Getting an autism diagnosis for your child can be very overwhelming and the idea of sifting through all of the treatment, intervention and therapy options can be chaotic if you don't have all the right information. HelpGuide.org is a website that offers information and resources on topics like mental health, health and wellness, children and family, relationships, aging well and meditation. In their section on children and family they feature an article titled "Autism Treatments, Interventions, and Therapy Options," which they wrote by gathering several references of current research, studies and diagnostic criteria. When it comes to understanding "treatment" options following a child's autism diagnosis, the first, and arguably, most important thing to acknowledge is that these interventions are not meant to cure autism. The main goal when it comes to treatment is to "help children with ASD acquire new skills and overcome developmental challenges." In addition to that, treatment is used to make playing, socializing, learning and life in general, more comfortable for children with autism. With that being said, finding the perfect treatment approach is something that you might want o take pretty seriously, since there is not just one generalized approach that promises to work for every child. Before making a decision on what will work for your child, it is crucial that you understand the types of treatment available because there truly are so many out there and they each focus on different things and have differing goals as well. Some focus mainly on reducing "problem" behaviors and improving communication and social skills, while others, aim to ameliorate sensory integration problems, motor skills, emotional issues and food sensitivities. Before choosing an approach for your child, you're going to first want to do your research, talk to several experts and ask a lot of questions when speaking with professionals or other families. Keep in mind that you don't have to choose one singular treatment because the over-arching idea is to choose the therapies or interventions that are going to best treat your child and their personal array of symptoms and needs. Most commonly, the choices of treatments include: behavior therapy, speech-language therapy, play-based therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and nutritional therapy. Think about the skills and/or behaviors that are the most essential and try to treat those first; it will be overwhelming for you and your child to attempt to tackle everything at once. Under the umbrella of behavior therapy there are about three different options for treatment which are: the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and Discrete Trial Training (DTT). Behavior therapy, in general, is used to target "unwanted" behaviors and encourage more desired ones. Mostly, the techniques used in these therapy practices are formulated by applied behavioral analysis (ABA) to help children with autism understand the connection between behaviors and consequences. ABA uses positive reinforcement to "coach" and encourage desired behaviors. This particular "umbrella" approach is evidence-based and highly adaptable to meet the needs of each child. Previous studies have found that this type of intensive therapy, if done long-term, can "improve a child's life skills, intellectual abilities and social skills." Within ABA, the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) uses similar techniques but typically works best for children ages 12-48 months old. The sessions in this type of therapy are structured around natural play and joint activities that include the parents as well as the therapists. Singing or mimicry games are often used in these therapy sessions because the focus is heavily placed on creating positive social interactions, enhancing communication and cognitive skills during these moments. Because these therapy sessions require some parent involvement, they thankfully, offer the flexibility of taking place in your own home or a clinic. The success of this form of therapy has been shown in studies due to brain scan research that demonstrates improved language and communication skills as well as improved adaptive behavior. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is another form of ABA therapy that also follows a play-based approach. This form of therapy focuses on more broad areas like "motivation, self-management, response to multiple cues and initiation of social interaction." During these sessions, the therapists will specifically create moments that require the child to speak up, which strengthens their communication and social skills. This approach has been studied and in use in one-on-one as well as group sessions since the 1970's' and studies show its effectiveness in building communication skills of children. Another, but more structured, form of ABA therapy is the Discrete Trial Training (DTT) which teaches children with ASD new skills by breaking them down into small pieces and steps and providing positive reinforcement with each completed goal. Like the other previously mentioned approaches to ABA therapy, DTT has also been used since around the 1970's, it just differs in that it is not as structured around natural play. These three approaches are not the only ones that fall under ABA therapy, so if you are interested in more options, you can dive deeper and research if the ones mentioned here aren't quite fitting your child's needs. Another category of therapy is speech-language therapy, which is typically used to improve verbal and nonverbal skills in children with ASD. The sessions involve a speech-language therapist guiding your child through exercises that encourage them to either describe feelings and/or identify items and people or guided practices to improve speech rhythm, sentence structure and vocabulary. Non-verbal communication skills, as we all know, are really important for children with ASD, so these particular sessions would help in learning and strengthening skills like sign language, hand signals, communicating with pictures and eye contact. Physical therapy and occupational therapy are other categories of therapy that focus mainly on the physical attributes and strengths of children with ASD. Physical therapy is geared mainly toward building your child's motor skills. So the focus is placed on strengthening or correcting their posture, coordination, balance and muscle control which will ultimately, improve their social life and sense of well-being. Occupational therapy is geared more toward lifestyle skills that are useful around the home or at school, like feeding, grooming and dressing. This form of therapy is similar to physical therapy in that the overarching goal is to improve the child's motor skills. The therapists in these sessions will guide the child and structure their plans around the child's individual needs, so if needed, they may also incorporate the use of some assistive devices that help the child adapt to situations in order to complete necessary tasks. Another