Have you ever felt overwhelmed or confused reading online about autism and autism care? Have you ever wanted a guide for parents that synthesizes everything in one spot?
We’ve created a New Parent Kit to help parents quickly make sense of a challenging time. We hope it helps you enter the world of autism care as quickly as possible and points you to helpful resources to start answering your questions. It has Colorado-specific resources for families in the Denver area, where our first clinic is located, but we hope it is relevant for other families as well outside Colorado.
There’s a lot of information in the Kit, and that’s because there’s so much to share about autism. We encourage families to tailor the Kit to their particular situation — reading sections that are most relevant for them and skipping over sections that are less relevant. And for those parents who want a comprehensive review, feel free to read the whole Kit end-to-end.
The topic list is below — if these topics are of interest, click on the “Family Resources” page.
| 1. A starting point for parents | o What is autism and what does it mean for my child and me
o Common challenges faced by parents and the importance of support o Situations you may face as a new parent and what to do o Pointers and tips for organization o Navigating common challenges for siblings o Practical tips from Colorado families |
| 2. Overview of autism | o Biology and causes of autism
o Signs/symptoms of autism o Common strengths of children with autism o How to get a diagnosis for my child in Colorado |
| 3. Overview of autism therapy | o Guiding principles of autism therapy
o Therapy modalities for autism o Overview of behavior therapy (applied behavior analysis or ABA) o Different types of ABA therapy o Types of healthcare providers on your child’s care team o Autism and health insurance o School support services |
| 4. Finding an autism provider in Colorado for my child | o Types of providers available in Colorado
o Questions to ask when choosing a provider o How to find a Colorado provider focused on naturalistic autism therapy o How to raise concerns with your care provider o What to do if your child isn’t progressing as hoped |
| 5. Role of Early Intervention (EI) programs | o Overview of EI services and role of Community-Centered Boards
o Getting an IFSP or IEP: the authorization process o Differences between EI-based and insurance-based services o Coordinating care across both services |
| 6. Overview of neurodiversity | o Defining the term neurodiversity
o Complementary views of autism o Current discussions on neurodiversity and autism o How we incorporate neurodiverse lines thinking at Soar Autism Center |
| 7. Resources from Soar Autism Center | o Who we are
o Services we offer o Our care philosophy o How to contact us |
| Appendix | o Additional resources
o Resources for parents in Colorado o Common abbreviations |
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed or confused reading online about autism and autism care? Have you ever wanted a guide for parents that synthesizes everything in one spot? We've created a New Parent Kit to help parents quickly...