ONE-ON-ONE: USC professor explains recent autism study

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — According to the CDC, 1 in 36 eight-year-olds is affected by autism. Diagnoses are rising, especially for minority populations. 

April has been designated as Autism Acceptance Month.

“For a lot of people it just represents a different way of seeing and experiencing the world,” said USC associate professor Dr. Robert Hock. “It can actually enrich our understanding of the world, I think.”

However, it can be difficult to understand autism spectrum disorder for a parent of a recently diagnosed child.

“That can have an effect on your own confidence. Some parents tell me that they went through periods where they doubted if they knew their child as well as thought they did,” Dr. Hock said. “That’s an unintended consequence that we try to adjust in our program.”

The program Dr. Hock is talking about is called ‘Autism Parent Navigators’, part of a 5-year clinical trial study. 

“We’re comparing two programs. One is parent-to-parent support where families receive targeted support over the telephone primarily,” the USC professor said. “We’re comparing it to the Autism Parent Navigators program. It’s six sessions of structured content and there’s a workbook that parents go through. We’re looking at the effectiveness.” 

The program pairs families who have experienced autism with families who have newly received a diagnosis.

“One thing that we talk to parents about in the program is becoming more of a detective. A child may not articulate their needs or desires in the same way,” Hock said. “It means that as parents we have to pay attention to clues to find out what is causing distress to the child. Sometimes it’s changes in routine that you didn’t even realize. It can also be sights, sounds or smells.”

To find out more about Autism Acceptance Month, check out this link.