According to research, Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD has a broad range of symptoms which is different from one child to another. As most experts explain it, children with Autism is like an Apple software in the world of Windows. In other words, children with autism should not be seen as antisocial because, in reality, they wanted to mingle with other people. The only thing that hinders them from engaging in a conversation or playing time is their difficulties to express themselves, and appropriate response to a given situation. That is where Therapy Autism comes which effectively improves the child’s communication and social skills. The question is, what specific therapy to use that is applicable for your child in the spectrum? What are the types of therapies that can be utilized and is it necessary to acquire all the treatments available?
Types of Therapies for Children with ASD
Medical experts such as Developmental Pediatrician, neurologists and Occupational Therapists are the individuals who can diagnose a child with autism. The diagnosis is based purely on child’s behavior. In addition to this, whenever the diagnosis was initiated the treatment relies on the kid’s present behavior and the developmental age. Moreover, the Therapy Autism attempts to correct any maladaptive behaviors such as self-injurious and control or decrease the classic symptoms of Autism.
Here are some of the common therapies that are being utilized to children with ASD.
- Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA Therapy. The primary goal of the ABA therapy is to reinforce positive behavior while discourages the unfavorable behavior. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), ABA therapy helps the child in the spectrum to improve their various skills.
- Occupational Therapy. The Occupational therapy’s mission is to let the child work independently especially in doing the daily activities at home. Moreover, it allows the child to do self-care such as bathing, eating, wearing clothes alone and the like.
- Speech Therapy is both applied to verbal and non-verbal Autism. For verbal ASD, children’s communication will be improved, and they will learn common words such as “ask, give, borrow, etc.”
- Sensory Integration Therapy pertains to a series of activities that focuses on child’s sensory information such as their sense of sight, smell, and sounds. The target of this therapy is to allow children in the spectrum to be exposed to a possible stimulus that may cause a meltdown which is brought about by sensory overload. For non-verbal autism cases, children will be taught or directed to use gestures for them to express their needs easily.
- Picture Exchange Communication System or PECS therapy involves series of symbols that helps a child to communicate. The child will be trained to use images of asking and answering questions to create a conversation or to express their basic needs.
The mentioned Therapy Autism can be utilized at once, separately or simultaneously depends on the child’s symptoms and behavior. It is important to always ask assistance to experts before undergoing any types of therapy because readiness of a child to acquire an individual treatment is a must. For example, the child who is newly diagnosed with the spectrum is not talking and has an issue in concentration and focus. Most parents will jump to speech therapy in a heart bit because they want their child to talk and able to express their feelings. However, according to the most therapists, behavior comes first before the speech because the child needs to develop a sense of focus to help him concentrate in a speech therapy.
Every child in the ASD has a different approach in Therapy Autism. For the medical advocates to understand the needs of the child, parents should always be involved.