Treatment:
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), as of the time of writing, there is no curative medication for ASD or its core symptomatology.
According to the NIH, treatments include the following modalities:
Early Intervention Services: State run programs in the United States provide early interventions occur at or before preschool age when a young child's brain is still forming. Early intervention services give children the best start possible and the best chance of developing to their full potential. The sooner a child gets help, the greater the chance for learning and progress. With early intervention, between 3% and 25% of children with autism make such significant progress that their symptoms may be undetectable.
You do not have to wait for a formal diagnosis to call the Early Intervention Services program near you (in the United States).
Behavior management therapy: This modality attempts to reduced unwanted behaviors and increase or reinforce desirable behaviors.
It is often based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The types of ABA include the following: Positive Behavioral and Support (PBS), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI), and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): This modality attempts to enable the person with autism learns to identify and change thoughts that lead to problem feelings or behaviors in particular situations.
Educational and school based therapies: These services provided by the child's school district (in the U.S.) guarantee specially designed instructional services and a Individualized Educational Program (IEP) under the Public Law 108-177: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). This law is designed to meet the child's individualized needs while educating the child in the restrictive environment. Educating people with autism often includes a combination of one-on-one, small group, and regular classroom instruction.
Speech therapy:
This is a very valuable component of the therapeutic toolbox for ASD. Speech therapy enables the individual to enhance both their verbal or spoken skills and non-verbal communication skills to enhance their ability to interact with others. Non-verbal communication techniques may include using hand signals or sign language and using picture symbols to communicate (Picture Exchange Communication System).
Social skills training:
This modality addresses one of the core deficits of the person with the autism spectrum disorder. This training teaches children the skills they need to interact with their peers. It includes repeating and reinforcing certain behaviors. Social skills training can help improve relationships. Some of the key components of this training in elementary age children include conversation skills, handling teasing, being a good sport, and showing good host behavior during play dates.
Occupational therapy:
Occupational therapy helps people with autism spectrum disorder do everyday tasks by finding ways to work within and make the most of their needs, abilities, and interests. An occupational therapist might find a specially designed computer mouse and keyboard to ease communication, teach personal care skills such as getting dressed and eating, and do many of the same types of activities that physical therapists do.
Physical Therapy:
Physical therapy includes activities and exercises that build motor skills and improve strength, posture, and balance. This type of therapy aims to help a child build muscle control and strength so that he or she can play more easily with other children.
Medication:
Although there is no curative medication available, health care providers often use medications to deal with a specific behavior, such as to reduce self-injury or aggression. The use of medication is not without risk and families should seek the advice of the physician managing their child in the process of deciding about medication use.
The following groups of medications have been used in patients with ASD (although Risperdone is the only U.S. FDA approved medication):
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs): This group of antidepressants treats some problems that result from imbalances in the body's chemical systems. SSRIs might reduce the frequency and intensity of repetitive behaviors; decrease anxiety, irritability, tantrums, and aggressive behavior; and improve eye contact.
Tricyclics: These medications are another type of antidepressant used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Psychoactive or anti-psychotic medications: These types of medications affect the brain of the person taking them. The anti-psychotic drug risperidone is approved for reducing irritability in 5-to-16-year-olds with autism.
These medications can decrease hyperactivity, reduce stereotyped behaviors, and minimize withdrawal and aggression among people with autism.
Stimulants: This group of medications can help to increase focus and decrease hyperactivity in people with autism. They are particularly helpful for those with mild ASD symptoms.
Anti-anxiety medications: This group of medications can help relieve anxiety and panic disorders, which are often associated with ASD.
Anti-convulsants: These medications treat seizures and seizure disorders, such as epilepsy. (Seizures are attacks of jerking or staring and seeming frozen.) Almost one-third of people with autism symptoms have seizures or seizure disorders.
Disclaimer: The Autism Telemedicine Company does not endorse or recommend the use of any medication or therapy on this website, nor does it dispense medical or other professional advice, nor does it prescribe medication.
Nutritional therapy:
Proper nutrition is important given that children with ASD may be very particular with the foods they eat. Families should seek the advice of a qualified nutritionist or dietitian before adopting any special diets. Many children with ASD are placed on gluten-free or casein-free diets. Available research data do not support the use of a casein-free diet, a gluten-free diet, or a combined gluten-free, casein-free diet as a primary treatment for individuals with ASD. We do not endorse the use of any special diets without seeking expert advice.
