When Sara Hood鈥檚 3-year-old son was diagnosed with autism, it was a good thing, in a way.
鈥淚 knew early on that something was wrong,鈥� said Hood, a Loudoun County, Virginia resident and autism advocate whose husband, Ziggy Hood, is a 10-year NFL veteran who played for the Washington Redskins.
鈥淚t took a lot of tests to finally get to the diagnosis 鈥� I know some parents are afraid of the label, but it鈥檚 one of the best things that happened to us 鈥� because we were able to help him and navigate how to make him the most successful human being and make him as independent as possible once we received the diagnosis.鈥�
In the U.S., about one in 59 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 鈥� a developmental disability caused by . Lisa Goring from said these differences can impact one鈥檚 communication skills and social and behavioral interactions.
Signs of ASD can show up in a child鈥檚 first few months of life; but sometimes its 鈥� such as having obsessive interests, avoiding eye contact and having unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look and feel 鈥� may not appear until the child is almost 2 years old. Goring said other red flags include no 鈥渂ig smiles鈥� by 6 months, no words at 12 months and no back-and-forth, two-word sentences at 24 months.
鈥淎nd if at any point in time your child loses any skills, you would want to contact your pediatrician or health care provider,鈥� Goring added.
Goring said autism can be 鈥渞eliably diagnosed by age 2,鈥� but according to the , fewer than half of children identified with ASD receive a diagnosis by the age of 4. And an earlier diagnosis leads to earlier interventions, which has a significant impact on improving a child鈥檚 language ability and social interaction.
鈥淓arly intervention is a way to help you and your child understand their world and help them develop the skills they need to live their best possible life, and so the sooner that intervention is started, the better the results,鈥� said Goring, who added that every state offers early intervention evaluations and , free of charge, even without an ASD diagnosis.
After Hood received her son鈥檚 diagnosis, she said she 鈥渕ourned the future鈥� she had planned for him, but quickly put that aside and 鈥渄ove headfirst into everything and anything鈥� to give her son the best chance at success. That resulted in a combination of speech, physical and occupational therapies, as well as applied behavior analysis therapy (or ABA), which she said had the biggest impact.
Her best bit of advice for parents of a child with autism: Never stop advocating for the needs of your child, and never hesitate to reach out to others going through the same thing.
鈥淭alk to someone, because you鈥檙e not alone,鈥� Hood said.
鈥淒on鈥檛 struggle by yourself; don鈥檛 be silent by yourself. Find a resource group, find other families who you can connect with that will help you.鈥�
She has also found helpful tools and connections via Facebook groups and through local and national organizations, such as , based in Bethesda, Maryland.
is another resource for parents of a child with autism and individuals with autism. Goring said the organization has a dedicated response team that answers emails and phone calls in Spanish and English, and its website has a variety of supportive resources from the time of diagnosis through adult life.
Hood鈥檚 son is now 8. While he is doing well, she said there are still challenges.
鈥淭here will always be challenges, but you learn to find beauty in those challenges,鈥� Hood said.
鈥淚 see the world so differently because of him, because he enjoys beauty in the things that we bypass.鈥�
World Autism Day is April 2. It’s an internationally recognized day to increase understanding and acceptance of those living with autism.
