Advocate Your Child

by 9 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #8,425 in Family, #289,802 overall

You Must Be A Strong Advocate For Your Child

As a parent, you have to do what is in your child's best interest. Sometimes that can be a scary and uncertain road. Relying on what your gut instinct is telling you is usually the right road to follow.

No one knows a child as well as the parents. (When I say parents, that could also mean a child's caretaker such as grandparents or whoever is raising the child). If you think that there might be something that is not quite right, then you need to investigate it immediately. Of course, it could be nothing but what if it isn't....

DON'T be afraid of what you might find out. DO be afraid of doing nothing.

Could Something Be Wrong?

Does my child have a problem?

That nagging thought keeps returning to your mind. You push it away and carry on with life. However, it keeps coming back until one day you have to decide to deal with it. Make that day sooner rather than later. Don't waste precious time trying to decide for yourself if something is wrong. Seek professional help!

Maybe you have noticed that your child is not talking as well as other children. Possibly your child is not meeting his/her milestones on time. Sometimes there is just something that is "off" that you can't even put your finger on. Does any of this sound familiar?

If you are in those shoes, keep reading and maybe you will find some advice that will help you. Trust me, I have been there.

No One Else Sees It.........

That might be, but YOU do

Your family tells you that they don't think anything is wrong. Your friends tell you that you are worrying too much and everything is just fine. It would be so easy to listen to those well meaning people, wouldn't it?

As I said before, go with your gut. You are the one that lives with the child daily. You see things that other people don't. Don't let yourself get talked out of seeking answers and help. Be your child's advocate before the problem is even identified. You don't want to look back later and regret not acting sooner.

There is always the possibility that nothing is wrong after all. That would be wonderful! At least you would know that you investigated your child's every possible need.

Different Types of Concerns

It is very important to stay in tune with your child and his/her development. Not that I am saying that you should monitor every move like a hawk. You also shouldn't compare your child with every other child you come across. However, be aware of how they are developing and note any concerns.

After doing a tremendous amount of research on this subject, I have noticed the same things coming up over and over again. Autism, ADHD and speech delays seeem to all be on the rise. The one thing that seems clear is that the earlier a problem is detected and treatment is started, the better off the child is in the long run.

Where Do I Start To Get Help?

Talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns

The first thing to do is to call your pediatrician with any concerns you might have. Be very insistent about what you are saying. All to often parents get brushed off and told that everything is just fine. This is where advocating your child starts.

Don't be afraid of sounding silly or being accused of worrying too much. Your child is too important to worry about your pride. The best thing to do is to be prepared when you speak to the doctor.

Make a list of everything that you want to talk about. That way, you can't forget something or get sidetracked during the conversation. It is very helpful to have a log of your child as well. You can note in the log when and how often a particular behavior occurs.

The pediatrician will probably refer you to a specialist. Depending on your child's situation, the doctor might also refer you to your local early intervention program that is available in each county.

Proudly listed in 3stepAds Directory

Now That You Know The Truth........

Advocate your child to a bright future

Once you have a diagnosis, you will have a firmer grip on how to help your child. You can find the right resources and help. Your advocacy role is not over yet.

There might be many "battles" ahead. Problems with insurance, the school system, peers and even doctors are bound to arise. Just remember to push for the best and expect the best when it comes to helping your child. You got him this far, now continue to make his future the brightest it can be!

IANproject.org

Interactive autism network

I wanted to tell you about a groundbreaking online autism project that launched on April 2, 2007: IAN, the Interactive Autism Network. Visit today at IANproject.

IANproject aims to link researchers, families, and the entire autism community to accelerate the pace of autism research. It's a great opportunity to get involved!

IAN consists of two complementary parts: IAN Research and the IAN Community.

IAN Research is the nation's largest online autism research effort. Via secure online questionnaires, and from the comfort of their own home, parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can share valuable information about their child's diagnosis, behavior, family, environment, and services received. IAN Research aims to collect the largest ever data set on children with ASDs - an accomplishment that should help researchers find causes, treatments, and, hopefully, a cure.

