With the increase of autistic children the treatments and educational therapies have also increased manifold. Parents should involve their children according to the learning skill of the child. As there is a lot of awareness in the parents of autistic children they have more scope and idea to choose from. But the task of finding out and deciding the right treatment and education for the child is a big duty on the part of the parents.
When the parents find out that their child is autistic many questions probe into their mind as how the child can be educated. Every autistic child is unique, so each child should be treated and educated according to their learning ability
Autism has a variety of disorders like repetitive behaviors, poor communication and social interaction. Autistic children also have poor sensory stimulus, poor imagination and creativity, difficulty in forming relationships and most of them prefer to stay aloof.
An early intervention help the autistic to get the behavior problem modified with the help of speech therapists, occupational therapists, social skill training, adapted physical education and other applied behavior. Although most of the therapies are available in the local school, parents choose private therapists for their children.
Federal law allows children aged three years of age to join the special education classes. The facility is available for both general education and special education classes. Some parents enroll their children in general education and provide support for their special requirements whereas autistic children are usually educated in special education classes. A special education teacher instructs these special education classes, specially planned to suit the disabled children. The other services available for the autistic children are speech therapists, school nurses, school psychologists, physical and occupational therapists and also behavior modification therapists. Summer school for special day students and also community based training for older children are also available. The selection of the service depends on the ability of the child. An autistic child who has problem in speech and communication need to concentrate on speech and language development. An autistic child with Aspergers disability can also avail the services according to the level of his /her intelligence.
The services keep changing according to the priod of time and need. It is the responsibility of the parent to look in to the matter at the earliest and provide the necessary service for the child according to its learning ability. Studies say that one out of every 166 children is autistic and awareness in the society can provide a ray of hope for these children.