TREATING AUTISM

Autism spectrum disorder is not a disease and thus is not treated as such.  Individuals with autism have varying symptoms and needs and can benefit greatly from the right kind of therapy. There have even been instances where a child diagnosed with autism has benefited from timely intervention and completely lost the diagnosis and recovered. However, it should be borne in mind that if there are any underlying medical conditions such as Epilepsy, Insomnia and ADHD, those should be treated medically by a licensed medical professional as a high priority because they can be a real stumbling block for the child.

Every child or adult with autism has unique strengths and challenges and so each autism intervention or treatment plan should be tailored to address their specific needs. A person’s treatment plan can include behavioral interventions, speech therapy, sensory integration, other therapies, medicines or a combination of all of these. Early diagnosis of ASD, coupled with swift and effective intervention, is paramount to achieving the best possible prognosis. These therapies can broadly be classified into the following three groups.

Cognitive

Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy

Communication

Speech & Communication Therapy

Therapy

Sensory Processing & Occupational Therapy

Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

Children on the spectrum often exhibit poor behaviour and cognitive skills owing to a multitude of factors. They require a structured program that accommodates their sensory needs and addresses their skill level to ensure a proper learning environment. These programs introduce children to new age appropriate skills and also reinforce wanted behaviours and reduce unwanted behaviours.

In India most professionals that provide cognitive and behavioural therapies are either child psychologists or special educators. There are a few true ABA therapists but those are far and few in between. These professionals first assess the child’s current level and devise a personalised education program designed to help the child learn skills that their neuro typical counterparts naturally acquire such as imitation and simple command following. They also ensure that the child learns to conduct himself both in private and in public. Parents are also trained to ensure a consistent application of this program for the child. Proper data collection and timely reassessments are necessary to ensure that these programs produce the desired results.

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Speech and Communication Therapy

Speech-language therapy can help those on the spectrum improve their verbal, nonverbal, functional and social communication. Just like Autism there is a wide spectrum of communication and speech problems which vary from people to people. A child on the spectrum may talk too much or too little or in some very rare cases not at all. Some may have difficulty interpreting body language and facial expressions while others may not be able to understand things that are said too fast.

Speech therapy starts with a proper assessment conducted by a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). During this assessment the SLP will assess the child’s hearing, vocalisations, speech (if any), oral motor abilities and attempts at communication. The result of this assessment are then used to lay down individual goals which can include introducing or improving vocalisation, enhancing language or even introducing non verbal skills like signs and gestures. Exercises to improve oral motor abilities may also be prescribed. The SLP will also train the parent to ensure that these goals can also practiced at home. Through proper data collection both parent and the professional will be able to figure out what the child needs and what methods are working for him/her.

Speech therapy can enhance a child’s social skills by giving them more opportunities to interact with the people around them. These exercises can also be used to overcome oral motor problems which can lead to poor feeding habits and thus poor nutrition.

Sensory Processing and
Occupational Therapies

Children on the Autism Spectrum often need Sensory integration, which means they feel that they are often either under responsive or overresponsive to different stimuli like sound, touch, smell or taste. Occupational therapy can help them adjust to these different sensory responses. It can also give children a boost in their cognitive, physical, social, and motor skills thus improving everyday skills making them more independent and able to participate in the world around them instead of being under or overwhelmed by it. Occupational Therapy programs for children are mostly focused on play skills and self-care.

Just like Cognitive and Speech therapy, the first step is an assessment of the child’s current skill levels which is conducted by a professional Occupational Therapist. They will observe and evaluate how the child moves around, reacts to different stimuli in their environment, how he/she plays and how independent are they. This assessment also helps the therapist understand if the child is facing any difficult that parents can often not understand such as poor motor planning. Based on the results of this assessment the therapist will then create strategies to make the child more independent in areas like self toileting, self dressing, eating, writing, using simple tools such as spoons etc. and even feeding (which can be an issue for children with poor motor skills). They will also train the parents to help the child practice these goals in the real world.