My Child Was Diagnosed With Autism – How Do I Choose The Right Treatment?

Disclosure:: This post is sponsored by Touchstone and authored by Janice Huber.

My Child Was Diagnosed With Autism – How Do I Choose The Right Treatment?

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a disorder that is characterized by deficits in social skills and communication skills, and excesses in restrictive and repetitive behaviors.The presence and severity of characteristics of autism vary from person to person; that’s why it is considered a spectrum disorder.

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, you may be entering a whole new world and you may also have a lot of questions.

child behavior specialists and teachersTrying to select the best treatment for your child can be complicated and frustrating. Online searches result in 87 million hits for “autism treatment” and there are over 500 marketed “autism treatments.”

With so much conflicting information out there, you may see and hear stories from other parents and in advertisements about a “miracle cure” or a “quick result”. Be wary of those claims. It’s tempting to believe them, but those stories and promises may or may not be about treatments that are safe, effective or proven. How do you make an informed choice?

What to look for in autism treatments? Is the treatment:

• Safe, effective, and proven? Not just because someone says it is – is there actual data?
• Evidence-based? The treatment includes interventions that have data demonstrating effectiveness.
• Based on peer reviewed, published research? – When research is published in a peer reviewed scientific journal, it tells you that the research has been conducted to a standard that other scientists in the field accept

Why ABA?

My own journey led me to ABA as the treatment for my child because all of the criteria above were met (and more). It is the gold standard of treatment for persons with autism and supported by more than 70 years of published, peer reviewed research demonstrating effectiveness in teaching new behaviors and decreasing interfering behaviors.

About Touchstone ABA:

Our credentialed staff provides research driven ABA services. Our clinical clients include persons with autism, learning and language differences, and/or other behavioral challenges. We provide comprehensive and focused behavior analytic services in New Orleans, Hammond, Houma, Thibodaux, Baton Rouge, and our newest location in Lafayette.

How does Touchstone decide what to teach a client?

one on one behavioral therapy for autistic children on the spectrumBehavior analysts use a variety of methods to determine what to teach each client. Assessment methods include direct assessment of a client’s current skills in a variety of areas, observations of the client, and information from the parents and caregivers. Based on the information obtained, the behavior analyst develops “programs”, similar to a curriculum, to address behavioral deficits and excesses. In general, the programs are focused on teaching the client new skills across many types of behaviors; communication skills, self-help skills, self-management skills, school readiness skills, and social skills, to name a few.

What is unique about Touchstone ABA?

Touchstone ABA provides state of the art ABA treatment and adheres to the Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS®) model which is an evidence based, scientific approach to developing highly individualized interventions for each client. We collaborate with and between the client’s school, parents, and the therapeutic clinic. CABAS® allows us to use “all the tools in the research toolbox” to improve the lives of our clients.

We use the CABAS® approach to continuously take data and analyze it in real time. Making decisions based on client data in the moment allows us to continuously assess client learning. This allows clients to reach their goals at a much faster pace (4 to 7 times faster based on historical research).

The CABAS® approach is respected internationally and is unique to Touchstone in the Lafayette area. Touchstone ABA has more CABAS® certified staff than any other ABA provider in Louisiana.

Touchstone ABA is located in Lafayette at 812 St. Mary St. For more information on Touchstone’s services, call (985) 446-6833, email [email protected] or visit www.touchstoneaba.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at Touchstone ABA.

Meet the Author

board certified behavior analyst and specialist for autismJanice Huber is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst, leading Touchstone’s Parent Support Team. Janice has a BA in Psychology from Southern Methodist University and a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from LSU. As a parent of a child that benefited from ABA, Janice became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2006.

Learn more about how to choose the right treatment for your loved one, here and at www.touchstoneaba.com. Another good resource for parents is the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.