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STORIES FROM MATRIX PARENT ADVISORS AND CLIENTS
FOR EVALUATING TREATMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS...
A parent called Matrix because she felt her child hadn’t made much progress in reading, even after 10 years in Special Education. In meeting with the Matrix Parent Advisor, review of the student's test scores confirmed that. The Parent Advisor provided information about evidence-based reading programs, and the parent asked the IEP team to give her information about the reading program they were proposing. When the district provided an article about the reading program (written by the company that sold it), the parent had been empowered to realize that an independent review of programs is what she needed. She looked up the district’s proposed program on three websites that write independent reviews of reading programs, but found no evidence that the program had been peer-reviewed for effectiveness. The mom now had the information she needed to support her request for the district to provide a program that had been shown to be effective. What was the outcome? Her child is now receiving a reading curriculum with proven success.
My 12-year-old has a history of stomach problems. When his stomachaches and vomiting got worse recently, our O.T. recommended a special diet. I researched it by reading a few books, looking at pros and cons on the web, practicing some recipes, and asking other parents about it. With the support of my husband, we gave the diet a try. I do not expect it to be a cure for my son’s dyspraxia (though that’s one of the diet’s more fantastical claims), but it has already made his tummy feel better and stopped the throwing up.
The parents in the Solano ASD support group do a lot of evaluating of treatments and interventions together. Spending time talking with others in similar situations is both informative and reassuring. Parents can ask others how a specific intervention worked for them, and what it was like to implement. We talk about medical treatments, educational programs, or behavior interventions. Recently, a family described their child’s refusal to eat. Other parents made suggestions on behavioral approaches to the problem. Someone else gave a referral to a nutritionist she liked. The conversation turned into a problem-solving session, and everyone in the room learned something useful.
My son has high-functioning autism. His greatest challenge is socializing with peers. During imaginary play, he can get inflexible, always wanting to play the same character and decide everyone else’s character. This leads to frustration, tears, and an abrupt end to the playdate. After talking with our therapist and researching tips on the web, we created a “Social Autopsy.” We write down everything that happened during the playdate and what my son could’ve done to have a more successful outcome. Having everything written on paper seems to be much more effective than me just talking to him about it. I know this intervention works for my child because these days our need for Social Autopsies is much less frequent, and his playdates are much more successful.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at info@matrixparents.org.
