Autism
Alternate Names : Autistic Disorder/Autism Spectrum, Autistic-Like/Autistic Tendencies, High-Functioning Autism, Infantile Autism, Low-Functioning Autism, Pervasive Developmental Delay
Autism Treatment
Intensive, appropriate early intervention greatly improves the outcome for most young children with autism. Most programs will build on the interests of the child in a highly structured schedule of constructive activities. Visual aids are often helpful.
Treatment is most successful when geared toward the individual's particular needs. An experienced specialist or team should design the individualized program. A variety of effective therapies are available, including auditory integration training, applied behavior analysis, medications, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, sensory integration, speech/language therapy and vision therapy.
One very successful educational program is called the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH).
Beware that there are some widely publicized treatments for autism which do not have scientific support; there are often reports of "miracle cures" which do not live up to expectations when attempted. If your child has this condition, it may be helpful to talk with other parents of autistic children and with autism specialists and also to follow the progress of research in this area, which is rapidly developing.
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