Speech therapists for autistic child in Ms Delta (Hattiesburg, Cleveland: renting, homes)

[braylenhollingsworth]

My 3 yr. old son was recently diagnosed with autism at The Boling Center For Developmental Disibilities, Memphis, Tn. I really need info on therapists in cleveland, ms area(speech, occupational therapists), also Psychologist that specialize in treating Autistic children. I was told I will have to take my son to Univ. Of Miss, Ole Miss in Oxford,Ms to see students majoring in Psychology. I want the best for my son, and would love to hear any suggestions. Also I'm not sure what school I will need to enroll him in, or does he go to regular headstart. He is not potty trained and is basically non verbal. Thanks

[kennedymom]

Hi. We live in the Mississippi Delta and have a preemie (former 1 pounder) and we have to travel a great deal to Memphis to go to doctor's appointments. I would go to your local school board because they should have a speech therapist or (and I'm not sure exactly where you live) and occupational therapist. I live and teach in Coahoma County and I know of a speech therapist in our school district as well as an OT who comes in to work. He can be enrolled in any school because of "inclusion" they will have to bring in an occupational therapist and a speech therapist to work with him. I would recommend calling this person: Connie (I forgot her last name) at Tri-Lakes Mental Health. It's located in Batesville. (662) 563-5611. Good Luck.

[jennianne]

Originally Posted by braylenhollingsworth

My 3 yr. old son was recently diagnosed with autism at The Boling Center For Developmental Disibilities, Memphis, Tn. I really need info on therapists in cleveland, ms area(speech, occupational therapists), also Psychologist that specialize in treating Autistic children. I was told I will have to take my son to Univ. Of Miss, Ole Miss in Oxford,Ms to see students majoring in Psychology. I want the best for my son, and would love to hear any suggestions. Also I'm not sure what school I will need to enroll him in, or does he go to regular headstart. He is not potty trained and is basically non verbal. Thanks

My son is 6 now. He was diagnosed at the age of 3 also. But my son was legally deaf for we think two years. We went to several doctors and never could get a straight answer, so he had fluid behind his eardrums for a long time. Anyway, I've been where you are. My son had been in headstart for 4 months when I noticed I wasn't having to put new pull-ups in his backpack.
They weren't changing him. I picked him up several times from headstart with a poopy diaper. So I took him out. I got him potty-trained before he started kindergarten. Put a potty chair wherever your child feels comfortable. For us it was his bedroom. After he started kindergarten I thought things would change, but they didn't. We tried several medications for my sons' fits. None of them were for him. They either made him uncontrollable or out of it. He does much better without medication. My son had an intern for an assistant.
It was brought to my attention that when my son would have outburst, he is non-verbal also, the teachers would put him in a book closet as punishment. I'm homeschooling my child now and he's doing great. His therapist and I are always seeing new things that he's doing. The schools here have integrated the special needs children with the regular students. My opinion is that our special needs children need special teachers. The schools here expect for the autistic children to act like normal children and when they don't they get in trouble, regardless of what condition they may have. Also another tip that may help. Teach your son sign language. Start with the simple alphabet and go from there. My son's spelling words now and he studies his sign language book more than anything. He loves to do his spelling more than anything. It's fine to send your son to regular school, but watch him. If he acts like he doesn't like someone. Pay attention. I made that mistake and took the teachers word over how my son was acting and later found out from his assistant that that particular teacher had been mean and cruel to him. If you need any help or advice I'd be happy to help. Moderator cut: please use direct message feature - also please see Special Kids section under Parenting on the main page of the forum for more parents with like interests

[Dr.RebeccaBoyd]

Another form of therapy you may want to consider is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Studies have been conducted over the last several years such as one done by physician Daniel Rossignol, that was published in the British Medical Journal. He showed that after Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, autistic children showed significant signs of improvment in eye contact, sensory and cognitive awareness, social interaction, reception language, and overall function.

There are not any options for HBOT in Cleveland, but there are several facilities in other areas of the state where your son can receive treatment. We actually even offer this treatment at Forward Health Solutions, in Hattiesburg, MS.Forward Health Solutions

After you explore HBOT, another option may be to purchase a chamber to use in your home after the proper certifications.