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| Q&A with Dr. Barry Prizant |
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 Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., is director of Childhood Communication Services in Cranston, Rhode Island, and adjunct professor at the Center for the Study of Human Development at Brown University. He has more than 30 years of experience as a clinical scholar, researcher, and consultant to young children with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities and their families. To learn more about Dr. Prizant's work, go to www.barryprizant.com. |
Q: What is the one thing you would say to a parent who has just found out her child has autism? A: In my work as a professional over the past 30 or so years, I have often been in the position of discussing diagnosis for a very young child with parents who are overwhelmed and afraid. I always make sure I say these 4 things: 1. There is great potential for positive growth and change for your child, but it will take hard work and a team effort. (This is why we emphasize a team approach in the SCERTS Model.) 2. The diagnosis does not change who your child is, and you know your child the best. Trust your "gut" when making important decisions. Beware of professionals who say their approach is the "only" answer, or who make promises about how your child will do if you only follow their approach. 3. Speak to other parents who have young children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder], and whose children are a few years older than yours. They have already spent some time on the journey that you and your family will be on, and they often are a tremendous source for advice and support. Parents who remain isolated often experience the greatest stress. 4. Don't just focus on addressing your child's challenges. Understand and use your child's interests and strengths as a means to get at areas of weakness. |
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Questions? Customer Service: 1-800-638-3775 410-337-9580 fax: 410-337-8539 e-mail: custserv@ brookespublishing.com |
Q: What inspired you to work with kids with autism? A: I first began working with children with ASD as a summer camp counselor at residential camps in the late 1960s, a few years before I ever heard the word autism. My greatest inspiration always has been children and their families. Q: What do you see as the next breakthrough for autism? A: This question implies that there have been other "breakthroughs," which I question. On the contrary, progress for kids with ASD, sometimes great progress, always is the result of hard work over a number of years, and a team effort with parents collaborating with professionals who understand children with ASD and who support families. One of the true "breakthroughs" over the past 15–20 years, if you can call it that, has been the insights shared by people with ASD at conferences and in their writings, which we all have benefited from. Who better knows the experience of having autism and how to best support people with ASD than people with ASD themselves? Q: What is the greatest obstacle you have overcome in your work? A: I think about challenges rather than obstacles. These occur regularly in my current practice as a consultant to children and schools, when families and schools are not "on the same page," when there is a lack of trust, and at worst, when potentially collaborative relationships become adversarial. I see these unfortunate circumstances resulting in a waste of energy, time, and resources. Unfortunately, "outside" professionals may encourage parents to take an adversarial position by telling parents that they must pursue litigation, when many opportunities for positive solutions are not considered. I work diligently under these circumstances as a "mediator" to support positive relationships and collaborative efforts that form the foundation for a child and family doing well, despite the challenges of ASD. I have worked in such situations, too numerous to mention, when we all kept the child's best interest in mind and solved differences of opinions in a manner that fostered teamwork and collaboration, rather than eroding the foundation of trust that is necessary. Q: What is the most rewarding experience you've had in working with a child with autism? A: Too, too many to make it an easy task to pick one out. However, when I see children I had first diagnosed as toddlers or preschoolers, who are now teenagers and adults, who are doing well, and who enjoy life, it makes me feel very proud of them and their families. When parents of these children tell me that my work with them made a difference, maybe only a few discussions we had many years earlier, it only confirms that my choice for my life's work was a good choice. |
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