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Autism Therapies
Disclaimer: Each child is different and may benefit from different types of therapies. I am not a professional and I have never used any of the therapies below personally. I believe that autism treatment is not about eliminating (mis)behaviors, but about meaningful living and service to Humanity. Environmental / PhysicalEnvironmental therapies change the environment around the autistic. Sensory Integration: We can use strategies to compensate for the child’s sensory dysfunctions, such as changing his environment, routines and how people interact with him. For example, we can avoid visual clutter, messy art activities and perfume. Irlen lenses: Used to treat some forms of dyslexia, these colored lenses also correct visual-perception problems in some autistics. Each individual uses a different color. This treatment was discovered using uniformly colored transparences. Neurofeedback - This can help train the brain to improve focus and decrease anxiety in autistics. Squeeze Machine: This has a comfortable surface which applies constant pressure controlled by the user. Temple Grandin uses it to calm herself down. [http://www.grandin.com/inc/intro-squeeze.html - http://www.therafin.com] Tongue Acupuncture: The anicent Chinese art of balancing the 'Qi' of the human body seems to have an effect on autistic children. Dolphin Assisted Therapy: Clients swim with dolphins, which provide therapeutic effects. Note: Some animal activists object to using dolphins for human interaction as it may cause severe stress to the animals
Chemical / NutritionalChemical therapies change the chemistry inside the autistic's body. Mind-altering Drugs: These are often prescribed to treat autistic symptoms. I personally do not favor using them except as a temperorily last resort due to side effects. GFCF Diet: Many autistic children improved greatly with a casein and gluten free diet. Casein is found in milk and gluten in wheat, oat, rye, and barley. Avoid foods and drinks containing these items. Anti-yeast Treatment: Some experts believe that yeast infections (which may result from antibiotic treatment) make autism more severe. Syndromes include thrush (white patches in mouth). Consult a doctor for treatment. Avoid malt, vinegar, pickles, chocolate, peanuts, corn and chicken. [http://nutritioninstitute.com/Autism.html || http://healing-arts.org/children/antifungal.htm] Oxygen Therapy: Some people believe that increasing oxygen flow to the brain may help it repair damage to brain cells and reduce autistic syndromes. Supplements: Some experts believe that vitamin and mineral deficiencies contribute to autism. Please consult a licensed medical professional before using these. Start with a small dose and increase it slowly to avoid possible side-effects. (* per kilogram of body weight) Vitamin B6: 17mg/kg*/day; max: 1,000mg; requires magnesium Note: Avoid vitamins containing Aspartame (NutraSweet). It may be harmful.
Behavioral / TrainingBehavioral therapies change the autistic's behaviors. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): This very popular scientific approach trains autistic children to learn new skills one small step at a time using reward and punishment. Social Stories: Such stories provide simple illustrations and text examples of how to behave and what the world is about. Topics include: “What is a Library?”, “I am Going to the Library”, “What is a Responsibility?” and “What are My Responsibilities?” Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): Autistic children learn in stages to express themselves using picture cards or sentence strips.
[http://www.polyxo.com/visualsupport/pecs.html || http://www.pecs.com]
InstinctiveInstinctive therapies assist the autistic in connecting with his instincts. Relationship Development Intervention (RDI): This program supplies useful tools for parents to teach important missing skills and impart motivation onto their child to interact. Son-Rise: This program also advocates joining the child. Parents play key roles as teachers, therapists and directors of their own programs, which occur at home. Floortime: Instead of changing the child’s behavior, why not join him on the floor? In this way, we can help him learn to connect his emotions and intentions with his behavior, words and ideas. Intensive Interaction: Designed for people who have difficulty interacting, the therapist works on improving the quality of the interaction, encouraging the client to develop shared attention, turn-taking and understanding non-verbal language.
IntrospectiveIntrospective therapies assist the autistic in developing his conscious will and inner understanding. Facilitated Communication: Autistic children learn to communicate by typing on a keyboard or pointing at letters, images or other symbols to represent messages. The facilitator may help with prompts or physical support to their hands. Note: There is considerable controversy as to whether the facilitator is subconsciously influencing or creating the communication (a.k.a. the ouija board effect). Sign Language: It takes a lot of effort to coordinate our lungs, throat, tongue and lips to speak. Some propose that sign language can overcome many of these difficulties preventing children with autism from talking.
OthersTEACCH: An evidence-based service, training and research program for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorders.
Last modified: Mon, 16 June 2008 Note: This may be only a minor modification (e.g. changing a spelling mistake) |
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