Do all the autism "support" interventions for kids actually work?

Some progress could be made with the way children are supported. Research seems to hinge more on cure than lifestyle support. The support tends to fall back on various treatments, depending on the reviews and cost, which supposedly achieve, if not a cure, some magic solution to survival in adulthood.

There is an added danger with parents groups that they address autism/aspergers "by proxy". It tends to be about the parents, and while it is true that parents and siblings are affected, often very seriously affected by having a child on the spectrum, its the child that needs help. With the best will in the world, parents put everything into making it possible for their AS kids to grow up safely, but that does entail looking on it as a cure rather than a preparation for life.

Therefore it is understandable that parents believe that somehow the process will create a happy, settled and independent adult.

Trouble is the evidence isn't there yet. The Government initiative (that's now gone floppy) "Leading Rewarding and Fulfilling Lives" was partly aimed at determining the numbers of adults affected and the way they are affected. Its not going to happen if health authorities cannot distinguish adult autism from learning disability.

We know very little, in real terms, about the consequences of autistic spectrum on adults. As I've already said above, we still don't have a handle on the numbers who go on to develop other psychological problems (who are treated for those problems ratgher than A S), or the numbers with depression, suicides, alcoholics, people in and out of prison. Its a huge problem.

Parents groups encounter a few able asperger adults and whinge about them threatening resources for supporting children. They should be relieved if they are seeing adults who are able, even if they think that's a misleading impression. The alcoholics, the drop outs, the offenders, the mental illness cases, they were people's children once, and even if aspergers or autism wasn't diagnosed then, the parents I'm sure hoped for better outcomes.

I know I'll be unpopular for saying this, but many parents groups are being quite selfish. It tends to be about them not the kids on the spectrum.

I've said on another thread about social stories that we need to look at ways to make things easier for youing people to manage, than trying to force a magic cure.

I've suggested things like encouraging them to use nods in place of eyte reactions, or to punctuate their speech with "emoticon" phrases that enable them to better convey the emotion behind their speech their eyes and faces cannot convey. Help young people become better adults by giving them the means to compete with their peers on something approaching a level playing field.

But crutches for health workers, like Social Stories, don't work because they show people to have a weakness they cannot resolve, its like blame culture. Cannot anyone wake up to the fact that reminding AS kids of what they cannot do and suggesting fighting to achieve the impossible is a cure is not a kindness! 

Some progress could be made with the way children are supported. Research seems to hinge more on cure than lifestyle support. The support tends to fall back on various treatments, depending on the reviews and cost, which supposedly achieve, if not a cure, some magic solution to survival in adulthood.

There is an added danger with parents groups that they address autism/aspergers "by proxy". It tends to be about the parents, and while it is true that parents and siblings are affected, often very seriously affected by having a child on the spectrum, its the child that needs help. With the best will in the world, parents put everything into making it possible for their AS kids to grow up safely, but that does entail looking on it as a cure rather than a preparation for life.

Therefore it is understandable that parents believe that somehow the process will create a happy, settled and independent adult.

Trouble is the evidence isn't there yet. The Government initiative (that's now gone floppy) "Leading Rewarding and Fulfilling Lives" was partly aimed at determining the numbers of adults affected and the way they are affected. Its not going to happen if health authorities cannot distinguish adult autism from learning disability.

We know very little, in real terms, about the consequences of autistic spectrum on adults. As I've already said above, we still don't have a handle on the numbers who go on to develop other psychological problems (who are treated for those problems ratgher than A S), or the numbers with depression, suicides, alcoholics, people in and out of prison. Its a huge problem.

Parents groups encounter a few able asperger adults and whinge about them threatening resources for supporting children. They should be relieved if they are seeing adults who are able, even if they think that's a misleading impression. The alcoholics, the drop outs, the offenders, the mental illness cases, they were people's children once, and even if aspergers or autism wasn't diagnosed then, the parents I'm sure hoped for better outcomes.

I know I'll be unpopular for saying this, but many parents groups are being quite selfish. It tends to be about them not the kids on the spectrum.

I've said on another thread about social stories that we need to look at ways to make things easier for youing people to manage, than trying to force a magic cure.

I've suggested things like encouraging them to use nods in place of eyte reactions, or to punctuate their speech with "emoticon" phrases that enable them to better convey the emotion behind their speech their eyes and faces cannot convey. Help young people become better adults by giving them the means to compete with their peers on something approaching a level playing field.

But crutches for health workers, like Social Stories, don't work because they show people to have a weakness they cannot resolve, its like blame culture. Cannot anyone wake up to the fact that reminding AS kids of what they cannot do and suggesting fighting to achieve the impossible is a cure is not a kindness!