Parenting Tips: How To Treat Autism Spectrum In Children? Every child is special, and thus you need to offer special attention to your child as a parent. Parenting is not at all an easy job. Becoming a mother might be one of the best feelings in this world, but this comes at a cost.
Your child is going to need you every time, and you are also really specific about your little boo’s requirements.
Yes, it is that tough.
Things might seem tougher if you have an autistic child. They are extremely special and thus need extra special care and treatment.
If your child has ASD or autism, you should face the harsh reality that there is no treatment which can completely cure the condition.
However, as a parent, you might be relieved to know that with some particular approaches, you can easily manage some of the major symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
Every child shows different types of symptoms, as ASD affects every child differently. So, they will also require different treatments. That is why the treatment plan for ASD often includes different professionals.
Here, in this article, we will talk about different types of treatment approaches for ASD.
Types Of Treatment For Autism Spectrum Disorder
Several types of treatments are available for ASD children. All these treatment options also can be broken down into the following categories.
At the same time, a number of treatments involve more than one single approach. Here we will talk about different types of treatment approaches for Autism Spectrum Disorder in children.
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Behavioral Approaches
Behavioral approaches mainly focus on changing behaviors. And that is done by understanding what happens after and before the behavior. For treating ASD, behavioral approaches gave the most evidence.
Among many others, ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis is a notable treatment. In this behavioral therapy, desired behaviors are encouraged, and undesired behaviors are discouraged in order to improve a variety of skills.
Apart from ABA, there are some more behavioral treatment options.
- PRT.
- DTT.
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Psychological Approaches
Psychological approaches can always help children with autism cope with depression, anxiety, and some other mental health issues. CBT or cognitive behavior therapy is one particular psychological approach which focuses on learning connections between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
During CBT, a therapist, along with your child, works in order to evaluate goals and, after that, change how your child thinks about a situation in order to change how they react to the particular situation.
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Social-Relational Approaches
Now come the social-relation treatments, which focus on enhancing social skills along with building emotional bonds. Some particular social-relation approaches include peer or parent mentors.
- RDI or the relationship development intervention.
- The development, individual differences, relation-based model, which is also called Floortime.
- Social stories for providing simple descriptions of what to expect in a social situation.
- Social skills groups.
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Developmental Approaches
This particular approach focuses on improving some particular development skills, like physical skills or language skills, or a broader range of interconnected abilities of development in your child.
Often it is also combined with behavioral approaches.
Speech and Language Therapy is the most common development therapy for children who have ASD. It helps in improving the understanding and use of language and speed of your child.
Some more development therapies are;
- Occupational therapy.
- Sensory integration therapy.
- Physical therapy.
- ESDM or early start Denver model.
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Educational Approaches
In a classroom setting, educational treatments are provided. TEACCH, or Treatment and education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children, is one type of educational approach.
It is typically based on the idea that children with autism thrive on virtual learning and consistency. Here, the teachers adjust the classroom structure in different ways and improve academics along with some other outcomes for your children.
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Pharmacological Approaches
When it comes to the core symptoms of ASD, there are no medications for treatment. There are some medications that treat co-occurring symptoms, which can help children with ASD to function better.
Medications might help in managing the energy levels, self-harming behaviors, or inability to focus. At the same time, medications also can help manage co-occurring psychological conditions, like depression or anxiety, along with medical conditions like sleep problems, seizures, or stomach problems.
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Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Some parents and children also use treatments which do not fit into any of the categories we have mentioned above. These types of treatments are recognized as Complementary and Alternative treatments.
This particular treatment option is often used to supplement more traditional approaches. This might involve nutritional supplements to aid in neurological development, special diets, animal therapy, chiropractic therapy, mindfulness, art therapy, or relaxation therapies.
Some More Treatment Options
Apart from the main treatment options, we have mentioned in the above section, here are some more treatment approaches that recent doctors and experts are also experimenting with.
- Nutritional Therapy.
- Speech Language Therapy.
- Parent-mediated Therapy.
- Joint Attention Therapy.
Conclusion
These are the major treatments that are being used to treat autism. As we have mentioned earlier, different children with autism show different symptoms. That is why there is no one-treatment-fit-for-all. You need to consult with your doctor and then choose the most suitable treatment for your child.
All these treatments are focused on managing some of the major symptoms of autism.
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