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| Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy have been very effective, reported by parents. |
Being a parent carries great responsibility because they are always looking for the best ways to protect and take care of their children. Every parent of a child with autism has always been concerned about whether they're doing a good job, and even with their child's therapies, parents still want the best. Thanks to Autism Speaks, we can share these popular therapies for autism recommended by parents.
Since there are a lot of treatments, to get to these recommendations, parents look to doctors and specialists for approval, and even other parents with kids like theirs to get different opinions.
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| After asking a lot of parents, the final thoughts are that Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy have been the most effective. |
What therapies for autism are recommended by parents?
1. Occupational Therapy (OT)
Occupational Therapy is a treatment designed to help people reach total control of all areas of their lives. OT takes care of developing and recovering certain aspects that may be missing. The treatment in children is usually very loose and with minimum assignments because their main duty is to learn and play.
In speech-language therapy, a specialist will work with a child one-on-one. Therapists use a variety of strategies in this treatment, including:
- Oral-motor/feeding and swallowing therapy: This is centered on helping the child with the feeding and swallowing process. The therapist uses different oral exercises such as facial massages and different tongue, lip, and jaw exercises to stimulate the muscles of the mouth, using different food textures and temperatures to improve and reinforce eating, drinking, and swallowing.
- Articulation therapy: In this treatment, the therapist focuses on articulation exercises to enhance the correct way of pronouncing words and syllables working with fun activities for kids.
- Language intervention activities: The therapist will use objects such as books, pictures, games and sometimes talking to interact and stimulate language development in the child.
Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, analyzes the behavior of the child and according to the results, proceeds to improve communication, self-care, and other skills that need reinforcement.
4. Social Skills Classes
Social skills classes are meant to promote the child's ability to engage and “tune in” with others by paying attention to verbal and non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, eye gaze, and tone of voice. Different social skills are developed depending on the age of the child.
Early learners understand simple requests, questions, and comments, and develop a nurturing bond with caregivers, also improve their ability to engage with others. Older children answer more complex questions, talk and learn within a group and engage in positive interactions.
5. Hippotherapy (OT through horseback riding)
Hippotherapy is an occupational, physical, speech and language therapy treatment that uses equine movement. Riding is taught in a careful and supportive environment. There are certified instructors who lead all classes, and trained volunteers to ensure everyone’s safety.
-Hippotherapy, or equine-assisted occupational therapy, can be therapeutic for many children with sensory processing disorders.-
6. Gluten/Casein-Free Diet (GFCF Diet)
Gluten is found in products that contain wheat such as bread and other bakery goods, but also in a wide variety of other food products and Casein is a protein mostly associated with dairy products such as milk.
GFCF Diet is related to autism because if a person is having a reaction to these products, it may cause an inflammation that can damage the lining of the intestine and absorb molecules that normally are not absorbed by healthy intestines. These molecules or the inflammation can cause problems such as anxiety, mental difficulties and perhaps worsen the behavioral symptoms of autism due to interaction with the brain.
Psychiatrist/Psychologist sessions are suggested for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder because they have a higher rate of psychiatric disorders than the general population. Due that Autism shares a genetic basis with several major psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ADHD, these sessions are highly recommended.
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. This 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.
Relationship Development Intervention is a program that has an approach dedicated to teaching new skills and improving motivation, all based on the child's level of development and interaction.
In PECS the child with autism will be able to initiate communication by handing out picture cards related to what he or she is thinking about. It could be a picture of food which means the child is hungry or an object which could mean that the child wants to engage an action regarding the object in the matter. Colorful images, pictures cut out from magazines, actual photos or even drawings can be used when using this system.
Swimming or Aquatic Therapy helps with autisms motor functions and sensory issues. A few ways aquatic therapy can help Autism Spectrum Disorder are:
- Better Oral Motor Skills. Some kids with ASD struggle with certain things like blowing out candles on a cake or sipping through a straw. But Aquatic therapy includes activities like blowing bubbles in water or blowing a ball across the water so that children can develop stronger oral motor skills.
- Help with Sensory Issues. Water has a calming effect, and some therapies include activities designed to help sensory issues.
- Better Swimmers. This therapy helps children become comfortable when the time to learn to swim arrives. Since water is a very delicate environment for children with ASD, the positive aspect is that the child will develop crucial skills for their adult life.
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 behavior. The child plays an essential part in determining the activities and objects that will be used.
The majority of parents choose occupational therapy since it is in charge of improving all the important aspects for the development of the child, such as motor skill development and social interaction, in a very generalized way but at the same time adapting to the needs of the child.
If a therapy isn’t mentioned on this list, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. In order to start any of these treatments, the best option is to call a professional. This article only shares the opinion of therapies recommended by a significant amount of parents, because they brought the best results to their children. Every child is different, that’s why every treatment should be adapted to them; there’s no “perfect treatment”. In addition to the ones we have mentioned, remember that sports are an excellent alternative for your child to develop in a safe environment. If you’re in Miami, Autism Soccer is the best alternative for your child!
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