Seek professional help. Health care providers rely on behavioral symptoms and/or pen up questionnaires during routine checkups. There are screening tests that could also be done during these visits. If your doctor does not regular screen for autism, asking for her to do so.
Understand that every autistic person is differ. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for autism. Tailor treatment to the individual’s requirements. Stop asking “What do autistic humans need?” and instead ask “What does this specific human need?”
For example, one autistic human might have brilliant self-care skills and above-average school performance, but want social skills training and sensory integration therapy. Another might be highly social but unable caring for herself and in requirement of counseling for depression.
Consider medications. While there is no cure for autism, some of its comorbid conditions and challenging aspects can be supportrd through medication.
• Anxiety
• Elevated energy level
• Self-injurious behavior
• Inability to concentrate
• Depression
• Seizures
• Severe outburst of aggression or anger
Consult with your health care provider to certain your loved one is receiving the proper treatments for their individual requirements.
Considering comorbid conditions. Many autistic humans also experience comorbid disabilities/health conditions, such as anxiety disorders, digestive issues, epilepsy, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, oppositional defiant disorder, and more. These are all treatable.
Choosing Therapies
Try the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) for creating communication skills, especially for nonverbal autistic humans. Rapid prompting includes continuously asking questions to the autistic individuals, and let them answer using penning up, point to a letter board, speaking, or whatever working best. It encourages the autistic human to communicate and engaging with the world more.
Consider Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) teaching social skills. RDI aim on creating skills such as theory of mind, consideration of others, independent thinking, and more. It is a longer-term therapy.
Consider behavioral therapies like ABA, with caution. Behavioral therapy do teach rote tasks utilizing extrinsic rewards, and could be useful for concrete skills like hand-washing, listen to the word “stop,” and tying shoes. Unfortunately, there are numerous tales of goals that involve compliance, forced normalization and abusing. Select therapists carefully and making certain the aim is on teaching your loved one skills, not on pushing them to conform.
Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to support with depression and anxiety, which often accompany autism. CBT is a format of talk therapy that do support identify distorted thoughts, like “Everybody will laugh at me if I flap my hands” or “I am a real burden to my family,” and evaluating their accuracy.
Try Sensory Integration Therapy and a sensory diet to support with sensory issues. An occupational therapist do work with you and/or your loved one to serve strategies to meet the autistic humans needs.
Try Augmentative Alternative Communication. AAC is not the therapy so much as a manner for autistic humans to communicate. This strategic method uses technology and do support people who have trouble verbalizing their requirements. The autistic person might use a device like an iPad to pull up symbols and pictures. They then utilize these images to communicate their needs and wants.
Consider complementary and alternative treatments. There is no scientific evidence that any of them are supportful at all, few involve specific risks, but some people discover them useful. The following is a list of treatments that fit this category and examples of what they might involve:
• Energy therapy – reiki, Therapeutic Touch, acupuncture
• Alternative medical systems – homeopathy, aromatherapy
• Manipulative and body-based method – deep pressure, hydro massage, acupressure
• Biologically based therapy – using herbs, vitamins and special diet
• Always consulting a doctor before make a major change to your own or a loved one’s diet or lifestyle. Some alternative therapies, like MMS or chelation therapy, are potentially dead. If the autistic human is upset by the therapy, or fails to refine, explore a new therapy.
Talk to your loved one often encouraging communication. Children grasp to understand speech by hearing others speak, and talk to an uncommunicative human will encouraging them to open up (even if the conversations are fairly one-sided for now). If you understand what their special interests are, begin conversations about them.
Treat your loved one with respect and kindness. Autistic human do undergo tremendous amounts of pressure performing normally, and the best manner to support them is to respect them. Make it clear that you would listen to them. If they feel supported at sweet home, they will communicate and adapting better, and felt happy.
Presume competence. Act with the assumption that your loved one can understand and hear you, even if it doesn’t look like it. Treating them like they are fundamentally intelligent and good. Positive expectations do support them bloom.
Be transparent about what’s going on. Let them understand that they’re autistic. This can support them have words for their experiences, and dispel some confusion that they’re bad or broken Let them understnd that they’re just different, that this is alright, and you like them for who they are.
