New Year, New Insurance

New Year, New Insurance

The New Year brings hope, resolutions, and, in some cases, insurance changes. Employers reevaluate their plans, insurance companies tweak their policies, and deductibles reset. Big or small, these changes have an effect on your ABA journey, so let’s look at some ways...
Babysitter Struggles

Babysitter Struggles

We all love our kids, but let’s face it, sometimes we just need a break. A night out with friends or a loved one can be such an important reset. Not only is it important to work on those relationships, but it’s a chance to have some fun being you, not a parent. But...
Preparing for the Holidays

Preparing for the Holidays

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Anyone  who has raised kids knows that’s true, but that doesn’t mean that the villagers always make it easier. A village is full of people who have different perspectives, different expectations of right and wrong, and...
How to Play with your Holiday Gift

How to Play with your Holiday Gift

It’s time to learn how to get the most out of play time! You may be asking yourself “what does that even mean?” or “isn’t play time for…playing? What am I trying to get out of it?” Play doesn’t necessarily have to be structured, but certain things can make play more...
Toys – Finding the Right Gift (part 2)

Toys – Finding the Right Gift (part 2)

In our last blog, we talked to Keri Wilmot, the Toy Queen, Occupational Therapist and author of Wired Differently: A Teacher’s Guide to Understanding Sensory-Processing Challenges about the best way to figure out what toys will be a hit for your child this...
Toys – Finding the Right Gift

Toys – Finding the Right Gift

The holiday season is approaching! A big question on every parent’s mind is “what toy can I get my kid that they will actually play with?” We all know the feeling of thinking you’ve nailed the perfect gift only to see it sit on a shelf collecting dust. And sometimes,...

We have been a family blessed with the help of the team at The Helm. Our son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 2.5 and The Helm was one of the places recommended by our developmental psychologist. I am a physician and still found it hard navigating this new medical problem and knowing what to do next. I called many places and from step one Lee Ann was the most helpful explaining the process with paperwork, assessment, available services, insurance, etc. we were able to start therapy quite soon after diagnosis and had sessions at home daily for 3 hours. The quality of staff, the system they have in place for the therapists, the coordination by the BCBA supervising therapist and early response put us at ease that we were on the right path. Ultimately the steady positive changes we saw with our son overcame any fears we had about autism holding our son back for the rest of his life.

We used many forms of intervention that we felt were individually tailored for our family – for potty training, anger management, dietary intervention and even let them know when we could not maintain something suggested in family training, and they would just take our request and implement another plan. Our son has now graduated/transitioned out of therapy and is currently in pre-K in a regular classroom with him on par with his class in academics, has friends and no behavior issues. Most important of all we have a happy son who loves to play with his big sister.

I know that I will always read all there is on autism and watch my son for any features. But I hope my review adds to positive aspects that I wish someone would have told me when I started the journey – start early, don’t put off your suspicions, get your child evaluated now! The label does not hinder,  in fact it falls to the side once you have the diagnosis to facilitate therapy. ABA intervention, especially done with the right people, makes a big difference. It does not pressure or upset the child at all, and you are not stuck in therapy for life! I know if any behavioral issues come up in the future I have The Helm, and they will help us and the outcome is going to be positive. Said with heartfelt thanks.

– Former Helm ABA Family

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