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EspañolAUTISM THERAPIES
There is a broad array of 'autism therapies', but the efficacy of each varies dramatically from person to person. Progress toward development of medical and behavior modification remedies, for the more debilitating affects of autism, has been hindered significantly by widespread disagreements over such things as the nature and causes of autistic spectrum disorders, and by a relative paucity of efficacious therapies thus far recognized by medical authorities.[1]
With advances in psychosocial and pharmacological interventions, the behavioral and cognitive functioning of individuals affected by autistic disorders might improve. Intensive, sustained special education programs and behavior therapy early in life might increase the ability of children with autism to acquire language and learning skills. In adults with autism, some studies have found beneficial effects of the antidepressant medications clomipramine and fluoxetine, and the newer antipsychotic medications such as Risperdal and, more traditionally, the much older drug haloperidol, possibly due to the preponderance of co-morbid disorders in those with autism significantly adding to behavioural and functional challenges more than the autism itself.
In many cases, several medications will be tried unsuccessfully, and palliative drug treatments may lose much of their effectiveness for mitigating symptoms later in life. Distinguishing between beneficial, palliative and detrimental treatments is not always straightforward.
Behavioral interventions
Behavioral interventions can take place at home, at school, or at a special center devoted to autism treatment. A 2007 study found that augmenting a center-based program with weekly home visits by a special education teacher improved cognitive development and behavior.[2]
Applied Behavior Analysis
A treatment and education of children with autism came through the application of the principles and techniques of 'Applied Behavior Analysis' (ABA). O. Ivar Lovaas's name is widely associated with ABA-based treatment, as he was one of the first psychologists to demonstrate that children with autism could learn language, play, social, self-help, and academic skills.
:''ABA'-based approaches—often referred to as Discrete Trial, Intensive Behavior Intervention, and ABA—are some of the best known and most widely used in the field, and focus on the development of attention, imitation, receptive and expressive language, play, social, and pre-academic, and self-help skills. Using a one-to-one therapist-child ratio and the "antecedent-behavior-consequence" (ABC) model, interventions based on this work involve trials or tasks. Each consists of (a) an antecedent, which is a directive or request for the child to perform an action; (b) a behavior, or response from the child, which may be categorized as successful performance, noncompliance, or no response; and (c) a consequence, defined as the reaction from the therapist, which ranges from strong positive reinforcement to a strong negative response, "No!"''(Autism Society of America, 2001).[3]
Lovaas' ABA methods are widely regarded as the first scientifically validated therapy for autism. Early intensive intervention, consisting of 35-40 hours per week of therapy, generally before school-age, seems to be critical to achieving optimal outcomes. The New York State Department of Health worked with a multi-disciplinary panel of autism experts to publish Clinical Practice Guidelines for young children diagnosed with autism. The panel reviewed research on a variety of treatment methodologies and cited ABA as a critical element in any intervention program for young children with autism. That same year, in the Surgeon General of the United States’ first report on mental health, intensive ABA based treatment was cited as an effective intervention for children with autism.
ABA techniques based on B. F. Skinner's ''Verbal Behavior'' claim to have succeeded in helping nonverbal children start to talk, typically going from zero words to several dozen. By allowing children to express their needs, even rudimentary speech can alleviate frustration and tantrums.
Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the Lovaas approach when compared with control groups receiving other therapies or not receiving any therapy.[4][5][6] However, a 2007 British study found that home-based early intensive behavioral interventions, a form of ABA, was no more effective than nursery-based eclectic programs.[7] Sallows and Graupner's 2005 study, which compared groups treated by professionals vs. parents, replicated the results of Lovaas, but found little difference in outcome between the groups.[8] This study represents the most comprehensive and rigorous replication to date, and their findings nearly mirror Lovaas's. However, the scientific validity of Lovaas's methods and research supporting ABA have been questioned by many professionals, by parents, and by those diagnosed as autistics themselves.
Some people have made ethical challenges to autism treatment by pointing out that early ABA was based around the use of aversives and saying that these aversives can be confusing and/or painful.[9] Modern ABA therapy only uses aversives to reduce behaviors whic are dangerous to the individual, preferring instead to use positive reinforcement to increase desired or non-injurious behavior.
ABA has come into widespread use in the 1990s, and the demand is outstripping the supply of committed and experienced service providers. As a result, parents of children need to be extra vigilant in choosing appropriate treatments for their children; this is especially so with regard to choosing providers, who may be inexperienced, use questionable methods or even deceive parents about their competency with ABA or any other program. Such problems have led to horror stories from some parents.
The use of early techniques of ABA are documented in the book ''Let Me Hear Your Voice''.[10]
Floortime
Floortime was developed by Stanley Greenspan. The intervention focuses on facilitating attachment between the child with autism and the parent through the act of play. The parent follows the child's lead and joins with the child in his or her preferred activity, even if the activity would be considered peculiar.
Therapy in education
Children with autism are affected by their symptoms every day, which set them apart from unaffected students. Because of problems with receptive language and theory of mind, they can have difficulty understanding some classroom directions and instruction, along with subtle vocal and facial cues of teachers. This inability to fully decipher the world around them often makes education stressful. Teachers need to be aware of a student's disorder, and ideally should have specific training in autism education, so that they are able to help the student get the best out of his or her classroom experiences.
Some students learn more effectively with visual aids as they are better able to understand material presented visually. Because of this, many teachers create “visual schedules” for their autistic students. This allows students to concretely see what is going on throughout the day, so they know what to prepare for and what activity they will be doing next. Some autistic children have trouble going from one activity to the next, so this visual schedule can help to reduce stress.
