Setting Expectations

As a parent of a child with autism, all of your hopes and expectations for your child’s future are placed in a state of uncertainty to a greater degree than most other parents. A multitude of questions spring forward recurrently among parents with children with ASD, including what their academic future will be like, what kind of occupational or vocational training will available to them, and even how functional they will be?

Many of the answers to these questions vary greatly and deeply depending on the efficacy of the treatment methods you are using with your child. There are some general guidelines as to what treatment plans can have the most effect on your child’s development. Most parents share the goal of wanting to see their child mainstreamed in education or occupation, in short, aiming towards their child is “normal”.

Striving for normalcy and mainstreaming is often considered an excellent baseline goal for parents to strive for. However, parents should understand is that there are no valid, effective means to actually end autism or rid your child of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is important to understand that what the most effective treatments do is make the disorder’s symptoms manageable and mitigate impairments so that your child is able to function in social and real-world contexts comparatively well.

There is no cure for autism; in fact, thinking that there is a cure tends to skew a parent’s expectations. While it is true that with the right therapy or combinations of treatments, many symptoms can be alleviated, but most children with ASD will continue to have symptoms for the rest of their lives.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and approaches built on it, have the largest body of research support among autism interventions (National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, 2020), and many children make real gains in communication, learning and daily living skills. Set goals with your child's team around what will make the most difference in your child's life.

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