One of the hardest things to do as a parent of an autistic child is having to consider the need for residential placement. No matter how much we love our child, and make every effort to care for her at home, a person with autism may need higher levels of specialized care, support and supervision, which may better meet their needs in a residential setting.

These are emotional and challenging times. And the service delivery process is often complex to get an autistic child into residential placement. But we, as parents, can first learn what residential placement options exist and are available, and other information which can help to relieve some of this stress.

There are various types of residential placement options available for an individual with autism depending upon the level of care a person may need.

Traditional Certified Residential Placement Programs

Traditional residential programs are established models of service, which provide a set of services based upon regulatory requirements. Three types of housing options are available: Traditional Certified Residential Options, Assistance and supports in non-certified settings; and assistance with Home Ownership.

To learn more about:

• Traditional Certified Residential Placement Programs
• Alternative Residential Placement Options
• Selecting a Residential Placement Service Provider
• Special Considerations For Parents of School-Aged Children

visit: www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/residential-placement.html.

For information on how to start the process to obtain residential placement for your child contact the Office of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities in your state, the Developmental Disabilities Services Office or county Department of Mental Health. These offices may have similar names in your state of residence.

Ask to be referred for services, such as residential placement. Parents may refer their own child(ren). And ask that you be sent a Services Guide which will outline available specialized support and services in your area and provide a list of non-profit agency providers. Tell them that you may need a service coordinator, a person who assists families of an autistic child to develop an individualized plan of service or ISP. For more information and tips on how to select a service coordinator go to: www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/service-coordinator.html.

Also contact your local school district for its assistance in this process. Particularly if your child is making poor progress in a day school, or home program, and residential placement is being considered or recommended for a child’s Individualized Education Plan or IEP. An IEP is a written document that outlines a child’s education.

Remember to reach out or call upon your support system to help you and your family through what may be a difficult time.

Best wishes!

© Copyright 2008 Wanda Brown. All rights reserved.

Please feel free to publish this article on your web site and/or in your e-book or newsletters without any changes to the article, the authors resource information at the end of the article remains intact, and the links are live (clickable).

About this author
Wanda Brown is wife, mother, volunteer, presenter at parent support groups, former legal assistant and service coordinator, served as Board member to non-profit organizations, autism Advisory Groups and appeared on Cable 6 TV, guest speaker on XM Radio One, Tavis Smiley Radio, CNN Radio and WDIG Radio.

There are many different types of treatments that parents can try when they have a child with autism, however some can be controversial. Autism B12 vitamin therapy seems simple and safe enough, but it is important to be aware that problems may arise if it is administered improperly.

Perhaps the biggest danger in utilizing B12 vitamin therapy for the treatment of autism is the possibility of an overdose.

We all need vitamins, but is wrong to assume that these vitamins are safe no matter how they are used. Though vitamins are indeed good for us, with many being essential for optimum health, they can be dangerous too; particularly when someone takes too many.

The majority of the vitamins and minerals we need are obtained from a healthy varied diet. However when there is a deficiency in certain minerals or vitamins it is possible to supplement them.

The risk of taking supplements is that too much of a good thing can actually be harmful to health. When the body has an oversupply of vitamins that it can not use it excretes the excess via the liver. When excess vitamin consumption occurs on a regular basis, the liver may not keep up and the excess vitamin may then become a toxin that the body is unable to expel.

When taken in correct doses however, B12 vitamin therapy may be beneficial for a child with autism. Some believe that autism can be caused or symptoms worsened by severe nutritional deficiencies.

What this means is that the body is not receiving enough of certain vitamins, or that it is not able to absorb the nutrients that are fed through the system; causing the body to lack the essential elements it needs to function properly.

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin for healthy brain function. It is important in helping to manufacture the myelin sheath – a protective layer surrounding nerves in the brain – and it also helps the brain to produce neurotransmitters, which are vital for communication within the brain.

When taken intravenously, some feel that vitamin B12 therapy can improve a range of functions including the absorption of all essential nutrients into the body. This then helps the nervous system to work as it should, allowing potential benefits and improvements in behaviors to be seen.

On a cautionary note, so far, many positive stories about the improvement in individuals after receiving B12 vitamin therapy are still only anecdotal. While parents and individual doctors have noted some encouraging progress, there have only been a handful of controlled studies involving small groups of children regularly injected with vitamin B12. Though some have shown improvement in social communication, overall the results have deemed to be inconclusive.

Therefore, while formal tests are still in the early stages, if carried out safely, there is no reason why parents cannot try this autism B12 vitamin therapy under their doctor’s close supervision and guidance. Even if there seems to be no improvement in the symptoms of autism, parents may notice better overall health in their children, and that may be reason enough to continue safely with the therapy.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans’ brand new Autism Newsletter – Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about the Autism B12 link and for information on where to go for autism resources please visit The Essential Guide To Autism

No matter what autistic child we are talking about, they will most likely have problems with organization. This is not to say that they are stupid, because they are not, it’s just a simple problem that children with autism (and Autistic Adults) have, no matter if they are super intelligent.

So with such problems people would think that they have to crowd the autistic child, telling them to do something, being almost on their back about what not to forget. But this unfortunately is not the best way to get the most from your autistic child. Just remember that your autistic child is just like you, they are human! Do you like your boss or your spouse always being on your back?

The answers are obviously no, but just imagine what your autistic child feels. Where you or I could say, stop annoying my, or go away, your autistic child most likely can’t even articulate what they want to say to you, which would most likely be… “Get Off My Back”.

This is going to be the same for even the most gifted of autistic children. They will be able to remember a 26 digit number no problem, but when it comes to finishing homework or even as simple as bringing their copybook into school, they can fall well behind.

But fear not, there are some non-forceful strategies that will have your child begin to remember the small things they need.
One thing to remember is that autistic children react immensely well to pictures. So, being that we know this, we will be able to formulate a plan around pictures to jog their memory.

One little secret idea that is a great way of ensuring that your child goes to School with everything and also comes back with everything is to make a small picture book, with pictures of everything they need to have in their bag. It could contain pictures of:

1. Their pencil
2. Their pencil case
3. Their copybook
4. Their textbook
5. Their lunchbox

I think you get the gist of what I am going on about. What you do then is attach it to the bag on the outside by a piece of string, or something else. Then, they will always have this in their view and will be able to look at to see what they need to take home.

This is a great way of building up their confidence and helping them feel independent.

I think the main thing to take into consideration is that there will be sometimes that your child will forget things, but so will any child, so the best course of action is not to make them feel stupid. This will kill your child’s self esteem and they may even start to forget more things by it. A downward spiral can happen very fast in an autistic child so you have got to be very careful how you talk and interact with your child.

Above all else, seeing your autistic child’s memory and confidence improve can be very heart warming. Remember that it takes that little bit of work from you that will create amazing results in your child.

Thomas Stewart is a full time author who specializes in Childhood Autism. Along with his unconventional and often controversial ideas on autism recovery, his work will bring you to a new place of enlightenment when it comes to starting on a path to helping your child recover from autism. You can pick up his FREE e-Course & Find out more about Thomas at http://www.Autism-LaidBare.com