{"id":345639,"date":"2020-07-08T13:42:51","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T13:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ora-visio.com\/autism-which-treatment-should-you-choose-for-your-child\/"},"modified":"2020-07-08T13:42:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T13:42:51","slug":"autism-which-treatment-should-you-choose-for-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ora-visio.com\/en\/autism-which-treatment-should-you-choose-for-your-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Autism: Which Treatment Should You Choose for Your Child?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the verdict of autism<\/u><\/a> comes down, walls go up in parents’ minds. Difficult communication, schooling that needs adapting, integration and its obstacles\u2026 And yet, autism will above all be a journey, one that was certainly not chosen, but that can be steered towards fulfilment. To achieve this, treatments for autism do exist. The earlier the support is put in place and the better it is tailored to the child, the greater their ability to adapt to their environment will be. Some treatments are more useful or effective than others. So which approach should be favoured to best support an autistic child, given that no medication can cure autism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Building independence: educational methods<\/strong><\/h3>\n

These are educational measures useful from the very first months of life. They can be arranged, adjusted and adapted over the years to help a child with autism<\/u><\/a> develop their language, cognitive and motor abilities. They also help the child adopt the right mechanisms to manage emotions, adapt their behaviour, and interpret situations of interaction with others. These educational methods work at the behavioural, developmental and social level.<\/p>\n

ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) or Lovaas behavioural therapy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Its goal? To organise and reinforce skills that are yet to be acquired or only partially acquired. Learning to express oneself, to play, to adjust one’s reactions, to understand interactions, and to manage meltdowns: that is the promising programme of this behavioural method. Achieving this requires a highly structured framework. The treatment is costly and commits parents over several years. In practice, the autistic child is stimulated by a professional for 20 to 25 hours a week. With this intervention method, families rely on a therapy in which everyone gets involved: parents, the treatment team, and possibly a support worker. It is not unusual for parents to take ABA training themselves so they can stimulate their own child as part of this care.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

RESULTS OF DR IVAR LOVAAS’S 1987 STUDY ON THE ABA METHOD<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>19 autistic children aged 35 to 41 months were stimulated 40 hours a week for 2 years<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n

50% had behaviour similar to other children and went on to lead satisfying lives.<\/p>\n

50% made significant progress.<\/p>\n

A small number of cases showed little improvement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

TEACCH developmental therapy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The TEACCH method (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children), developed by Dr Eric Schopler, focuses more on the environment of a child with autism or any other communication difficulty. In this therapy, developed in 1970, the child is not required to adapt to their environment; rather, their environment is adjusted to their disability. With this learning approach, the child’s weaknesses are reduced through specific adaptations for autistic disorders<\/u><\/a> (visual cues in the classroom, a well-structured space, adapted language, etc.). The aim is to build on the child’s strengths so they gain independence and autonomy. This programme, which can be used at any age and regardless of the child’s intellectual level, focuses more on their natural interests, with one major priority: communication.<\/p>\n

Research evaluating this practice has enabled the HAS (French National Authority for Health) to record real progress in motor and cognitive domains.<\/p>\n

PECS: the picture exchange communication system<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Developed by speech therapists in 1985, the PECS teaching protocol is an alternative communication system for children with language difficulties, including autistic disorders. These teaching strategies aim to build an independent communication ability without initial verbal prompting. It consists of 6 learning phases, moving through exchanges, picture discrimination, and then the acquisition of words and sentences.<\/p>\n

Several studies have provided solid evidence of the effectiveness of PECS in developing speech in learners.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Socialisation protocols<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Other forms of therapy exist that aim to help autistic children integrate well into society.<\/p>\n