Doctors and dentists and respite, oh my!

Finding the right people to work with your child on the autism spectrum is tough. We often get phone calls from people both within and outside the PACTT family, asking for help in the search for service providers who have shown success and knowledge in the area of autism.

Yes, I've started compiling a list over the years of folks we've encountered with whom our parents have found strong allies. Doctors, dentists, special recreation providers, private therapists -- I can only imagine how overwhelming it can be for parents to find just the right person.

My best resource for things like this has always been our parent community, a small - but determined - group of parents, intent on getting the very best services for their children. But that's certainly not a comprehensive list.

Enter, stage left: 

According to its "About" page, MyAutismTeam is trying to do this on a large scale. Parents can sign up for a free account, build their "teams," and recommend specific providers. It's a nationwide parent-to-parent database, and could be a fantastical idea (IF, and only IF people participate).

Don't worry - I'm going to keep on adding to my lists, as I hear more about stellar resources from our parents and friends; if you have someone to add (physician, psychiatrist, dentist, etc.), send me their name and save someone else the trouble of searching far and wide for their nearest autism-friendly WHOever.

But check out, too. The more local providers on there, the better the resource for everyone (and feel free to give PACTT a shout-out while you're there!).