I think that there are some solutions depending on where you live and what kind of help you can get, but for many of the rest of us, especially those living in rural areas without designated autism centers where children can be taken, it means one parent staying home to manage the new business of autism therapies and the family losing out on one income. I see this as an enormous problem in terms of the reduction of quality of life due to loss of income even while the stress levels, difficulties and expenses increase due to autism. I'd love to hear how most families deal with all of this. It's been a long, hard road for us since 2010.

We are so fortunate to have Grandparents who help out with these issues. But I think (hope?) NancyD is right -- it is imperative to put the time in early on, from all my research, that makes all the difference later on.

I was lucky enough to have a daycare provider who allowed my son to have his therapy there. It wasn't easy for her having people in and out all the time but we set up guidelines for the therapists so they didn't disrupt nap or meal times for the other kids. Autism will make you creative if it doesn't make you crazy first...:)

As long as there is a responsible adult in the home, we can provide ABA services. One parent or a trusted adult must be there at all times. One or both parents are required to attend a monthly meeting (set during their availability) with the ABA therapists, supervisors and Clinician to oversee your child's progress.

My company (CARD) Center for Autism and Related Disorders, is beginning to infiltrate schools by providing them with our Skills Training and/or allowing our Senior Therapists/Therapists and Clinicians go into the schools to work with children on the spectrum. ABA is not widely accepted everywhere. I wasn't necessarily sold on it, before I began working in the field...but I can honestly say...I've seen the results for myself. They're astounding! I began with a young boy last year who could only mutter approximations of words (meaning it wasn't the correct word...but close enough that I could understand him...after getting to know him better). He used an Ipad for communication. Now he rarely uses the Ipad and his older brother made the connection last month. He was amazed...and said: "Mom and Dad! Did you realize that (my client) is able to have full conversations now?!" I've actually had to prompt my client not to talk with food in his mouth. At first, his parents didn't like that I wanted to take the Ipad away. They insisted that it was his only way to communicate. My supervisors and I taught the parents that the repetitive phrases he continued to type into the Ipad were not communicating. It was gibberish. And if he was saying the same phrase over and over with his words....they would be redirecting him. Reluctantly they allowed me to work with him...and now he is able to communicate vocally more than they dreamed! :)
ABA can have profound results...but the parents must be willing to accept the suggestions of the people who work with their child. We will never judge you as a parent...but sometimes a parent is too close to the child to be able to look at our methods objectively. It can be uncomfortable to let go of complete control. But know that we are there for the welfare of your child. Not to put down your parenting skills. It's the same reason why surgeons can not operate on their own family. They can not be objective. It's too close to home. Many parents say: "Well...I've been doing it like (this)". My immediate thought is... "Yes...and that hasn't worked yet. So please allow us the freedom to teach you alternative methods to achieve the results you're trying for." But it's a delicate subject. We certainly are not in the business of offending parents. But we are in the position of teaching them the skills they need to better provide for their amazing children. :)