It’s official. In some ways, it confirms your worst fears. In another, strange way, you’re relieved to have a name for your concerns — autism.

Either way, the first step of your journey into the world of autism is over and you’re beginning the next. But what is that next step?

Simply put, your next step is to GET HELP!  ASC Staff is just a phone call away!

If your child has not yet been involved with the public school system, now is the time to contact them. Under federal regulations, intensive childhood early intervention services end on the child’s third birthday. It does not mean you’ve missed out if your child is three or older, it just means that the intense level of services may be harder to come by, if there are waiting lists for services, they may be longer and in general, service coordination may be less … coordinated.

A surprisingly common inquiry to the Autism Society of Colorado is the one where someone — usually not a parent — calls to ask how they should break it to someone that they suspect their child may have autism.

It’s never public school personnel because they are obligated to notify parents of such concerns and they usually have specific guidelines to do so.

Often, the person asking will say that they’ve broached the subject by hinting around or just bringing up the subject; but just as often, the targeted party didn’t take the hint or otherwise took the topic off the table.