elmhar

Hi Suzy,
There are lots of things you are already doing as a parent that are helping your son, I'll bet. You shelter him, love him, clothe & feed him, interact with him, integrate him into your family activities, just as you did before the dx. ALL of these simple things continue to contribute to your child's well-being & development. They provide a strong foundation for the intervention that is to come. Don't put too much emphasis on the intervention. Without the foundation you give, it is NOTHING.

Find a support group like Liz suggested. Toronto is a big place -- I'll bet there are a number of different support groups to choose from. Just as you may have learned a few things by trolling healthboards, you'll also learn stufff you wouldn't expect by attending support groups. And the local flavor/info is esp. helpful in negotiating red tape.

If you want OT for your child, you may be able to find other parents w/kids at a similar level of functioning, and go together to form a small "OT group," hiring a private therapist, splitting the cost. There are all sorts of ways to support each other. In my town, the support group itself has a "game time" social group for older kids on the spectrum ... parents of younger kids also come so that they can socialize together.

Don't buy into the idea that 'only pros can touch it.' Sadly, many parents do, but language intervention, improving self-help skills, and sensory integration development have more in common with parenting than they do with brain surgery! In other words, a lot of therapies for autistic kids are special spins on the sorts of things parents normally do anyway.

Knowledge is Power! I firmly believe it. There are so many options out there today that can help our kids on the spectrum. There are many things that you can learn or try, as a parent, to help your child. Maybe not everything will you try will be successful, but quite likely something you try will be! I know you're not twiddling your thumbs while you are waiting for those appts w/the pros, but in the meantime, you can choose to develop your knowledge/power base by reading, if you wish. Here's a link to an ongoing thread on this healthboard, where people have posted about books on autism: [url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=375394&highlight=books[/url]

There is a sort of anxiety that sets in between the dx & treatment that many of us are familiar with. Learning/doing/trying in that interim alleviates anxiety (for me it was guilt, as well), and builds your confidence as a parent of a special child. It can even add efficiency to your child's pro intervention, once that is on board.

A few other thoughts. Look into University programs (speech, OT,psychology, special ed), as they often have clinics staffed by upper level students doing required supervised practicums. U of T has a great reputation. At colleges you may also find undergrad students (look in the same disciplines), who will do "volunteer work" with a child in order to get a ref. on their resume.

And remember to ask about cancellation lists at each place you are waiting.

Good luck!