The course of a family’s future can potentially be severely impacted by a child's diagnosis on the spectrum. As parents, it is imperative that you are able to recognize the developmental milestones of your child and are able to act swiftly upon recognizing autism’s “Red Flags.” The recognition of autism signs or symptoms should prompt immediate action. The past notion of let us “wait and see” is now thought to be as archaic as the concept that the development of autism in a child stems from poor parenting. The National Autism Network was created to assist anyone affected by autism with cutting through the online clutter of information and provide a single source of relevant, credible and researched information and resources. This site can help parents with everything from finding a provider to obtain a diagnosis to researching what treatments are available and the efficacy of those treatments to connecting with other parents who have walked a mile in their shoes and everything in between. The autism community encompasses a wide variety of individuals including clinicians, educators, parents, relatives, and, of course, those diagnosed with the disorder and the National Autism Network functions to connect these individuals through our discussion forums, community posts, and our social network. The abundance of questions you may have in regards to finding the right professionals, receiving a proper education, applying for insurance, investigating treatment options, and what the future may hold for your child can be explored further through the National Autism Network.
Autism Diagnosis?
As a parent worried about your child’s development or who has recently had a child diagnosed with autism spectrum, you are probably brimming with worries and questions. We cannot stress enough the importance of early intervention for children at risk for autism or who have a diagnosis. The challenges that accompany raising a child on the autism spectrum are only exacerbated by not seeking an immediate diagnosis and early intervention. If your child’s behavior warrants a diagnostic evaluation, then you can turn to the National Autism Network’s Provider Directory to learn where you can find the proper professionals in your state for a diagnostic evaluation. The Provider Directory also contains resources for schools (categorized by age), behavioral interventions, other treatment interventions, community resources, advocacy resources, and health and medical services.
Another helpful resource that can be found only on the National Autism Network is our HIPAA-secure Social Network. By utilizing the National Autism Network’s Social Network, you can connect with other parents who have had the same experiences you have had or will have. The Social Network has all of your typical social media features you'd expect to see, but also adds some specific to the autism community such as the ability to search for other parents in your local area, the ability to add and view other's parent's 'Preferred Providers' as well as the ability to create a HIPAA Secure Private Network for your child where you can share real time status updates, online file sharing with the providers your child works with, and more.
Beyond a Diagnosis
Once your child receives a formal diagnosis you will probably have hundreds of questions and may not know where to start. This is typically where one would hit Google and start searching. This step alone could take hours and hours of research and the information you receive may not be the most up to date or credible. This is where we can really help. We have spent thousands of hours researching everything from the different autism treatments that are available and the research on those treatments, proposed causes of autism, financial & legal issues, educational rights, what research is being done, current federal and state legislation and so on. You will find these topics along the main blue navigation bar. You will also find thousands of resources we have compiled from various sources in our 'Resources' tab.
Resource Highlights
Nationwide Provider Directory- Within the provider directory you can search through over 80 different categories of providers, schools, advocacy organizations and more. You can search by name, location, and category. Once you click on a provider, you will see their contact information, description of services, categories of services they provide and an integrated google map. You will also see how many parents have them listed as a 'Preferred Provider'.
Autism News- You may be interested in staying up to date on what is happening within the autism community. We help you with this through our News section of the site. We continually provide the latest in autism-related news in our News section. From here, you can read news within various categories such as: Autism Treatments, Research, Legislation, News by State, Technology, and Human Interest. For each article, we provide a synopsis of the article so you can quickly decide if you want to read the full article.
State Insurance Reform Initiatives & Mandates- Once you start to seek treatment for your child, a large concern of many is how will you pay for it. This is where you can see what insurance mandates your state has and what is required to be paid by your insurance company, if anything. You can also stay up to date on any new legislative efforts being made by the various advocacy groups.
Discussion Forums- A great way to get questions answered quickly is by reaching out to our community at large within the Discussion Forums section. You can reach out directly to providers within the 'Ask the Experts' forum, ask questions on specific treatments, connect locally, among other things.
Nationwide Events Calendar- Once you're part of the autism community, it helps to really be a part of it and connect with others. One way you can see what is happening in your local area is through our events calendar. Here you can search by location, type of event such as: fundraiser, parent's group, social groups, conference, etc..., and date. If you know of an event, you can also add it to our calendar.
Weekly articles- Every week, we choose a different topic to write on in more detail. You can easily search within the 'Strategies for Parents' category to access article specific to you. Past articles include topics such as: '8 Vital Questions to Ask When Interviewing Providers', 'Dealing with Problematic Behavior', 'The Waiting Game...What Parents Can Do While Waiting for Professional Services', and many others.
The National Autism Network will continue to strive to serve our community by providing relevant and up to date information and resources as well as providing a growing community rich in knowledge, and expertise with the common goal of working together to make a difference in the lives of those affected by autism. We are all in this together.