For some children there are medical interventions, others are either emotional or educational approaches that people have tried and found varying degrees of success. Speak to parents, speak to early intervention services in your area and try and find a program that suits your child's needs and what can work for you and your whole family. There is not one "cure all" intervention for autism, and this is by no means comprehensive and each item you look at must be researched thoroughly by yourselves before you contemplate using it for your child. Seek medical advice where relevant and try to contact parents that have used some of the educational programs to see how they have worked for their children. The summaries of each intervention are taken from various sources and you need to be aware that there are financial implications and know how much a program will cost to complete as some can be quite expensive. You may or may not get help with funding. Click here for a listing of Alternative Therapies Love, patience , understanding , care, determination, self belief and providing a loving compassionate environment for your child are all free.
LOVASS (ABA Therapy) - Lovass is an educational program developed by Dr Ivar Lovass. It is based around intensive teaching methods sometimes for long periods at a time. Excellent results have been reported but this one is one of the most expensive programs available. Requires a lot of time and dedication. Applied Behaviour Analysis
(ABA) - Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is the process of applying
sometimes tentative principles of behaviour to the improvement of specific
behaviours and simultaneously evaluating whether or not changes noted are
indeed attributable to the process of application. The goal of ABA is to improve
socially significant behaviours such as academics, social skills, communication,
and adaptive living skills, to a meaningful degree. ABA is used to: Discrete Trial Training
(DTT) - is one of the instructional methodologies frequently used in
ABA-based programs. In DTT each training trial, consists of four major components: (Early) Intensive Behavioural
Interventions (EIBI/IBI) - Early, intensive behavioural intervention
(IBI or EIBI) appears to be a generic term that refers to behavioural interventions
that are intensive and comprehensive. Severe behaviour disorders may be treated
with intensive behavioural intervention. Proponents point out that children
with autism typically do not learn from their environment spontaneously, and
therefore need to be taught virtually everything they are expected to learn.
Intensive programs refer to the number of hours of treatment the child receives
per week as well as the intensity of training, curriculum, evaluation, planning,
and coordination. IBI/EIBI intervention programs recommend between 30-40 hours
of child: therapist sessions per week. Key Behavioural intervention programs include: Douglas Developmental Disabilities Centre Program, Autism Preschool Program, Princeton Child Development Institute Program (PCDI), May Institute, Lovaas Program, In the Sydney metropolitan area, ABA programs are offered by four private service providers (Learning to Learn website, www.learningtolearnsydney.com.au, accessed August 2003. Autism Treatment Review Centre for Developmental Disability Studies ix There is universal agreement that behavioural interventions have produced positive outcomes for children with autism that are well supported by research. However, there continues to be a great deal of controversy about particular behavioural interventions and programs, concerns about methodological issues and differences in the interpretation of research findings. IBI/EIBI programs exemplified by the Lovaas program which use ABA and DTT are among the most controversial intervention strategies for children with autism. This controversy revolves around outcome claims, exclusivity, extensive use, and personnel. There is controversy as to whether ABA and DTT can lead to recovery. Controversy related to exclusivity pertains to whether ABA and DTT should be used to the exclusion of all other methods. While 40 hours of weekly DTT has been used, controversy exists regarding the extensive use of DTT and the appropriateness for some children and families. Naturalistic/Developmental
approaches - Generally naturalistic interventions follow a developmental
approach, which is Developmental Social-Pragmatic Model (DSP) - This approach emphasises the importance of initiation and spontaneity in communication, following the child’s attentional focus and motivations, building on the child’s current communicative repertoire even if this is unconventional and using more natural activities and events as contexts to support the development of the child’s communicative abilities. The DSP approach differs from the contemporary ABA approach in its emphasis on sequences of language development and reduced emphasis on eliciting and measuring discrete trial behavioural responses. DSP focuses on successful participation in extended interactions as the measure of success with greater emphasis on enhancing communication abilities within meaningful events and routines. Research indicates there are some advantages to this approach. Floor time or the Developmental Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based Model (DIR) - is a developmental approach for early intervention with infants and children with a disability. The program includes interactive experiences, which are child directed, in a low stimulus environment. Proponents contend that interactive play, in which the adult follows the child’s lead, will encourage the child to “want” to relate to the outside world. Relationship Development
Intervention(RDI) - is a series of techniques and strategies built
upon the typical developmental processes of social competence. The goal of
RDI is to increase motivation and interest in social relating in individuals
with autism and provide activities and coaching to assist them to enjoy and
become competent in social relationships. There appear to be no independent
peer-reviewed, published studies of RDI’s effectiveness. Learning Experiences-An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents (LEAP) - is a comprehensive preschool service, designed for both children with autism and typically developing children. LEAP has the components of an integrated preschool program and a behaviour skills training program for parents. The program contains aspects of behavioural analysis, but it is primarily a developmentally based approach. There appear to be no independent peer-reviewed, published studies of LEAP’s effectiveness for children with autism. Communication Therapies Visual Supports/Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) - There is considerable research evidence to support the use of visual strategies and visually cued instruction for children with autism. Augmentative systems of communication in autism, are used not just to replace speech, but to assist learning and communication, regardless of the level of speech. Symbols, pictures, photographs and objects of reference, are all well established as helpful for people with autism in supporting the comprehension of what is said and in getting needs met. Picture exchange Communication System (PECS) - is a program that teaches children to interact with others by exchanging pictures, symbols, photographs or real objects for desired items. The goals of PECS include the identification of objects that may serve as stimuli for each child’s actions and the learning of responses to simple questions with multi-picture systems. It is a highly structured program that uses behaviourist principles of stimulus, response and reward to achieve functional communication. There are some studies that have evaluated PECS and show positive gains for participants. Facilitated Communication
(FC) - Proponents of FC claim that autism is primarily a motor disorder
involving difficulty
Sensory/Motor Therapies Auditory integration training
(AIT) - Auditory integration training is said to address the hearing
distortions, hyperacute Combined Approaches TEACCH (Treatment and
Education of Autistic and related Communication Autism Association NSW
Satellite class program - The Autism Association of NSW satellite class
program is a program designed to include children with autism in regular school
settings, while meeting their specific needs. The content and delivery of
the program is similar to the TEACCH model with heavy emphasis on visual supports,
structure and routine, specific teaching of communication and social skills
in the regular school setting. There is no empirical research into the outcomes
of the satellite class program. Elements of Successful Programs Research suggests that program directors, regardless of
philosophical orientation, describe the same key components of a successful
program as follows: Therefore there is no one program that will suit all children
with autism and their families. Research suggests that there are substantial
short and long term benefits from early, intensive, family-based treatment
programs, whatever their theoretical basis, so long as these are appropriately
adapted to the child’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses
Taken from: Roberts, J. M. (2004). A review of the research
to identify the most effective models of
|