On the first visit we didn't know what to expect ourselves but we have now been through it. Expect that your child might be uncomfortable and not understand what is going on. The first appointment with Erin Oaks Kids was just about them assessing your child and finding out what needs to be worked on and also giving you strategies that can be used at home that will also foster your child in developing necessary skills. The therapist will sit and engage with your child to see what the child is drawn to as well talk to parents about the areas of concern. Be prepared for the following years to come to answer a lot of questions about your child's development as every new organization and agency will want to know all the details so that they can know where to start.

 

The therapist will assess to find out what your child is drawn to such as sounds and water. These are reinforcers that you can use when doing behaviour modification techniques. Children with Autism are very sensory seeking although it needs to be limited as it can become too much for them and overwhelming. When using therapy on your own at home it begins by learning how to monitor each activity and only allowing a little bit at a time until they are comfortable with it and understands what is going on.

 

 

As much as it was hard getting the diagnosis once we had accepted it we eagerly anticipated the moment where we finally got to have a therapist look at Adara and finding out the areas that we needed to start working on and well how therapy works and what we should expect with Adara's rehabilition. Get the answers to our burning questions. Questions like will Adara ever recover? Will she ever talk? Will she ever go to the toilet on her own? There was a lot of fear and we were so scared for our daughter.

 

 

The first series of appointments to come following this intial assessment will probably be stressful and hard to get through as it is a controlled environment. Most autistic children are not used to being in such a structured setting where they will have to follow the rules and learn how to engage. Try not to worry too much as I had been told by so many people involved in Adara's recovery, always the famous quote" It will get better" or It's a process." Reminding myself of that every time a melt down happened that I will get through this moment with my daughter and move on. Just try to keep in mind that everything is really Okay:) If you need to cry or scream honestly it is best to let these feelings out, to release the stress in your body. And it is Okay that you feel that way. I think it is quite normal. As I have felt like that on numerous occations where I felt I couldn't take it anymore. Therapy for me as at every session I was absorbing the information it became amazing to watch my daugther grow, she is now absorbing everything, imitating, following instructions (bringing her dishes to the sink and taking her own shoes off when she gets into the house), pointing and using words for requesting items. Therapy is great and it pays off so hang in there and you will see how rewarding and great it feels to see your child succeed.