major form of therapy is Nutritional therapy which aims to improve digestive issue as well as bone density problems in children with ASD. Meeting their nutritional needs as they grow and develop can be a challenge because most children with ASD have food aversions or sensitivities that turn them away from essentials due to textures and flavors that are characteristics of some foods that they need. So, if you have a "picky" eater, consulting with a professional will ease your concerns of them following a healthy diet. A nutritional therapist will create meal plans as well as provide you with steps to follow at home that cater to your child's specific needs and preferences that guide your child in maintaining a healthy diet. There are three steps that you can try at home now that you may find useful when it comes to mealtime and those are: consider your child's favorite foods, serve new dishes alongside current favorites and give your child a sense of control. Try these first and then if you still need the assistance of a nutritional therapist, their guidance is sure to ease your worries and keep your child fueled up and on the path to healthy(ier) eating. The last "big" form of therapy is Cognitive behavior therapy which mainly aims to "help children with ASD understand how thoughts influence behavior." The therapists in these sessions work to teach children how to cope with difficult social situations and challenges in life by showing them how to recognize, reevaluate and regulate emotions. This approach, like others we've discussed, is personalized to each child's needs and with more research, it may be able to address some sleep issues as well. Aside from therapy, there are also treatments for medical conditions that often accompany autism. Aggression is common in some children with autism because this is how they communicate distress. Behavior therapy can help in teaching your child more positive ways to express their needs. But at home, you can try to manage this issue by understanding what your child is trying to tell you. Weed out any stimuli or situations that are causing discomfort and then maybe, you can decipher what is bothering them and causing the aggressive outbursts. It is also common for children with ASD to struggle with anxiety or anxiety disorders, like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Anxiety can impact their ability and comfortability to socialize and/or cause negative behaviors, like outbursts. To help manage anxiety, you can teach your child how to identify their anxious feelings as well as gradually expose them to sources of their anxiety, but in a safe environment, which will help them to feel more calm as they experience it later on. Restlessness and sleep disturbances are also common in children with ASD and they can really prevent them from getting adequate sleep at night and sleep is so important to overall growth and development. Not getting enough sleep can greatly impact a child's concentration and mood (parents you know this feeling in yourselves too!). Implementing good sleep hygiene practices and a calming nightly routine will really help in developing a more appropriate sleep schedule at home. Some children with ASD may also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which can affect their performance in school or during social situations due to the inattentiveness and/or impulsive behavior that it can cause. Simple strategies like healthy sleep practices and frequent exercise patterns can help improve concentration and likely lessen the effects of ADHD in children with ASD. Gastrointestinal (GI) issues, like constipation, bloating and abdominal pain are also fairly common in children with ASD. Some research suggests that these GI issues can also contribute to some of the other "problems" that we have discussed already, like sleep disturbances and aggression. You can minimize your child's GI issues by decreasing stress, encouraging physical activity, adding more fiber and water in their diet and tracking their food to locate the source of discomfort. Each of these can be done at home and you can include your child in this process to hopefully treat the problems they are experiencing. All of these options for intervention and treatment are great but you want to make sure you and your child are getting the most out of treatment. As parents, you play an important role in your child's therapy and you can take steps that work in addition to treatment to ensure that your child is getting everything that they need to succeed. Start early because early intervention can increase the overall effectiveness of treatment; you don't even have to wait for an official diagnosis to begin researching and implementing new practices at home. Then, when your child does have an official diagnosis, you are aware of your options, know what you want to try and don't have to wait to get started. There are obviously a lot of options when it comes to treatment and that is due to the fact that not every option is good for every child; they all have their own strengths and challenges. So, you will want to try multiple treatments at once to rule out ones that don't work and then eventually, find your perfect and most effective combination of treatment for your child. You may want to research or double check with professionals but there are several treatments, like speech-language and nutritional therapy, that you can pair up without causing any harm and creating some real benefit for you and your child. Therapists will also often give strategies and activities that you can try at home, so it is important that you follow through with treatments at home to help your child create new habits and maintain the skills they are learning during sessions. This is also important because it gives you more time to interact with your child and learn more about them, home treatments build on what is learned during appointments and you feel empowered as a parent. You are also going to want to establish a consistent schedule because you want to make sure your child is comfortable while also recognizing that they are going to thrive with a consistent routine. Encourage them to help when it comes to setting their schedule of therapy sessions and communicate appropriately with them when things may change or need altering in terms of day, time or location. Lastly, Recognize your child's strengths because incorporating their strengths and preferences will keep them more engaged and interested in their treatment plan. Remember that with obstacles comes room for growth, so encourage your child regularly to communicate honestly and openly with you as well as their therapist so that adjustments or reinforcements can be incorporated; the main goal at the end of the day is their success. Sifting through the plethora of options and information when it comes to therapy, treatment and intervention for your child can be a lot, but it does have to be debilitating. Take it slow and stay informed so that you can make the best decision for you, your child and your family.