Parent mediated therapy:
In parent-mediated therapy, parents learn therapy techniques from professionals and provide specific therapies to their own child. This approach gives children with autism spectrum disorder consistent reinforcement and training throughout the day. Parents can also conduct some therapies with children who are at risk of autism but are too young to be diagnosed. Several types of therapies can be parent-mediated, including: joint attention therapy, social communication therapy, and behavioral therapy.
Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based Approach (DIR; also called "Floortime"):
Floortime focuses on emotional and relational development (feelings, relationships with caregivers). It also focuses on how the child deals with sights, sounds, and smells.
Sensory Integration Therapy:
Some children with the autism spectrum disorder have difficulty with processing sensory stimuli such as sounds, lights, other visual stimuli, and touch. Sensory integration therapy helps the person deal with these sensory stimuli and could help a child who is bothered by certain sounds or does not like to be touched.
Joint Attention Therapy:
People with autism usually have difficulty with joint attention. This means that they have trouble following someone's gaze or pointed finger to look at something. Joint attention is important to communication and language learning. Joint attention therapy focuses on improving specific skills related to shared attention, such as: pointing, showing, and coordinating looks between a person and an object.
Complementary and Alternative Treatments (CAM):
According to the U.S. CDC, parents and health care professionals use treatments that are outside of what is typically recommended by the pediatrician. These types of treatments are known as complementary and alternative treatments (CAM). They may include special diets, chelation (a treatment to remove heavy metals like lead from the body), biologicals (e.g., secretin), or body-based systems (like deep pressure). These types of treatments are very controversial. Current research shows that as many as one third of parents of children with an ASD may have tried complementary or alternative medicine treatments, and up to 10% may be using a potentially dangerous treatment.Before starting such a treatment, check it out carefully, and talk to your child’s doctor. Here is a link to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine webpage on autism: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/autism
Disclaimer: The Autism Telemedicine Company does not endorse or recommend the use of any medication, diet, treatment, or therapy on this website, nor does it dispense medical or other professional advice, nor does it prescribe medication.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), as of the time of writing, there is no curative medication for ASD or its core symptomatology.
According to the NIH, treatments include the following modalities:
Early Intervention Services: State run programs in the United States provide early interventions occur at or before preschool age when a young child's brain is still forming. Early intervention services give children the best start possible and the best chance of developing to their full potential. The sooner a child gets help, the greater the chance for learning and progress. With early intervention, between 3% and 25% of children with autism make such significant progress that their symptoms may be undetectable.
You do not have to wait for a formal diagnosis to call the Early Intervention Services program near you (in the United States).
Behavior management therapy: This modality attempts to reduced unwanted behaviors and increase or reinforce desirable behaviors.
It is often based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The types of ABA include the following: Positive Behavioral and Support (PBS), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI), and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): This modality attempts to enable the person with autism learns to identify and change thoughts that lead to problem feelings or behaviors in particular situations.
Educational and school based therapies: These services provided by the child's school district (in the U.S.) guarantee specially designed instructional services and a Individualized Educational Program (IEP) under the Public Law 108-177: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). This law is designed to meet the child's individualized needs while educating the child in the restrictive environment. Educating people with autism often includes a combination of one-on-one, small group, and regular classroom instruction.
Speech therapy:
This is a very valuable component of the therapeutic toolbox for ASD. Speech therapy enables the individual to enhance both their verbal or spoken skills and non-verbal communication skills to enhance their ability to interact with others. Non-verbal communication techniques may include using hand signals or sign language and using picture symbols to communicate (Picture Exchange Communication System).
Social skills training:
This modality addresses one of the core deficits of the person with the autism spectrum disorder. This training teaches children the skills they need to interact with their peers. It includes repeating and reinforcing certain behaviors. Social skills training can help improve relationships. Some of the key components of this training in elementary age children include conversation skills, handling teasing, being a good sport, and showing good host behavior during play dates.
Occupational therapy:
Occupational therapy helps people with autism spectrum disorder do everyday tasks by finding ways to work within and make the most of their needs, abilities, and interests. An occupational therapist might find a specially designed computer mouse and keyboard to ease communication, teach personal care skills such as getting dressed and eating, and do many of the same types of activities that physical therapists do.