The IAN Community, a comprehensive online library and meeting place focused on autism research, is open to families, researchers, and anyone impacted by an ASD. You can participate in the IAN Community to learn about the latest research, become a more informed consumer of research, and join in a worldwide collaboration of people dedicated to finding answers. On the Community site, there is a great deal of information both for beginners and for the more advanced, plus the initial results from the IAN data collected so far. Come see what they've found!

Please check it out at IANproject, and help spread the word to others you know who might be interested.

Autism Speaks Community

Autism Speaks has an online community with message boards. You can talk to other parents that are dealing with the same issues that your family is.

There you can find information on the latest research, legal issues and news. You can also just meet and talk with other parents to get some support. Don't deal with this all by yourself, go to a community that can support you!

Another great reason to visit is to get involved! Autism Speaks has many fundraising and awareness events. They have a Walk Now For Autism program that helps to raise funds for autism research. Visit the walk events page to learn more.

April Is Autism Awareness Month And You Can Help Raise Funds! From the Autism Speaks website:

Chevrolet has teamed up with Autism Speaks to drive home the message of autism awareness. During April - Autism Awareness Month - visitors to the Autism Speaks website (www.autismspeaks.org), can click on the "Help Chevy Help Autism" icon and take a virtual test drive of the 2008 North American Car of the Year - the all-new Chevy Malibu. Chevrolet has committed to a minimum contribution of $500,000, but every virtual test drive taken gets Chevrolet closer to its goal of donating up to $1 million to Autism Speaks to support its mission of increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research. Those who complete the virtual test drive will receive a free 30-day online trial of XM Satellite Radio. Read more and visit the Autism Speaks home page to take the virtual test drive.

QUICK AND EASY WAYS TO SPREAD THE WORD:
1. Add the link to your e-mail signature.
2. E-mail everyone in your address book about the promotion and encourage them to do the same.
3. Post it on your social network home pages.
4. Post it on your blog, and encourage those who have blogs to do the same.

We need as many people as possible to view the video PRIOR to April 30. Please watch the video and spread the word. Link to video: Help Chevy Help Autism

Help Fund Autism Research

My Charity Badge: Donate And Help

I am hoping to help autism research in any way I can. I signed up to get a charity badge in which all donations go directly to Autism Speaks. Click on the link and you can help by donating too. You can also help by copying the badge and placing it on your site to accept donations to Autism Speaks. Donate To Autism Speaks And Help Support Research

AUTISM OCCURRENCE: One in every 150 children born in the US have autism. It is estimated approximately 1 million in the US have this disorder.

NOTE: This number does NOT include: PDD, Asperger's and other spectrum disorders. These statistics are endorsed by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other federal organizations.

U.S. FACTS:
-A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes
-There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year
-The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and expected to more than double in the next decade.
-Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.
-There is no medical detection treatment, or cure for autism.

AUTISM COMPARED TO OTHER DISABILITIES: Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. today. "

Links To Sites With Useful Information

Please feel free to add a link to a site that can help fellow visitors.

Advocate Your Child

You Must Be A Strong Advocate For Your Child

Could Something Be Wrong?

Does my child have a problem?

No One Else Sees It.........

That might be, but YOU do

Different Types of Concerns

Where Do I Start To Get Help?

Talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns

Now That You Know The Truth........

Advocate your child to a bright future

IANproject.org

Interactive autism network

Autism Speaks Community

Help Fund Autism Research

My Charity Badge: Donate And Help

Links To Sites With Useful Information

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Books That Might Help You

You can never know enough....

Natural Help The Homeopathic Way

Safe For Kids!

More Great King Bio Homeopathic Sprays

Various related news from Google

Updated every 12 hours

Medical News Today RSS Feed

Medical News Today RSS Feed

Reader Feedback

by kellfinder

Explore related pages

Related Topics

kellfinder Recommends...

About kellfinder

kellfinder's Pages

About Squidoo

Help & Feedback

Support Charity

Fancy meeting you here.

Loading Workshop

Report this Lens

Login

Join Squidoo for free!