Massachusetts Act Early Campaign
Visit us on Facebook

Massachusetts Act Early Blog

MA Act Early guest bloggers share their thoughts about healthy development in young children, what to do when concerned about a child's development, and the importance of routine developmental screening, and timely early intervention whenever there is a concern.

Explore our Web site
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Vision, Mission, Coalition, and Goals
    • MA Act Early Steering Committee
    • MA Act Early Task Forces
    • CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Campaign
  • How Can We Help?
    • I'm a Parent...
    • I'm an Educator...
    • I'm a Healthcare Provider...
    • I'm Looking for Screening Tools...
  • Materials & Resources
    • Developmental Milestone Checklists
    • Free CDC Materials
    • Translated Materials
    • Autism Road Map
    • Considering Culture in Autism Screening
    • MA Healthy People 2020 Autism Roadmap Report
    • Diagnostic Services in Massachusetts
    • Rapid Interactive Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T) >
      • Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T)
  • Upcoming Events
  • Webinars & Trainings
    • 2021 Webinars: Learn the Signs Act Early
    • Free Virtual Conference
    • 2019 Spring MA Act Early State Team Summit Meeting
    • 2018 MA Act Early State Team Summit Meeting
    • 2017 MA Act Early State Team Summit Meeting
    • 2016 MA Act Early State Team Summit Meeting
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us

Why Early Identification is Important to Me: A Parent's Point of View

4/3/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
By Elaine Gabovitch, MPA, UMass Medical School-E.K. Shriver Center, parent

It’s Personal

Every year in April, people who care about autism observe and even celebrate Autism Awareness Month. One thing I personally celebrate is how far we’ve come in identifying autism spectrum disorders in young children.

It was 18 years ago when early identification became vitally important for our son. Back then, I didn’t know a thing about autism, but I knew our son wasn’t meeting his developmental milestones on time. When we shared our concerns with his pediatrician, he advised us to “wait and see.”

Instead, I self-referred to Early Intervention who evaluated my son and sent us to specialists. Soon he received a diagnosis, Early Identification services started, and our long trip forward began. Over time, I met other parents whose pediatricians also reassured them to “wait and see.”

It was a growing problem in need of a solution.

That was back in the 90′s, and while early identification has come a long way since then, it still has a long way to go with heightened public awareness.

It’s Prevalent

Only last year, the CDC estimated that every one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder. That’s one in every 54 boys and one in every 252 girls. This past month, a parent telephone survey study reported one in 50 children may be diagnosed on the spectrum.

That’s 2% of all children!

It’s Urgent

Early intervention works. The earlier the screening, the better the results for children and families. But for children who have families from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds, real disparities exist. We can and must do better.

By teaching all families about healthy developmental milestones and what to do when concerned, we can do better. And by training all pediatric clinicians about screening, we can change the conversation from “let’s wait and see,” to “let’s do a routine screen,” leveling the playing field for all children.

It’s Treatable

Take it from me, autism spectrum disorders are treatable. Over the years I have met many children with autism and their families and each has a different story to tell. Early intervention was a crucial part of those stories, as it helped beyond what those families could possibly have imagined at the time of diagnosis.

Identification is the key to getting help. Let’s build awareness here in Massachusetts by getting everyone on board through education, participation and identification.

Over the month of April, we’ll hear from other members of the Massachusetts Act Early state team about why early identification is important to them too.

The blog post above was first published on April 3, 2013 at the New England INDEX Disability Info Blog at www.disabilityinfo.org/blog.  We are happy to republish it here for our readers.


2 Comments
Victoria Addington link
5/13/2022 06:28:44 am

It helped when you shared that early intervention works as it provides better results for children and families. My sister wants to ensure that her kid gets an early screening. I should advise her to seek help from early intervention services for the best program for her kid.

Reply
John Howard link
11/9/2022 02:24:21 am

Development bill away pass certain factor. Live when consumer good. Scene democratic appear strong save near loss.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Guest Bloggers:

    Elaine Gabovitch, MPA

    Elaine Gabovitch, MPA is the the MA Act Early state team leader, CDC ambassador, and family family at UMass Medical School's Shriver Center. Most importantly, she is the parent of a child with autism.

    Stephanie Blenner, MD

    Dr. Blenner is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician from Boston Medical Center and is a member of the MA Act Early Steering Committee.

    Jason Travers, PhD

    Jason Travers PhD, BCBA-D, is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a member of the MA Act Early Steering Committee.

    Archives

    April 2013

    Categories

    All
    Autism Prevalence
    Autism Spectrum Disorder
    Behavioral Intervention
    Culture
    Developmental Disorders
    Diagnosis
    Early Identification
    Early Intervention
    Healthy Development
    Language
    Ma Act Early
    Screening

    RSS Feed