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Although there is no known cure for
autism, a combination of specialized treatment and education programs
can often help many patients. The most common autism treatment options
involve both occupational and physical therapy. Occupational therapy
helps improve independent function and teaches patients basic skills
such as buttoning a shirt or bathing - while physical therapy involves
using exercise and other physical measures such as using massage and
heat in order to help patients control body movements.
Other common autism treatment
options include:
" Behavior modification
" Communication therapy
" Dietary modifications
" Medication
Behavior modification:
There are several methods of
behavior modification that are used to treat autistic patients. Most
behavior modification principles are based on the theory that rewarded
behavior is more likely to be repeated than behavior that is ignored.
For instance, Sensory integration therapy is a type of behavior
modification that focuses on helping autistic patients cope with
different sensory stimulation. The treatment may include having the
patient handle materials with different textures or listen to different
sounds.
Play therapy is yet another type of
behavior modification used to improve emotional development. Play
therapy most often helps patients understand and cope with their own
feelings and involves adult-child interaction that is controlled by the
child. Along the same lines, another behavior modification technique
called "social stories" can also prove helpful in improving an autism
patient's undeveloped social skills. Using social stories helps a
patient better understand their feelings, ideas, as well as the points
of view of others, and may suggest to the patient an alternate response
to a particular situation.
Communication therapy
Many other alternate treatment
options for autistic patients involve the use of communication therapy
Communication therapy is used to
treat autistic patients who are unable to communicate verbally, or to
it may be used to initiate language development in young children with
the disorder.
Today, clinical studies show that
Video Modeling Therapy Programs are highly effective in teaching
children with autism. One such program entitled "Special Kids" (www.specialkids.com)
was pioneered by a father of a boy with autism, Special Kids maintains
a distribution to over 500 different school systems within the USA as
well as 30 different countries. The program helps children with a
variety of developmental, cognitive and learning disabilities acquire
speech, reading, writing, early academics, personal hygiene, self-help,
social and play skills.
Another program, called 'Safety
Harbor' is the brainchild of two school therapists, Anne Pesacov and
Betty Dixon, as well as teaching artist Emily Harris. This series of
eight workshops is designed to teach social skills to children with
Asperger's syndrome through the use of puppets. To learn more about
puppet-assisted relationship therapy, contact Betty S. Dixon of Tampa
at (813) 431-9790, Emily Harris of Tarpon Springs at (727) 934-5890 or
Anne Pesacov of Safety Harbor at (727) 738-9232.
The use of music has also proven to
be an effective communication therapy for autism patients. Professor
Tony Wigram. Head of PhD Studies in Music Therapy at the Institute for
Music and Music Therapy at the University of Aalborg, Denmark has
authored several books on the subject. He has concluded that since
music therapy can be easily adjusted to an individual child's strengths
and weaknesses it is often quite helpful in improving patient's
deficiencies in social and communication skills
Yet another alternate treatment
option for patients with autism is the use of Dolphin Assisted Therapy.
The foundation of the Dolphin Assisted Therapy program in dates back to
Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the Black Sea. This field
of medicine has shown extraordinary results in relation to the
conventional methods of treatments such as prescribed medication.
An overview of Dolphin Assisted
Therapy is available at : http://www.dolphinassistedtherapy.com/
Dietary modifications
Autism is not caused by diet so the
use of dietary modifications and supplements to treat the disorder is
somewhat controversial. Changing the diet or adding vitamin supplements
may improve digestion and eliminate food intolerances or allergies,
which may contribute to behavioral problems in autistic patients.
Scientific Researchers have
discovered the byproducts found in wheat, oats and rye (gluten) and
casein (protein in dairy products) have appeared at elevated levels in
patients with autism. This may suggest that the digestion of these
substances may affect brain function. However, eliminating foods that
contain gluten and casein from the diet may cause side effects and
should not be done without the advice of a health care practitioner.
Studies have also shown that vitamin
B, magnesium and cod liver oil supplements (which contain vitamins A
and D) may improve behavior, eye contact, attention span, and learning
in autistic patients. Vitamin C has been shown to improve depression
and lessen the severity of symptoms in patients with autism.
The DAN (Defeat Autism Now) Protocol
is another dietary modification program gaining popularity.
The protocol involves a combination
of changes to the diet and implementation of vitamin supplement therapy
in order to produce changes in autistic behaviors. These diet changes
include eliminating certain dairy and grains while supplementing the
patient's diet with the vitamin and mineral therapy.
An overview of the DAN Protocol is
available at : http://autism.about.com/cs/medicaltreatments/a/danprotocol_2.htm
Medication
Medication may be also be used to
treat various symptoms of autism and can also be used to help other
conditions that may accompany the disorder.
Depression, obsessive-compulsive
behavior, and anxiety may be treated using antidepressants. These drugs
often reduce the frequency and intensity of repetitive behavior;
decrease irritability, tantrums, and aggression; and improve eye
contact and responsiveness.
Benzodiazepines such as diazepam
(Valium®), lorazepam (Ativan®), and alprazolam
(Xanax®) can also be used to treat behavioral problems. While
antipsychotic medications such as clozapine (Clozaril®),
risperidone (Risperdal®), olanzapine (Zyprexa®), and
quetiapine (Seroquel®) may decrease hyperactivity, behavioral
problems, withdrawal, and aggression in autistic patients
Stimulants such as methylphenidate
(Ritalin®), amphetamine (Adderall®), and
dextroamphetamine (Dexedine®) may also be prescribed for
autism. These drugs may increase focus and decrease impulsive behavior
and hyperactivity in patients.
It's best to consult a medical
expert before considering any medications as the patient's medical
history needs to be taken into consideration as well as possible side
effects.
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About The Author
Born in Oklahoma, in 1951,
Karen L Simmons had her first book published in 1996. The book, Little
Rainman, Autism Through The Eyes of A Child was written to raise
awareness about the early detection signs of autism and has sold over
10,000 copies worldwide to parents and educators of these special
children.
Autism Today is your #1 shop
for all your Autism and Autism Spectrum disorders. Look us up at AutismToday.com.
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