Group Archives: Therapy Options

There are many people  offering educational and medical solutions for kids with autism.  Sometimes the variety and the conflicting claims can be overwhelming. “Research-based” is a term that can be used inappropriately. This infographic is a place to start for people wanting to understand how to recognize good research. Source:  http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/tips-spotting-bad-science

There are many health care professionals who work with individuals who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using sensory integration therapy.  Many people who have ASD are overly sensitive to certain sounds, touches, smells, movement and sights. Individuals with ASD may enjoy a particular sense, and seek out that sensation seemingly to the exclusion of everything […]

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) takes the perspective that a key feature of autism is severe learning disabilities that strongly impact a person’s quality of life. These difficulties can be described as a lack of ability to make decisions in a complex, always changing environment. The ability to think flexibly and to learn from one’s own […]

TEACCH originated in North Carolina in 1971. It works to understand of the effects of autism on individuals, to promote meaningful engagement in activities, flexibility, independence, and self-efficacy. A common strategy TEAACH uses is visual cues to teach skills. For example, picture cards can help teach a child how to get dressed by breaking information […]

DIR/Floortime is a developmental approach to supporting the learning of children with autism. There is emerging evidence of its effectiveness as an intervention for children with ASD. It’s based on the idea that engaging interactions between parents and caregivers are the key to fostering growth through the social and development stages that all children experience. […]

Speech language therapy helps to improve a person’s communication skills. Some people are able to learn verbal communication skills. For others, using gestures or picture boards is more realistic. Because some individuals with ASD have difficulty communicating with others, they may have to see a speech language pathologist.

Occupational therapists help people participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations).  Occupational therapy teaches skills or provides alternate strategies that help the person live as independently as possible. Skills might include dressing, eating, bathing, managing emotions, making plans, and relating to people. When an […]

An evidence-based treatment approach for people with an ASD is called applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is an evidence based approach, widely accepted among health care professionals and used in many schools and treatment clinics.  ABA is a way of changing behavior and helping children to learn. It encourages positive behaviors and discourages negative behaviors […]

Adults can benefit from many of the same approaches to providing support as seen in children. Many benefit from learning skills in a way that allows them to generalize their learning and not tie the learning to one specific environment. To learn more about the different types of therapies used with individuals who have ASD, […]

  Types of Treatments There are many different types of treatments available. For example, auditory training, discrete trial training, vitamin therapy, anti-yeast therapy, facilitated communication, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and sensory integration. The different types of treatments can generally be broken down into the following categories: Behavior and Communication Approaches (such as ABA, […]