Parents, guardians or caregivers can approach the following entities for a referral to have their children assessed if they have concerns regarding their child’s development or behavior.
Parents can approach the medical providers at the St. Eustatius Healthcare Foundation on St. Eustatius for their child to be evaluated and rule out medical conditions that may lead to the concerns they have regarding their child’s development or behavior. The medical providers can also facilitate referrals to the indicated and appropriate specialist(s) once a diagnosis has been established.
Schools including Afterschool programs are tasked with referring students for assessment and evaluation when they detect or suspect a developmental or behavioral issue with a child. They can refer or recommend that parents, caregivers or guardians have their children undergo medical or psychological testing.
ECE is a local Center of Expertise on St.Eustatius where diagnostic testing for children can be done. Testing is done based on school referrals only. Once a diagnosis is obtained the client is referred to the appropriate specialist(s).
The island’s Mental Health Center has a limited number of specialists that can provide mental health therapy or treatment for children with ASD.
To address the challenges encountered by children with ASD, parents should explore specific activities that could enhance their quality of life.
Occupational therapists study the growth and development of humans along with how individuals interact with their environment on a daily basis. With their knowledge of the social, emotional, and physiological results of illness and injury they teach individuals with disabilities or developmental disorders the skills necessary to live independently. Occupational therapists typically work with parents, teachers, and other professionals to form a team that supports the ASD child. They assist with setting specific goals for the ASD child and offer both therapy to achieve those goals and evaluation to monitor the progress in achieving those goals.
Speech or language therapy tackles the difficulties of both verbal and nonverbal communication that individuals with ASD may have. It also aims to help children with ASD improve their social communication. The major objective is to have ASD individuals learn to communicate more practically and effectively with their environment.
Research has shown that nutrition plays a vital role in treating and reducing the symptoms of ASD. Studies have concluded that the use of “sugar, additives, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, inorganic processed foods, and hard-to-digest starches” exacerbate ASD symptoms whereas “ketogenic diets, gluten-free/casein-free, camel milk, curcumin, probiotics, and fermentable foods” aid in alleviating symptoms. Children with ASD may also be nutritionally deficient due to reservations they may have about eating certain foods (for instance, they may not like how certain foods feel in their mouth). This is why it’s important for parents, caregivers or guardians to work with a nutritionist or dietitian to craft a personalized meal plan for their child with ASD.
Motor coordination deficiencies have become increasingly evident in children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have difficulty with coordination, carrying out skilled movements and are delayed in learning complicated motor skills. Parents and caregivers often find that children with ASD have issues with balance, they walk clumsily or are unable to run or climb stairs properly. They can get stuck in certain repetitive movements and their muscles may lack tone.