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| From adopting a pet to Verbal Behavior Therapy, you'll find whatever treatment is best for your kid. |
Autism is a very well-known disorder that affects a lot of people around the world; in the United States, it affects 1 in every 68 children, which includes 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls.
Every child or adult with autism is unique, that’s why every treatment plan should be exclusive to the person to whom it’s addressed. Treatments usually involve the person’s entire family and professionals, some programs may be based in at home with professional specialists, and trained therapists or sometimes parents get trained to serve as therapists for the child under the supervision of a specialist. Other programs may be delivered in a special center or even at schools. Usually, families choose to combine more than one treatment method.
The terms “therapy” and “treatment” may be used to refer to the program. The word “intervention” may also be used to describe the words treatment or therapy.
These descriptions are meant to give general information about each program. For more information, please contact a specialist.
The recommended number of hours of structured intervention ranges from 25 to 40 hours per week, during the preschool period. Many therapy methods described here will require more research before getting started because they are very complex. It’s a good idea to talk to experienced parents and make sure to have understood very well what is involved before beginning any therapy. And whenever is possible, observe the therapists in action.
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| There's an impressive amount of treatments for autistic children; it's time to choose the right one for your child. |
What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, has been used by hundreds of therapists to teach communication, self-care, play, academic, social, work and community living skills. There is a lot of research that has demonstrated that ABA is effective for improving their cognitive and language abilities.
Different models using ABA have come to view, all of which use behavioral teaching. ABA methods use the following three-step process to teach:
- A verbal or physical stimulus such as a request or command. This may come from a person or the environment.
- A resulting behavior, which is the subject’s (the child’s) response or lack of response to the stimulus.
- A consequence, which depends on the behavior. ABA’s main target is learning about skills and the reduction of challenging behaviors. Most ABA programs are highly-structured. The child is given repeated opportunities to learn and practice each step in a variety of settings. Each time the child achieves the goal, he receives positive reinforcement. Success is measured by direct observation, data collection, and analysis – all critical components of ABA. If the child isn’t making satisfactory progress, adjustments are made, based on the previous findings.
What is Pivotal Response Treatment?
Pivotal Response Treatment, or PRT, is a behavioral intervention based on the principles of ABA. PRT is used to teach language, increase social, communication, and academic skills, and to decrease disruptive or self-stimulatory behaviors. The goal of PRT is to produce positive changes in the standard actions, leading to improvement in communication and play skills, social practices and the child’s ability to monitor his or her own behavior. The child plays an essential part in determining the activities and objects that will be used.
What is Verbal Behavior?
Verbal Behavior (VB) is another behavioral therapy method based on the concept of ABA, with a different procedure to acquiring language. Verbal Behavior and classic ABA use similar structures to work with children. Verbal Behavior motivates a child to learn a language by developing a connection between a word and its value. Verbal Behavior may be used as an extension of an ABA program.
VB treatment is provided by trained psychologists, special education teachers, and speech therapists.
What is the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)?
The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is a developmental, relationship-based intervention approach that uses teaching techniques consistent with applied behavior analysis (ABA). The goals are to foster social gains (communicative, cognitive, and language) in young children with autism. ESDM is proper for children with autism or autism symptoms who are as young as 12 months of age, through preschool age.
Adults providing ESDM, focus on behaviors involved in capturing and holding children’s attention; fostering their motivation for social interaction through highly enjoyable routines, using joint play activities as the medium for treatment, developing nonverbal and verbal communication, imitation, and joint attention. Also, using reciprocal, turn-taking exchanges inside joint activity routines to foster social learning. Early Start Denver Model has been shown to be useful for increasing IQ, language, social skills, and adaptive behavior if used as therapy for at least one year.
What is Floortime (DIR)?
Floortime is a unique therapeutic technique based on the Developmental Individual Difference Relationship Model (DIR). Floortime allows an adult to help a child expand his circles of communication by meeting him at his level of development and building on his strengths. Treatment is often incorporated into play activities – on the floor; the goal is to help the child reach six developmental goals that contribute to emotional and intellectual growth.
The therapist, or sometimes the parents, help the child reach a level of enjoyment, as well as participate in the child’s activities. The parent is instructed on how to move the child towards more elaborated interactions, this process is known as “opening and closing circles of communication.”
The intervention is called Floortime because the parent gets down on the floor with the child to engage him at his level, it’s considered an alternative to ABA and sometimes practiced with it.
What is Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)?
Relationship Development Intervention is a treatment of behavior modification through positive reinforcement. The goal of RDI is to improve the long-term quality life of autistic people by helping improve their adaptability, self-awareness, and social skills. RDI was developed as a parent-based treatment using dynamic intelligence; it's based on 6 objectives:
- The ability to adapt quickly, change strategies and alter plans when circumstances change.
- The ability to continually observe and regulate the individual’s behavior, so the person participates in spontaneous relationships.
- The ability to reflect on past experiences and anticipate future scenarios the right way.
- The ability to use a system of emotional feedback to learn from the subjective experiences of others.
- The ability to solve problems that have no “right-and-wrong” solutions.
- The ability to use verbal and non-verbal communication to express curiosity, interact, share perceptions and feelings, and coordinate your actions with others.
Remember that there are many treatments to improve the development of children and adults with autistic disorders, and these procedures are usually more effective when several are combined in a single therapy. Practicing sports is also a very effective therapy for autistic children, that’s why Autism Soccer was founded!
