Autism treatment is a thorough and comprehensive process that includes the child, their family, and the team of professionals that are going to assist the child in developing their skills and communication. Today parents can choose from a variety of interventions, some of them can be administered at home. A healthcare professional with experience in treating autistic children can visit your home and conduct intervention sessions.
Other programs are designed to be delivered in a special care center or an institution. Special classes are arranged for children with autism to help them understand basic communication skills and undertake their role as an active member of the family. The most commonly used therapies for autism include the Applied Behaviour Therapy and the Speech Therapy.
Application of Applied Behaviour Therapy in Helping Children with Autism
The ABA method was developed in 1960. This treatment method has helped therapists to teach communication skills to autistic children. Using the ABA method the children can learn to play, take care of themselves, learn the basic communication skills, and develop social skills. ABA helps children with autism to reduce challenging behaviors. The ABA programs are highly structured as they provide targeted skills and behaviors by following a previously established curriculum. Most of these models are based on providing behavior-based teaching.
More often, the ABA programs provide the child with a school an environment. Having a setup similar to a classroom gives the children an opportunity to learn communication and social skills. To motivate the children into portraying desired behaviors, their endeavors are rewarded by verbal praise by the teacher or giving the child something that pleases them like a favorite toy.
Speech Therapy for Children with Autism
Every child with autism is different; it is natural that some treatments that work for a child might not work for another child. This is why the therapist has to rely on using other therapies or a combination of different therapies to help children overcome their issues. Some therapist relies on using speech therapy in and ABA therapy for more effective results.
Speech therapy is designed to help a child with autism to communicate without any hindrances. The aim behind speech therapy is to help the child communicate their needs and desires to their parents, family members, and the therapist without a prompt by an adult.
Registering your child for speech therapy can help the child resolve other issues like difficulty with eating, swallowing and communicating. Teachers, nurses and occupational therapists provide different plans to help children overcome communication problems. Children are given a tailored plan and support that suits their needs and requirements.
If needed your child can attend special classes and therapy sessions where they can learn different words. More importantly, the child will be able to learn words and phrases, but a child with autism will learn to associate words with what they want. Children with autism must have a comprehensive treatment plan that includes both ABA and speech therapy for better results.
