# data[].attributes.body
https://www.autismspeaks.org
Information about autism and different resources and links to help you.
http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/rclist.cfm
List of different regional centers, to help you find the nearest to you as well as their contact information.
http://www.autismafter16.com
information on various things teens with autism who are close to become adults. Information ranges from: employment, housing, community, health and much more.

# data[].attributes.body
My daughter's name is Emma, she is currently three years old and was diagnosed with Autism. As Emma's parent I should be honest, the road has been both difficult and rewarding. Every day activities are accommodated for Emma and we always take her perception into consideration. I work hard to be consistent, persistent and understanding to help her strive for her future and watch her grow. It will always be rewarding to have been given the opportunity to be her mom and to love her blindly. Love will always outweigh the difficulty, of raising a child on the spectrum.

Emma has developmental areas in which she is similar to that of a typical child, as well as some in which she is delayed. Emma has developmental areas which are similar to those of other children such as cognitive, motor, and fine motor. The area in which Emma is delayed in language development, behavior and social skills. Emma has several words, not as much as typical children her age. When she attempts to communicate it sounds very much like babbling. Emma can be aggressive and self injurious, which affects her activities and outings while she is not in school. I will say, after starting preschool her social skills have increased dramatically.

I currently deal with Emma's preschool teacher and psychologist. Emma does receive speech therapy in addition to a special education preschool program provided by the district. We are currently in the process of obtaining additional speech therapy as well as ABA through private insurance. Emma has had a lot of services before starting preschool through regional center. They provided a service coordinator, psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and infant stimulation specialist.

I was fortunate to find out about these services through my sister, whom is a psychologist and works with children 0-5. If it wasn't for her implying that my daughter needed services, I would have never known.

Financially, there hasn't been much burden yet. We do have an estimate as to how much the cost for speech therapy will be, but we have not added ABA services to our quote. It is pricey monthly.

Just know that no matter how difficulty the journey may seem, it will always get better, and you will be ready.

# data[].attributes.body
It is a developmental disability that affects social interactions, communication skills, language development and behavior.

# data[].attributes.body
Behavioral

Repetitive Body Movements

Ex: Hand Flapping, Spinning

Rigid routine schedules

Ex: Doing things in the exact same order in the exact same way, no slight change.

Sensory Interests/Sensory Sensitivities

Ex: Sniffing, fixating on spinning objects, sensory preference or dislike to soft gushy objects or hard scratchy objects.

Aggressive/Self Injurious

Ex: May hit, kick, pinch, bite, scratch, and hit their own head.
Social Interaction

Non Verbal Communication Difficulties.

Ex: eye gaze, facial expressions, or gestures.

Difficulties forming friendships

Ex: Uninterested in sharing interests and activities with others.

Social and Emotional difficulties

Communication

Delayed Language Development

Ex: language amount is not aligned to age.

Difficulty maintaining a conversation

Ex: may answer a question but not continue a conversation

Repetitive Use of Language

Ex: Repeating lines from a scene of a television show constantly.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Maintain a visual classroom or individual schedule for student.

2. Use a timer to help with transitions between activities, areas, or centers.

3. Praise for accomplishments, efforts, and behavior.

4. Have visuals on in class work, homework, etc.

5. If over sensitive to noise, maintain noise level to an appropriate level.

6. Maintain various toys and objects that range in sensory levels.

7. Make accomodations for adult and peer support.

8. Passports, or home reports are a great way to maintain communication between the teacher and family.

9. Consistency is important.

10. Use of language, be literal.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Do research on autism overall

2. For each main characteristic: Behavioral, Social Interaction, and Communication. Note your child's difficulties as well as strengths as a resource to share with pediatrician, psychologist, therapists, service coordinators, etc.

3. Maintain visuals to help child communicate with you and for you to communicate with your child.

4. Communicate with your child in advance sharing future activities for the day to help with transitions.

5. Contact your nearest regional center for assessments and services.

6. Ask questions to service providers, and approaches you may apply at home.

7. Always maintain copies of every document you sign or receive.