Lacking comprehension of the problem and the causes, it seems reasonably carefull not to blindly admit your child into care based solely on the authoritive argument. Possibly, doctors cannot explain it propperly either and I'm under the impression that the causes aren't really known. Now, if the parent's lack of proficiency in childcare was responsible, that would be embareassing indeed, and if the percentage of autism
As my parents said when they saw the therapy my daughter was receiving (and took part actively): "I wish we had this type of training when raising our kids".
If we have another child and they are neurotypical... we'll raise them using the same techniques we've learned in supporting my daughter. I encourage any parent who wants to build a stronger bond and more thoughtful kid to read up on play therapies (floor time, speech therapy, OT, PT)... it's been some of the most rewarding and fun time I have had as a parent.
autism therapy isn't something where you "blindly admit your child into [another's] care".
It's typically family therapy -- really, a form of parent training. Our speech language pathologist was fond of reminding us that she spent one hour a week with our son and we spent over a hundred waking hours with him. I would say the best outcome of Early Intervention was that I had better techniques to help my son learn to communicate, express himself, respond to stressful situations, etc.
And the techniques are actually useful for all children, not just on the autism spectrum. I found I was able to use the same techniques to great effect when I taught math in the public schools.
