of time.
"It is a difficult process to do alone as a parent, but it’s so important to making sure your child succeeds,” Steele said.
Steele says she's an autism advocate, someone that works with parents through all steps of the IEP process to help them get their child what he or she needs.
Specifically, she can help write the IEP and attend appointments with parents to help them sort it all out.