People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can benefit immensely from therapy and interventions to enhance their abilities and skills. Most autism care services are highly structured and specialised. However, there is no standard treatment, and autism care varies across different people. This post highlights a few effective autism care approaches and available services.
What is autism?
Autism is a medical condition known as an autism spectrum disorder and includes Asperger syndrome. The disease affects the brain, limiting one's ability to interact with their environment and other people. People with autism have narrow interests, repetitive behaviours and sensory sensitiveness. However, individuals with autism have different abilities and interests. There is no specific cause for autism, though there is a solid relation to genetics and some medical conditions. Notably, a diagnosis requires a detailed assessment by a team of medical personals including a pediatrician, psychologist and speech pathologist.
The following are the significant symptoms of people with ASD:
- Communication and interaction difficulties
- Speech and language challenges
- Repetitive behaviour and preference for routine
- Intellectual disability
- Anxiety and depression
- Low attention
- High sensitivity to any of the five senses
Types of Autism Care Approaches
The behavioural Management Therapy approach aims at reinforcing desirable behaviour and discouraging unwanted behaviour. Thus, caregivers learn what they can do before, during and after an episode. Essentially, this autism care approach relies on applied behaviour analysis (ABA) techniques that track the child's progress in skill development.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy dwells on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. A typical therapy session supports people with autism in identifying and changing their thought patterns to feel better and act differently. This approach is effective in dealing with anxiety, especially in social situations.
Early Interventions for Autism include family training, speech therapy, physical therapy, hearing impairment treatment and nutritional services. The interventions aim at giving the child the best start to support them develop their full potential. Hence, the interventions start early in a child's life.
Medication treatment helps to manage specific symptoms of autism rather than cure the condition. Autism drugs include antidepressants, stimulants, anticonvulsants and psychoactive medications. Such medicine calms irritability and aggression while also stimulating concentration.
Parent Mediated Therapy focuses on supporting parents and caregivers to learn the techniques to provide autism therapy. Therefore, parents learn how to mediate activities of different treatments. This way, children have access to constant reinforcement and training.
Speech-Language Therapy assists children with autism to improve their communication abilities for better interactions. Children learn verbal skills such as naming objects, explaining emotions and increasing speech rate and rhythm. Besides, they learn nonverbal communication skills such as sign language and the use of picture symbols.
Autism Services
Private organizations provide educational, and caregivers support for individuals with autism and their families. Such services are available through in-home care and residential programs. You may also access individualized support for children with autism through the following government programs:
- Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centers
- Early Days Workshop
- Autism Specific Playgroups
- Raising Children Network
- Positive Partnership
- Helping Children With Autism (HCWE) and Better Start Medicare items for diagnosis and treatment
An autism diagnosis can be an overwhelming and stressful experience. However, children and adults can access a wide range of autism care services to improve their quality of life. Reach out to local autism services to learn more.
If you or a loved one needs to access health care from their home, then there are many services available that can help. It is important to find a home health care service that you can trust to prioritise the patient's well-being.
Our site explains the basic principles of home health care and helps you to find a suitable service. Take a look at our posts to help you clarify what you need from a home health care service. Read on to find out how working with one can take the pressure off family carers and enhance the life of the person needing care.