It was one of the worst experiences in my life! I have never felt so inadequate; both as a parent and as a student. I left the program certain that I had wasted my time and angry at myself for wasting time that I could have and should have spent doing something valuable for my daughter. About a month ago I received an email which made me realize why I went through all of that.
I've spent an awful lot of time talking about my daughter's autism, about the symptoms and behaviors that color our picture of autism. But I have spent very little, if any time talking about treatment. I've said before that our family takes a conservative approach to her treatment, meaning we only use treatment options that have years of research proving their effectiveness and are endorsed by the Surgeon General's office. ABA is the only treatment option that fits both categories.
One of the biggest issues with ABA therapy is that it is cost prohibitive. Read--VERY expensive. In my neck of the woods an ABA therapist runs about $50 an hour and this therapy is not covered by insurance. It's also recommended that the child receives up to 40 hours per week for best results. Do the math folks; that's $2000 a week! The other problem is finding a therapist. They are few and far between in my little corner of Kansas--and I live in one of the best areas in Kansas to recieve services. What if I lived somewhere that didn't have a large research hospital nearby? Enter the Simple Steps Autism program.
Simple Steps teaches YOU the parent, how to administer therapy to your child using ABA techniques and how to track the progress. And it teaches you the technical language so that you can better communicate with your child's therapists and doctors. All of this is done via an online interactive program. It's very user friendly but for me the best part was that ABA gave me a glimpse into the mind of my child and helped me to understand what she was seeing, feeling and experiencing*.
And now the important question. How much does it cost? Because of my partnership with Simple Steps I am able to offer my readers a coupon (The coupon code is listed on the bottom right corner of the ad below.) that will bring the cost of the program to $84! (Seriously people, just going through the tutorials to learn the medical jargon is worth 84 bucks!) But this program allows you to learn how to teach your child everything from brushing their own teeth to appropriate social interactions.
I spent 6 months going through a research study that couldn't hold a candle to the Simple Steps Autism program. But I now know why I had to put myself and my daughter through all of that. It was so that I would recognize a wonderful program when it came knocking at my door. Check it out for yourself and see if this wouldn't make a difference in your family's and your child's life.
Don't forget to check out Simple Steps Autism on Facebook
and follow them on Twitter.
*Simple Steps is not a cure for autism. But it can help YOU help your child and every little bit counts, right?
The Mommy admits that she has been compensated to write this review, but it doesn't change the fact
The Mommy admits that she has been compensated to write this review, but it doesn't change the fact
that she think this is an awesome product!
