Hope and Mirrors

With so many unanswered questions regarding the mysteries of autism it is easy for parents to grab hold of anything that offers hope. Recently at the Autism One conference in Chicago it was interesting to see the range of exhibitors and the various remedies that were being offered. One of the things that I was curious about was whether or not these products were measurable in terms of results. The problem parents are facing is the perception, which seems to be accurate, that early intervention is critical when working with children with autism. Therefore, a parent needs to make choices and they need to make them fast. Because most of these products are relatively new there aren't sufficient measurements to determine their effectiveness. All they seem to do is offer hope, and in some cases that hope can be quite expensive.