34 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2019
PRESS HEALTH
APRIL IS NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
FORGET THE LABEL
What matters most is the child, their
progress, their quality of life, and the
family’s, too.
“The label is needed just to get the
appropriate services for the child,”
says Lisa Carbone, Suffolk County
assistant coordinator of special
education. “Beyond that, it’s about
working with individual children and
providing services and helping them
according to their needs.”
Parents need to reach out to
professionals.
“The earlier you get your child services
the more effective the therapy
is,” says Carbone.
Early intervention may include
speech therapy, physical therapy,
and other types of services. The
county is the first point of contact
for having a child evaluated following
referrals from parents or a
pediatrician, foster care, etc., she
explains. They assist in coordinating
services for diagnosed children
from birth to preschool age; thereafter,
children are transitioned to
services coordinated through their
respective school districts.
Parents need to maintain an open line
of communication, ask questions, and
return messages. They should work
with professionals to understand a
child’s needs and how those needs
can best be met consistently, being
mindful that those needs may change
over time.
“When parents and educators and
doctors work together to develop an
IEP Individualized Education Plan
that accurately identifies and targets
a child’s needs at each stage of his/
her development, a program can be
designed to maximize progress,”
says Marti White, a retired school
psychologist.
BE THE ADVOCATE
Parents of children on the spectrum
should be their child’s advocate and
teacher as well as their parent.
“The children that do the best are the
ones whose parents just sit and play
with them,” says Angela J. Castillo, a
behavioral analyst with the Developmental
Disabilities Institute, Inc. in
Huntington. “It is also important for
the parent to carry over and generalize
skills learned during sessions,
as well as to help guide them when
problem behaviors occur outside of
sessions. It’s OK to push your child to
be the best they can be! It works!”
Edie Brannigan’s son, Mikey, was
diagnosed with autism when he was 2
years old. The diagnosis sent the East
Northport family into a whirlwind of
rigorous daily educational services,
endless questions, and fear for their
son’s future.
Fast-forward 20 years. Mikey Brannigan
is a professional runner. He
travels all over the world racing. He
shook the hand of President Obama
and received a hug from the First Lady.
“He has a full, rich, amazing life and
he is showing my husband Kevin
and myself the world,” Brannigan
shares, adding that her son’s running
shoes are aimed at the 2024
Summer Olympics in Paris. “Mikey
thinks he can do it, and I believe
him. He really is a powerful example
to many people with autism in
their lives,” she says.
SEEK SUPPORT
Having a child with autism can be
both physically and emotionally
draining. Parents should give themselves
even a few minutes per day to
put their own lives in perspective,
gain strength, move forward — and
breathe.
“You just have to keep talking, keep
sharing, keep asking for support,
even if that's just someone to listen
and not try to give a solution,” Brannigan
says. “I am grateful today for
the gift of autism. It has changed us
all. Somehow, we got through the
bad times intact as a family. Life is so
good.”
continued from page 37
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