An Early Intervention Program Can Many Times Lessen the Impact of Autism

I sometimes wonder if my oldest son had been diagnosed younger and we got him into a treatment program earlier if that would have made a difference. He was almost 4 years old when he was diagnosed with autism and we did quickly get him into a treatment program but I still wonder what would have happened if we had got him into a early intervention program those first couple years of his life.

Early intervention is so very important for children with autism. The autistic community can disagree on quite a few things but I think one thing that we all agree is that early intervention is so very valuable for these kids. Regrettably, many doctors fail to identify a developmental delay at the age when the child needs to be receiving early intervention services. Birth to three years of age is a significant time in a child's development, so if the child's diagnosis is delayed this could put the child at risk for experiencing a marked improvement.

Since the number of children diagnosed with the autism has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years, with the stats showing now that it affects 1 in 150 births. Autism now is considered to be the fastest growing developmental disorder in the U.S. So it is even more important that these children receive early intervention as soon as they are diagnosed.

If your child is diagnosed with autism, it is critical for your child to start receiving early intervention so he/she can receive maximum benefit from the program. It has been proven that early intervention leads to better treatment and that the most beneficial way to manage autism is to intervene as early as possible to treat the disorder.