While writing this, the memories of my childhood came flooding forward and it is written in the voice of my inner child between the ages of five and seven.

“As I walked off the bus before the summer, I remember thinking to
myself “Why do I have a different teacher than my friends?”

My mother told me that because of the results of the testing that I did during the year the teachers thought I needed some extra help. She explained that I was going to be in a special class called ‘Self Contained Class’.

That September I entered my elementary school for the first time as a first
grader, I left my two best friends behind and walked the long hallway
alone.  I remember looking down at pink carbon paper trying to read
the teacher’s long name.

As I entered the last classroom at the end of the long hallway my
heart was pounding and my knees felt shakey.  I was greeted by a woman
who pointed to the other kids sitting on the floor and said, ‘I will
be your teacher this year.’  Scared and alone I sat next to a few
other kids.  I looked around the room and there were kids that seemed
different than me.  As we began the class I wondered, ‘Why am I in
here and what’s wrong with all of these kids?’

I recall as I look back on that moment, that it was one of the worst days I could ever remember as a kid.

“At recess my friends asked me where I was all day and who I had as a teacher.  I couldn’t tell them. I lied to them and said that my mom came to the school to pick me up and made up the rest of my story.  I didn’t want them to think I was different.

Feeling sad, mad, and angry I ended my first day and got back on the bus.  By the time I got off the bus that day I was in tears.  My mom met me with open arms as I got off at my bus stop.  She sat me down and explained how the teachers would help me become a better student.  I wasn’t sure what to think.”

Thinking back to that day and my mother’s hug all I remember is that
it felt like it lasted forever.

“By the time we left the bus stop all the kids and parents were gone and with arms crossed I sat on the side of the dirty curb. I really wanted an answer to my question, ‘Why me?’

The first grade was extremely hard on me, both in school and at home. My older sister, who still to this day is the light in my heart, helped me read before most dinners.  My mother, the most patient women on earth, never gave up on me and spent thousands of hours reading with me in our family room.

Everyday, all day was a struggle to find my inner and outer voice.  I spent what seemed like forever reading and rereading things that I couldn’t remember. Three years went on as I continued in the same class, with the same teachers and the same students, working and working.

In the middle of the third grade the teachers, my parents and specialists thought I was ready for mainstream classes.

Throughout that period of time in my life, I always thought that I was better than those other kids and that I didn’t belong in the same class.

What I didn’t realize then is that I was one of those kids.”

For hundreds and even thousands of families, what is readily available through funded sources is not the best fit for their child. Autism is not a one size fits all situation and no treatment has proven any more effective than another.  Choice is important. Parents should have the freedom to provide the most effective treatment combination for their child. For one child Pivotal Response and a gluten free/casein free diet may make an impact, yet for another Floortime and Brain Balance is really effective. Whatever it is for a particular family, they need to be given choices, time, and flexibility to create an optimal program based on how the child is responding to the program.

Families with children with Autism are faced with a daily struggle as they attempt to meet the tremendous cost of these treatments. The insurance and state funding that used to be available for these families is no longer available so their options have become severely limited.

The problem is that the decision makers (state legislation and insurance companies) are focusing on the science behind the treatments as opposed to the actual results of the children.  As they focus on the science they are taking options off the table that are proving to make a profound impact on children with autism.  Financially this forces families to choose a treatment that may not be the best fit but it is the only option they have.  If we continue to be hyper focused on which treatments have science behind them and make that the defining rule on what is readily available to families, we are taking options off the table that could make a profound impact on a child’s development and a families well being. This leaves parents with the choice of taking what is given even though it may not be the best fit or going into mounds of debt to pay for the most effective approach for their child.

We want families to have the choice to choose whatever treatment they see has an impact in their child’s life.  One treatment option isn’t always the best fit and those options that are available through insurance and state funding don’t provide the selection that makes the difference.

Our intention is that the funding and resources provided by Autism Resources International will lead to more choice for parents and lower cost overall.  It is our intention to empower parents and give them tools to be the central figure in there child’s treatment, thus leading to less dependence on the professional community. This will shift the paradigm from that of parents needing to step aside so professionals can treat their child for them, to professionals being a guide and mentor for the parents as they run their child’s program themselves.

Parents know their children best.  By empowering them to be the central figure in their child’s treatment and development we can help families have deeper relationships with their children and in turn help them grow and develop.

Help us evolve the autism treatment community into one that is parent and child centered, with affordable, available service, through programs that are child specific to deliver efficient treatment instead of just brand specific treatment.

Autism effects every child differently so how can we expect one approach to be the most effective for every child?

At Autism Resources International we don’t.

We work with the individuality of every child and every family and help parents understand how to get on the floor and play.

You can help make this possible.

To make a contribution to the fund please go to www.autismresourcesintl.org