Doctors from all over the world are researching, collaborating, and trying to come up with a medication for autism. Because of the huge differences in individuals and impairments, at this time there is no medication that specifically is developed for autistic patients. What might help one person in ten may be of absolutely no benefit to the other nine people. While doctors research, 26,000 parents are busy filling out evaluations on treatments that are being used on their children to combat this disorder. The evaluation contains three sections: drugs, non-drugs, and special diets. It asks parents to use a rating scale of: has this treatment made your child “better,” “worse,” or do you see “no effect at all”.http://www.autism.com/treatable/form34qr.htm.

Before you begin reading this article on How to Treat Autism, please read How to Diagnose Autism. The first step described below will review some of the impairments children and adults with autism experience. The variation in impairments in individuals is immense as there is such a wide spectrum in the disorder. No two individuals are alike and no single treatment will work for all individuals with autism. This article will explore some of the treatments for autism that are being used to help these individuals live better lives.

The list of possible impairments is tremendous. Each individual with autism is different and suffers from different combinations of the following:

Social Skills:

Most autistic children lack eye contact. They prefer to be alone and are often unaware of others being present. They have an inability to share with others and seldom have relationships. Emotions are not reciprocated, and they do not imitate the actions of others.http://www.autismnetwork.org

Communication Skills:

Autistic children often have delayed speech or no speech at all. Gestures they make are usually only for something they want, not pointing out something. If they are able to speak they cannot initiate a conversation or carry out a conversation. They often have repetitive speech called echolalia. The children with higher IQs generally have better language skills. Compared to their peers, they have little pretend play skills. If words have more than one meaning, they have difficulty understanding them (e.g. (clothes) iron or (the metal) iron. They also have problems with grammar.http://www.autismnetwork.org

Restrictive, Repetitive and Stereotypical Behavior:

These children are often strongly focused or fixated. They are inflexible about routines and rituals. Changes have to be done slowly. Spinning, rocking back and forth, and finger flicking are common. They may show interest in only one part of an object and be fixated on it for long periods of time.http://www.autismnetwork.org

Other Impairments:

Sensory problems are very common in autistic children, but there is a great variation in which senses are involved. Some children may have low reaction or overreaction to sounds, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. Children who cannot tolerate normal noises have a tendency to cover their ears, and they could throw a tantrum just to get away from the noise. Many autistic children cannot stand to be held and it is actually painful to them to be touched. Certain fabrics cannot be tolerated against their skin. They may also have either a low or high pain tolerance.http://www.autismnetwork.org

There are several approaches that are being used at this time to provide help to those suffering from autism. The most common ones are discussed below. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA):

Floortime:

This treatment is based on interaction of a child with an adult on the child’s developmental level. It is called floortime because the adult gets down on the floor to play with the child on his level. The intent of floortime is to take the child through the following stages of development in order for the child to grow emotionally and intellectually: “self-regulation and interest in the world; intimacy or a special love for the world of human relations; two-way communication; complex communication; emotional ideas; and, emotional thinking.”http://autismspeaks.org

[[Gluten Free[[, Casein Free Diet (GFC):

This diet removes oats, rye, wheat, and barley (glutens) and dairy products (casein) from the child’s diets. It has not been scientifically tested, but families report from observation that it has helped their child’s bowel regulation, sleep, and other behaviors that are habitual. It has also been helpful in making progress with other treatments. While the child is on this diet, a nutritionist should be consulted. It is possible children will need supplements or substitute foods to maintain their health. http://autismspeaks.org

Occupational Therapy:

Skills such as coping and fine motor, play and self-help are focused on, as well as social skills, in this method of treatment. This can be done both at home and school. At school special skills like using scissors, reading and writing can be addressed. At home grooming, toilet training, riding a bike, and getting dressed can be addressed. This therapy is done by using a collaboration of professionals and family members and is geared at helping the child be successful in their everyday lives. http://autismspeaks.org

PECS:

This treatment plan is geared at children who cannot communicate verbally. Pictures on cards or in a book are used so the child can express their needs, desires and feelings. The initial training starts off with one object. Later, however, two or more objects may be shown to give the child a choice. Eventually, sentences may be made from using several cards. Even colors and size may be added as time goes on. http://autismspeaks.org

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI):

This treatment is used for all autistic children on the spectrum. Parents teach their children how to share, make friends, learn empathy, and feel love.

There are six main areas this program covers: Emotional referencing: Learning how to use emotional feedback from other’s experiences.

Social coordination: Learning how to regulate behaviors in order to have emotional relationship.

Declarative Language: Learning how to communicate verbally and non-verbally to share thoughts and feelings with others.

Flexible thinking: Learning how to cope with plans that change due to circumstances.

Relational Information Processing: Learning how to get meaning from context, and solve problems with no definitive answer.

Foresight and Hindsight: Learning how to use past experiences to make decisions in future circumstances.

Implementing these aspects early on can help the child and parents lead better lives. http://autismspeaks.org

The SCERTS Model:

This program focuses on social communication using visual supports and natural activities for both children and adults with ASDs. The goal of the program is to develop communication that is spontaneous and leads to trusting relationships.

Emotional regulation: Regulate emotions for learning and interacting.

Transactional support: Gives families, children and professionals support in the home and community; collaboration with teachers and families to help give meaning to the child’s life.

The priority of this program is on initiation and response in everyday communications using a variety of social scenarios. http://autismspeaks.org

Sensory Integration Therapy:

Autistic children may have different responses to thing such as sights, sounds, movements, smells and touch. This technique focuses on the individual child’s particular sensory responses and sensitivities. When it is successful, it improves sensory integration and allows the child to have a better life. Neurosensory and neuromotor exercises help the brain repair itself. http://autismspeaks.org

Speech Therapy:

A licensed speech therapist works on speech skills that the child may be lacking. Things such as how and when to say something, echolalia, high pitched speaking voices, and content are worked on. This may be done using speech or gestures. http://autismspeaks.org

TEACCH:

This treatment is geared to the individuality of the child. Many are visual learners, so focus is on organizing the learning environment. Structure helps the child to be more organized. This treatment can be very helpful when used in conjunction with other therapies. http://autismspeaks.org

Verbal Behavior Intervention:

Emphasis on language function instead of form is the focus of this treatment. The goal is to motivate a child to connect the word to its value. The gaps in ABA treatment are often filled in by verbal behavior intervention. http://autismspeaks.org

Stem Cell Injections:

Stem cell injections from adult stem cells may show promise in the future and research is being done. There is an interesting article on this treatment at http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/07/stem-cells-the.html.

There are some alternative treatments that appear to be helpful in some children with autism. These include: Facilitated communication: child’s hand or arm is held while they type on the computer; possibly reflects the thoughts of the holder, not the child. Holding therapy: holding the child tightly for long periods of time to develop a bond with the child; no concrete proof this works. Auditory integration therapy: Introducing children to the sounds of many different things; no proof this is better than listening to music. Dorman/Delacato method: the child starts with crawling and works their way up the developmental chart to introduce skills they missed along the way.http://autismspeaks.org Prescription drugs: no prescription medication exists that is used specifically for autism. However, autism is often comorbid with other disorders such as ADD/ADHD. Medications for these disorders should be discussed in detail with a medical doctor because giving medications to really young children can be very dangerous. Risperdal is the only medication approved for the age 5-16 group. Some families report that it helps with the child’s irritability, aggression and mood swings, while others report no change. Other alternatives: B-12 shots, pancreatic enzymes, aloe vera, omega-3s, magnesium and chelation therapy.

The content on this page is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Speak with a qualified heath care professional to ensure that you have the most accurate information regarding any mental health diagnosis.