- 8 News NOWTrained Therapists Make Difference For Local Autistic Children

Trained Therapists Make Difference For Local Autistic Children

The controversy over whether vaccines trigger autism will likely continue, until science determines the facts. In the meantime, families of autistic children often turn to specially- trained therapists for help.

The day-to-day challenges of raising an autistic child can be draining on the entire family. But a new local facility has opened that's specially designed to meet those challenges.

Touro University in Henderson is now an option.

Las Vegas resident, Amanda Nivea noticed changes in her son Austin when he was 18 months old. At one point, she even feared for the safety of his sister Hailey, then a baby.

"He had no emotion. He couldn't care less if we were there, if we weren't. And he was constantly beating his head on the walls, on the floors. He was just miserable. He went from being what seemed to be a happy, perfectly normal little boy to miserable and crying and violent," said Nivea.

Austin was diagnosed as autistic, and the family needed to learn to cope. They were among the first families to turn to Touro University's new Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. There, therapist Cathy Patten specializes in teaching autistic children how to interact with others.

"There was no motivation to play. His only mode of playing was to do things repetitiously, to sit sedentary and play with one toy without any exploration or joy," said Patten.

Pediatrician and educator, Andrew Eisen also works with autistic children at Touro. He does not believe that a link has been conclusively found between vaccines and autism and believes it would be a big mistake to do away with vaccines.

"Nobody wants to see outbreaks of diphtheria again or to see widespread rubella. Those are major problems. I understand people's fear about this and I think -- but because autism is so common and so serious, and frustrating for people, that they're searching for something," said Dr. Eisen.

Nivea, though, like thousands of other parents, says the timing of Austin's symptoms was suspiciously close to his vaccinations.

"I felt like he was a normal happy healthy loving little boy. And at 18-months-old, he was gone. And he wasn't the same," said Nivea.

The severity of autism varies greatly among children. And behavioral therapy is often needed to teach the child even the most basic social skills.