Physical Therapy:
Physical therapy includes activities and exercises that build motor skills and improve strength, posture, and balance. This type of therapy aims to help a child build muscle control and strength so that he or she can play more easily with other children.
Medication:
Although there is no curative medication available, health care providers often use medications to deal with a specific behavior, such as to reduce self-injury or aggression. The use of medication is not without risk and families should seek the advice of the physician managing their child in the process of deciding about medication use.
The following groups of medications have been used in patients with ASD (although Risperdone is the only U.S. FDA approved medication):
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs): This group of antidepressants treats some problems that result from imbalances in the body's chemical systems. SSRIs might reduce the frequency and intensity of repetitive behaviors; decrease anxiety, irritability, tantrums, and aggressive behavior; and improve eye contact.
Tricyclics: These medications are another type of antidepressant used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Psychoactive or anti-psychotic medications: These types of medications affect the brain of the person taking them. The anti-psychotic drug risperidone is approved for reducing irritability in 5-to-16-year-olds with autism.
These medications can decrease hyperactivity, reduce stereotyped behaviors, and minimize withdrawal and aggression among people with autism.
Stimulants: This group of medications can help to increase focus and decrease hyperactivity in people with autism. They are particularly helpful for those with mild ASD symptoms.
Anti-anxiety medications: This group of medications can help relieve anxiety and panic disorders, which are often associated with ASD.
Anti-convulsants: These medications treat seizures and seizure disorders, such as epilepsy. (Seizures are attacks of jerking or staring and seeming frozen.) Almost one-third of people with autism symptoms have seizures or seizure disorders.
Disclaimer: The Autism Telemedicine Company does not endorse or recommend the use of any medication or therapy on this website, nor does it dispense medical or other professional advice, nor does it prescribe medication.
Nutritional therapy:
Proper nutrition is important given that children with ASD may be very particular with the foods they eat. Families should seek the advice of a qualified nutritionist or dietitian before adopting any special diets. Many children with ASD are placed on gluten-free or casein-free diets. Available research data do not support the use of a casein-free diet, a gluten-free diet, or a combined gluten-free, casein-free diet as a primary treatment for individuals with ASD. We do not endorse the use of any special diets without seeking expert advice.
Parent mediated therapy:
In parent-mediated therapy, parents learn therapy techniques from professionals and provide specific therapies to their own child. This approach gives children with autism spectrum disorder consistent reinforcement and training throughout the day. Parents can also conduct some therapies with children who are at risk of autism but are too young to be diagnosed. Several types of therapies can be parent-mediated, including: joint attention therapy, social communication therapy, and behavioral therapy.
Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based Approach (DIR; also called "Floortime"):
Floortime focuses on emotional and relational development (feelings, relationships with caregivers). It also focuses on how the child deals with sights, sounds, and smells.
Sensory Integration Therapy:
Some children with the autism spectrum disorder have difficulty with processing sensory stimuli such as sounds, lights, other visual stimuli, and touch. Sensory integration therapy helps the person deal with these sensory stimuli and could help a child who is bothered by certain sounds or does not like to be touched.
Joint Attention Therapy:
People with autism usually have difficulty with joint attention. This means that they have trouble following someone's gaze or pointed finger to look at something. Joint attention is important to communication and language learning. Joint attention therapy focuses on improving specific skills related to shared attention, such as: pointing, showing, and coordinating looks between a person and an object.
Complementary and Alternative Treatments (CAM):
According to the U.S. CDC, parents and health care professionals use treatments that are outside of what is typically recommended by the pediatrician. These types of treatments are known as complementary and alternative treatments (CAM). They may include special diets, chelation (a treatment to remove heavy metals like lead from the body), biologicals (e.g., secretin), or body-based systems (like deep pressure). These types of treatments are very controversial. Current research shows that as many as one third of parents of children with an ASD may have tried complementary or alternative medicine treatments, and up to 10% may be using a potentially dangerous treatment.Before starting such a treatment, check it out carefully, and talk to your child’s doctor. Here is a link to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine webpage on autism: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/autism
Disclaimer: The Autism Telemedicine Company does not endorse or recommend the use of any medication, diet, treatment, or therapy on this website, nor does it dispense medical or other professional advice, nor does it prescribe medication.