Next week experts will meet in Vancouver to discuss some of the newest developments in the field of autism.
One of the things that will be unveiled at the Autism Biennial Congress 2009 is a new program that could make a major difference in the lives of autistic kids.
A new online program called A Deeper View can help track the progress of autistic children. Research shows that when it comes to treating autism, recording and measuring improvements are key.
Dawn Morrison's seven-year-old autistic son, Max, has come along way in the last couple of years.
"There was a lot of meltdowns, a lot of frustration," she said.
But in recent years Max has learned to talk -- he's beginning to socialize -- and he goes to school.
Dawn says it wouldn't have happened without intensive behavioural therapy.
A Deeper View will help with behavioural therapy, setting goals for the child. Then all behaviour is monitored and inputted into a handheld device on the spot.
It makes tracking progress easier and data can be organized more precisely than simply taking notes after a therapy session.
"For them to have a baseline and a history of what's actually worked with this child before allows them to be able to make more informed decisions and to modify their teaching approaches," said Michael Darden.
"If you realize that that's the particular type of behaviour approach, or treatment approach or dietary approach is not providing the benefit of what you're looking for then you have actually the ability to make more informed decision about what type of care you wish to provide for you child."
With this software, it's hoped those decisions can be made faster so treatments can be individually tailored to help reach goals -- and provide support for kids with autism.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low.
