Shall we talk about treatments that help with autism?

It's normal to feel overwhelmed and anxious when you find out your child has autism. You may be wondering, "What do I do now?" But don't panic or feel alone. There are many therapies available today that can help your child develop their skills , reduce their symptoms, and make their daily lives much easier. The results are much better if these treatments can be started early, such as during preschool. But it's never too late, and treatment can begin at any age.

In fact, experts recommend that you look into these treatments as soon as you suspect you have autism, rather than waiting for a doctor to confirm that your child has it (formal diagnosis). Because it can take time to get an accurate diagnosis, including tests and specialist appointments. So, let's take a look at the most popular and successful treatments that can help a child with autism.

Play Therapy

Children with autism often play in a slightly different way than other children. They may focus on only one part of a toy (such as the wheels of a car) rather than using the whole toy. They also do not do as much "pretend play" as other children. They may not even want to play with others.

But for many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), play is a way to express their feelings. Their toys and actions can become their words. Through this play therapy, children learn new things and build meaningful relationships with adults and other children.

What are the benefits of this play therapy?

• Social and emotional skills are developing.
• It helps to think differently.
• Language and communication skills improve.
• The ways in which toys are used and how they interact with others are expanding.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Although it's called 'occupational' therapy, it's not about jobs. It helps with the child's activities of daily living . Simply put, things like buttoning a shirt, holding a spoon or fork properly, tying shoelaces, etc. It can also include any skill needed at school, at work, or at play.

An occupational therapist carefully observes the child, assesses his or her ability to perform age-appropriate tasks, and then develops a treatment plan that is specific to the child and meets their needs and goals.

What kinds of things can occupational therapy help with?

• Everyday tasks: Things like toilet training, getting dressed, brushing teeth.
• Fine motor skills: Things like holding a pencil and writing, cutting with scissors.
• Gross Motor Skills: Walking, climbing stairs, riding a bike.
• Maintaining posture, cognitive skills: distinguishing between colors and shapes.
• Body awareness: Understanding one's own body and surrounding space.
• Skills like playing, problem solving, and communication .

Developing these skills helps a child build relationships with others, stay focused on work, and manage their emotions.

Speech Therapy

Many children with autism have significant difficulties with nonverbal communication, as well as with speech. For example, they may have difficulty making eye contact, gesturing with their hands, and waiting their turn when someone else is speaking. This is why speech therapy is a very important part of autism treatment.

Common speech and communication problems seen in autism include:

• Not talking at all.
• Making various sounds (roaring, screaming).
• Talking while humming in a musical manner.
• Repeating what others say (this is called `echolalia`).
• Speaking like a robot, without any emotion, even though he says words and sentences.
• Not looking into eyes when talking.
• Not understanding the exact meaning of words.

A Speech-Language Pathologist will identify these problems and determine the best ways to improve the child's communication skills. They may also recommend alternative methods if the child is not speaking.

• Expressing ideas using pictures.
• Sign language.
• Electronic "talkers".

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

This is also a very popular and successful treatment method. Simply put, when a child does something good, or behaves in a way that we expect, we encourage that behavior by giving them a 'reward'. This reward can be a favorite toy, a small snack, or a compliment like "Very good."

In this method, parents are also trained to work with their children at home in this way. This can improve many things, such as the child's communication, social skills, and ability to do their own work. There are also different types of ABA therapy:

• Discrete Trial Training (DTT): A behavior or skill is taught in as simple steps as possible.
• Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI): This is an ABA method designed for children under the age of five.
• Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT): Focuses on the most important aspects of a child's development (e.g., managing themselves, taking the initiative in social situations).
• Verbal Behavior Intervention (VBI): The goal is to improve the child's speaking skills.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Doctors also call this "hippotherapy." This is a slightly different, but very useful treatment. It involves the child riding a horse under the supervision of a therapist. As the horse moves, the child has to balance their body and respond to those movements. It is like physical therapy. Research has shown that this improves children's social and communication skills, and helps reduce their restlessness and hyperactivity.

Autism, Autism, Autism therapies, Child health, Speech therapy, Occupational therapy, Play therapy, ABA, Mental health