I would like some contact with other families who have autistic children to exchange ideas, resources, information. It would be great if my son and daughter-in-law had other parents with similar family issues to talk to. I would also be interested in finding out about various therapys that others have tried.
A friend whose son has Asperger's recommended checking out www.autismspeaks.org and www.kidscreektherapy.com. There are resources for parents on both sites.
Hi There! I have just tuened 12 year old in Roswell high functioning autistic. He did great this year at Hembree Springs Elementary. Have you heard anything about Elkins Pointe? Happy to help anyone else.
We live in North Fulton County.
Asl
There is a fabulous North Fulton Biomedical group. It is different from the North Fulton Autism group because it focuses on parent working to recover their kids through biomedical treatment and therapy, just a different angle. I know some parents in the group and think it would be helpful and supportive
Hope your daughter is getting started early -best ages to recover are ages 3-5. I would recommend Children with Starving Brains by J. McCandliess, Natural Treatment Guide for Autism by Stephanie Marhon. I am not currently in a physical group, but stay connected through AutismBiomedGA (yahoo group), www.generationrescue.com, www.talkaboutcuringautism.com, and www.ageofautism.com.
Hope that helps some, be glad to support her in any way I can if she would like to send me a note. It can be isolating doing all the necessary interventions and it is critical to find a friend going through it with a child choosing to make the same changes you are so the support is there. My best friend is my savior - both of us have had incredible success recovering our children and I know our phone calls nearly daily were critical to that. We both had the same goal and cried and laughed as our success and failures were delivered.
J.
I'd like to recommend a DAN doctor - Defeat Autism Now. There are several in GA. We have used Dr. Linda Nathanson-Lippitt in Smyrna for 3 years where we chelated him to get toxins out of his body. When you do this it also pulls out good nutrients that you have to put back in. We also injected B-12 shots. The GCFC diet works well in most children; although I saw no difference in mine and he lost so much weight and it is expensive so we don't do it anymore. (Gluten Free/Casein Free - basically wheat and dairy free). In addition, go to www.Son-Rise.org for a family, loving therapy based program which helped our son to soar. More therapies would be ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and Floortime. We have a new appt. with a DAN doctor in Kennesaw, who has a much smaller waiting list than Dr. Lippitt and her costs is much less. Her name is Janine Romaner. A web site that hosts DAN doctors is http://www.healing-arts.org/children/amyholmes.htm#GA. The last thing I'd like to advise is to recommend is to apply for waivers to help with costs of therapies. Currently the Easter Seals has no Occupational Therapist in our area Cherokee County)but I'm sure they do for North Fulton - Jan Marie Popovich is the contact there. As of November 1st, grants changed so I'm not sure what to recommend but we are waiting for approval on the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver. The initial application is processed through the local Defacs office under Adult Medicaid. Lastly, Always Have Hope!!!
Sincerely,
C. M.
As for resources, I'd like to point you toward Discovery Toys, an educational toy company that has an autism support project. Our toys are designed for all children, but many are used by therapists and teachers to benefit children with autism. Our catalog actually identifies 6 common skill challenges for children with autism and the toys that can help with those skills. YOu can check out the catalog on my website (www.junithstoys.com) or on the DT website (www.discoverytoys.com). J. K. - ____@____.com
Hi S.,
My name is H. and I am a behavior therapist with the May Institute here in Atlanta. I specialize in children with Autism and PDD. If you would like, I can ask some of my families that I currently see if they would be willing to share their stories or atleast pass on some information through me to share with you.
At the May Institute we offer school and home based ABA therapies. I would be happy to put you in contact with our coordinator for more information.
S.,
I have an autistic son, also. I have found that one of the best resources is The Marcus Institute. They are not in North Fulton, but they do have their ear to the ground about support groups and happenings all over town. We also found the Children's Healthcare rehab center on Alpharetta Hwy to be a valuable resource. Our son had the best therapists there. They were kind, understanding, and most of all, supportive. Good luck with everything, and have faith. It does get easier, and there is never a dull moment! :o)
L.
