Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is positive parenting?
As a parent you give your children a good start in life — you nurture, protect and guide them. There are many things you can do to help your child. These links will help you learn more about your child’s development, positive parenting, safety, and health at each stage of your child’s life. (Source US CDC)* Save the Children Vietnam has a positive parenting workbook in Vietnamese and English at XX. Training courses are available at XX.
2. What are developmental milestones?
From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. These are available from the US CDC website or app (Source US CDC)*. The US CDC has these available in Veitnamese XX languages at XX. A365.vn has a similar evaluation of milestones in Veitnamsese using ASQ-3 which can be back translated into other languages (Source A365.vn)**. Examples of what a normally developing child looks like at 18 and 24 months can be found here.
3. What do I do if my child is missing milestones?
If your child is not meeting the milestones for his or her age, or if you think there could be a problem with the way your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves share your concerns. Don’t wait! Acting early can make a real difference!! (Source US CDC).* Unlike the USA, in Vietnam and many parts of the world, most doctors are not trained to help in this area. Please contact us to help us understand how you can find needed resources.
4. What are the signs/symptoms of autism?
Some examples include:
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Does not usually respond to their name by 12 months of age
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Does not point at objects to show interest by 14 months
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Has decreased eye contact
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Has delayed speech and language skills
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Prefers to play alone
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Uses few or no gestures (e.g., does not wave goodbye)
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Likes parts of objects (e.g., wheels)
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Flaps hands, rocks body, or spins self in circles
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Hyperactivity (very active)
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Short attention span
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Causing self injury (head banging, self biting)
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Temper tantrums
(Source US CDC). For a more complete list with explanations click here.
5. What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that makes them look different from other people, but people with ASD often communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less (Source US CDC)*.
6. When can an autism diagnosis be made? When does autism develop?
ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable (Source US CDC).* Therefore, it develops some time from conception through up to age 2 years.
7. What can I do to reduce the risk of my child having autism?
Several environmental factors such as not breastfeeding, air pollution and screen time are associated with the symptoms of autism. Several other risk factors can be found at XX. None of these have yet been properly studied to know if they really reduce risk or not. Until research demonstrates no risk, it is prudent to address the factors that can be corrected. In addition, early intervention will reduce the severity of autism if it is present.
8. How do I know if my child has autism?
Autism can only be accurately diagnosed by experienced medical personnel. These include developmental pediatricians and specially trained child psychologists.