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Autism: Benefits of Early Intervention

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Autism: Benefits of Early Intervention

By, Maro Mikhaeil

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults are found to have autism in the U.S.

What is autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized as a neurodevelopmental condition where challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication may occur. The CDC says that autism can be detected as early as 18 months and may even go undiagnosed until years later. The earlier the diagnosis, the better, as early intervention is crucial for speech, communication, motor skills, and many more.

What is early intervention?

Early intervention is described as therapeutic services for young children and babies with developmental disabilities. There are many types of early intervention services used, such as speech therapy, applied behavioral analysis, occupational therapy, and more. Early intervention is found to be very beneficial as it addresses many life skills, which in turn makes so much progress for children with ASD in the long run.

It can be difficult to see a loved one struggle with autism spectrum disorder. If you or a family member is struggling with mental health, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists,
psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling &
Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively,
at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more
information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-statistics-asd#:~:text=1%20in%2036%20children%20in,diagnosed%20with%20autism%20than%20girls.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/early-help-and-early-intervention#:~:text=Why%20are%20early%20help%20and,impacting%20a%20child’s%20life%20negatively.

https://behavioral-innovations.com/blog/critical-early-intervention-children-autism-spectrum-disorder/           

Autism: How it affects the Parents

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Autism: How it affects the Parents

By: Daniela Vargas

Finding out about your child having Autism can be very difficult for parents. It can affect them mentally, emotionally, financially and their marital relationships.

Parents can get very stressed out when they find out their child has Autism. This stress can lead parents to have anxiety and depression because they sometimes feel like things seem out of control and they can get very frustrated. This can also happen if parents are not giving their 50%. If one parent is paying more attention to their child it can cause a lot of stress and also partner relationship issues.

Usually it is the mothers who are more engaged with their child and because they invest all of their time into helping their Autistic child they lack on their social and relationship life. They want their best for their child and sometimes this can mean only one parent works while the other stays at home taking care of the child. Not only is this more stress on the stay at home parent but it can affect couples financially.

Having only one income source and having to pay for therapy and classes can start to mount up. Out of pocket expenses every week can become an economic burden. A study showed that “mothers with children with ASD earn an average of 56% less than the mothers of children with no health limitation” That’s a reduction in earnings of over 50%.

To reduce parent stress, anxiety and depression there are different types of support groups and interventions.

If you or someone you know is struggling with parental stress due to Autism please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/.

Sources:

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/impact-of-autism-spectrum-disorder-on-family-44919.html#:~:text=Having%20a%20child%20with%20Autism,the%20family%2C%20poor%20sibling%20relationships%2C

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/autism

Image: https://www.google.com/search?q=autism&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS752US752&sxsrf=ALeKk00w9ZuRZcsS-4bl8KLKQtI_CNU6BA:1611939032854&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4k8_rzMHuAhXpEVkFHS0bCsgQ_AUoAnoECCQQBA&biw=1026&bih=687&dpr=2#imgrc=Qb7KME6GQ2uHYM

 

Autism: How it affects the Siblings

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Autism: How it affects the siblings

By: Daniela Vargas

People with Autism struggle with social and communication skills. It is a disorder that affects how they process information. By the age of 2 doctors can determine if your child has Autism. Autism is usually four times more common in men than in women. People with Autism go to therapy and practice to reduce some of their symptoms. Autism is difficult for the people who have it, as well as for their siblings

The siblings tend to have issues with their social and emotional skills. It is common to find that the siblings share some traits as their autistic sibling. This can happen through genetics. The siblings do not have it as strong as their autistic sibling, but there could be some developmental delays. It can also be hard for siblings to understand and they can get frustrated the way that their Autistic sibling acts. Children with Autism are very kind and caring and independent. When it comes to playtime their siblings might feel upset with the way they interact.

A good way to improve the relationship between siblings is to explain the nature of Autism to them at a young age what Autism is. As they grow older they will understand their sibling might react a bit differently to certain things. Also, don’t forget to pay attention to your children that don’t have Autism. It is common for parents to get very invested in their Autistic child and not give enough attention to their other children.

It is important to pay attention to all of your children and to focus all children’s social and emotion skills because they can have difficulties or have another underlying condition.

If you or someone you know is struggling with Autism please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/.

Sources

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/siblings-children-autism-social-emotional-problems/#:~:text=Siblings%20of%20autistic%20children%20are,other%20forms%20of%20developmental%20delay https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/autismhttps://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/communicating-relationships/family-relationships/siblings-asd

Image: https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2019/04/03/how-virtual-reality-can-help-those-with-autism/

 

Siblings with Disabilities

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

By: Isabelle Siegel

People readily consider the struggles experienced by children with disabilities as well as by their parents, but siblings’ experiences and difficulties oftentimes go unnoticed. However, growing up with a sibling with a disability is not without consequences. Having a sibling with special needs is associated with numerous challenges, but also numerous opportunities.

Challenges

Growing up alongside a sibling with a disability can be associated with many negative emotions, some of which include anger, guilt, jealousy, embarrassment, and fear. Siblings of children with disabilities often report feeling neglected by their parents and feeling forced to hide their own problems for the sake of their family or brother/sister. They may also undergo “parentification,” meaning that they take on the role of a parent to themselves or even to their sibling. Although this parentification is associated with increased maturity, it is also associated with increased emotional vulnerability and distress. Taken together, these negative emotions and challenges render siblings of children with disabilities at higher risk for developing psychological adjustment difficulties: that is, they are more vulnerable than the average child to anxiety disorders, peer problems, academic struggles, and more.

Opportunities

People are quick to assume that having a sibling with a disability is a purely negative experience. However, growing up alongside a sibling with a disability is associated with many positive emotions and opportunities. Siblings of children with disabilities report feeling immense pride, gratitude, loyalty, and love. They tend to be more mature, responsible, empathetic, and tolerant than the average child. These positive experiences are equally as important as the negative ones, and must be acknowledged in order to fully comprehend what it is like to have a sibling with a disability.

What Parents Can Do

In order to best help the siblings of children with disabilities, parents can take several steps. These include:

  • Making sure to spend one-on-one time with each child
  • Keeping the siblings informed about their brother’s or sister’s disability and its implications
  • Understanding both the negative and positive emotions associated with being the sibling of a child with disabilities
  • Getting siblings involved in psychological services such as therapy

If you or a loved one is the sibling or parent of a child with a disability, the licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy can assist you. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/band-brothers-and-sisters/201406/siblings-children-disabilities
https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/child-adolescent-psychiatry/emotional-problems-facing-siblings-of-children-with-disabilities/
Image Source: https://raisingchildren.net.au/disability/family-life/siblings/supporting-siblings