This is what we've done for our son with autism.

He has been making remarkable progress!

What we did in combination which we believe lead to his remarkable improvement:

1) Recognized he was missing developmental milestones and had unusual behaviors

2) Sought early medical diagnosis (developmental delay in Vietnam, autism by USA specialist)

3) Accepted initially his diagnosis of speech delay, and over time, autism (treatment is the same)

4) Family took action with what we could do in Vietnam:​

    * Provided the best special education we could identify (at age 2)

    * Stopped all screen time (tablet computer, TV, cell phone, etc.) and toys with flashing lights

    * Had him learn his first words to communicate and used techniques to get him to talk

    * Read to him at least 15 minutes every day

    * Played with him 3 hours per day using the technique of “following his lead” 

    * Made sure he had enough sleep and nutrition

    * Joined effective support groups

    * Developed expertise about autism and closely monitored his progress

    * Added applied behavior analysis (at age 3)

This is what we are doing for our son who is at risk for autism.

Our son has ~30% of risk of autism!

What we are doing to lessen the symptoms of autism (if he has it):
1) Providing extensive attention, focusing on eye contact, communication, and play
2) Making sure he gets optimal sleep and nutrition
3) Tracking development with US CDC Act Early Milestone Tracker and a development checklist
4) Teaching the checklist of milestones at the appropriate time 
5) Providing a screen-free environment (including no background TV, cell phone screens)
6) Prepared to implement a professional early intervention as soon as a milestone is missed

How I taught myself English.

By Pham Thi Tuyen

First, I was highly motivated to learn English to find a good job. I was having trouble finding one, despite having recently received a college degree in accounting. The brother of my friend was a role model. He had a really high score on TOIEC (an English test), with which he found a really good job at a Japanese company.

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It was not clear how to teach myself after searching the Internet. I then searched Google Play for learning English apps which produced many results. I tested several apps and decided to use these:

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• Tflat Practice Listening in English (Luyện nghe Tiếng Anh)  Links: https://apkpure.com/english-listening-practice-tflat/com.tflat.spotlight, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tflat.spotlight&hl=en

• Tflat Practice Reading in English Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tflat.english.vocabulary&hl=en

• Tflat Vietnamese English Dictionary (Từ điển Anh Việt) Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vn.dic.e.v.ui&hl=en

• Tflat English Grammar (Ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh)  Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tflat.app.englishgrammar&hl=en

• Learning English with Voice of America (VOA) Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vn.innoloop.VOALearningEnglish&hl=en

• Chatting on-line with foreigner Link: https://www.ampercent.com/best-apps-chat-strangers/13430/

I also watched TV series and movies with a slow voice (Hannibal, Disney movies). ​

I talked with myself every other day topics that were happening in my life and from Spotlight (Tflat Practice Listening in English).​ I took about one hour/day to read and practice English for six months. I tried to learn how to speak first, and then to read and write. I always took one lesson per day from: Learning English with VOA or Tflat Practice Listening in English and tried to understand the topic. Then I practiced English by talking to myself every other day. ​Based on my efforts, I was able to find a job with an American company and then an American non-profit. I now have opportunity for higher education at an international institution.