Research has shown that working in pairs may be beneficial to autistic children. Autistic students have problems not only with language and communication, but with socialization as well. By facilitating peer interaction, teachers can help their students with autism make friends, which in turn can help them cope with problems or understand the world around them. This can help them to become more integrated into the mainstream environment of the classroom.
A teacher's aide can also be useful to the student. The aide is able to give more elaborate directions that the teacher may not have time to explain to the autistic child and can help the child to stay at an equivalent level to the rest of the class through the special one-on-one instruction. However, some argue that students with one-on-one aides may become overly dependent on the help, thus leading to difficulty with independence later on.
There are many different techniques that teachers can use to assist their students. A teacher needs to become familiar with the child’s disorder to know what will work best with that particular child. Every child is going to be different and teachers have to be able to adjust with every one of them.
Students with autism spectrum disorders sometimes have high levels of anxiety and stress, particularly in social environments like school. If a student exhibits aggressive or explosive behavior, it is important for educational teams to recognize the impact of stress and anxiety. Preparing students for new situations, such as through writing social stories, can lower anxiety. Teaching social and emotional concepts using systematic teaching approaches such as The Incredible 5-Point Scale or other cognitive behavioral strategies can increase a student's ability to control excessive behavioral reactions.
TEACCH
Treatment and education of autistic and related communication handicapped children (TEACCH) is a project founded by Eric Schopler at the University of North Carolina. TEACCH is a behavioral program that draws on the strengths of children with autism to teach them skills. Teachers establish workstations where each child can practice various tasks. Additionally, parents are taught to implement the treatment at home. One experiment comparing a group receiving TEACCH with a matched control group not receiving the treatment suggests that TEACCH may be an effective intervention for young children with autism.[11]
Animal-assisted therapy
Animal-assisted therapy, where an animal such as a dog becomes a basic part of a person's treatment, is a controversial treatment for some symptoms. A 2007 meta-analysis found that animal-assisted therapy is associated with a moderate improvement in autism spectrum symptoms.[12] Reviews of published dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important methodological flaws and have concluded that there is no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy or that it affords any more than fleeting improvements in mood.[13]
Computer use
Studies have suggested that computer use can help to calm children on the autistic spectrum, while stimulating their ability to communicate.[14] Autistic children may prefer interaction with a computer interface because they can actively control it, and therefore communication through this medium may be less threatening than face-to-face conversation.
Non-profit group Autism and Computing,[15] have proposed that monotropism, or very focused attention with a limited scope, is a primary feature in autistic spectrum disorders. It has been suggested that this attentional difficulty can be alleviated by the use of computers because the medium helps the user to combine different focuses of attention successfully, therefore helping the user in other areas as well. However, there is currently little evidence that the benefits of computer use do extend to other mediums.
Multisensory stimulation
Controlled multisensory stimulation, or snoezelen, is a therapeutic regime for people with severe mental disabilities involving exposure to soothing and/or stimulating light, color, scents and music in carefully controlled environments. Such sensory integration therapies have been used in the therapy of patients with autism diagnoses since the 1970s. They were developed in the Netherlands and are particularly popular in Germany. Also in Italy applications of snoezelen are proving effective in geriatric hospital departments (see Parma General Hospital [1]).
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback may alleviate some of autism symptoms, according to a pilot study on eight children.[2] The therapy involves the placement of electrodes on the scalp and the training of individuals to control their own brain waves. After ten weeks of therapy, five of the children performed better on tasks involving imitation. Individuals with autism are thought to have mu wave dysfunction, associated with mirror neurons. These brain cells play a critical role in mimicking the behaviors of others and in development of the capacity for empathy and understanding of others.
Cranio Sacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy is a form of osteopathy claimed to relieve uneven soft-tissue pressure around the base of the skull in order to balance the flow of cerebrospinal fluid to the brain. Improving the flow and balance of the supply of this fluid to the brain is believed by practitioners to assist in information processing and other autism-associated challenges.
Sensory therapies
Developmental neurologists have noted that autistic children tend to be hyposensitive and/or hypersensitive to one or several sensory impressions, and that their gross and fine motor skills are usually impaired to varying degrees. These are symptoms consistent with Sensory Integration Dysfunction.
Tinted lenses were popularised by autistic author Donna Williams in her book Like Colour To The Blind and went on to become widely used by people with autism for the visual perceptual disorder of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome.
Visual therapy as pioneered by Melvin Kaplan and others, employs prism lenses that distort the child's vision, forcing him/her to use his/her focal vision more productively.
Auditory therapies focus on training the child to use his/her sense of hearing more effectively through methods such as auditory integration training.
Occupational therapy has proven successful in helping autistic children deal more effectively with sensory impressions, use their senses more productively, and become more aware of their bodies.
Non-coercive approaches
Non-coercive approaches attempt to promote the development of autistic individuals while recognizing the high levels of stress, anxiety, nervousness and self-doubt they are prone to, and avoiding approaches that will increase these stresses.
Some of these approaches are based on social skills intervention, aimed at increasing social and communicative skills of autistic individuals. However, a 2007 meta-analysis of 55 studies of school-based social skills intervention found that they were minimally effective for children and adolescents with ASD,[16] and a 2007 review found that social skills training has minimal empirical support for children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism.[17]
Relationship Development Intervention
Main articles: Relationship Development Intervention
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) is a treatment program developed by Dr. Steven E. Gutstein. Whereas ABA and other typical interventions aim to teach specific skills that are seen as lacking, RDI focuses primarily on building a general "dynamic intelligence" believed to underlie the acquisition of social skills demonstrated in neurotypical children. It also focuses on the building blocks of motivation by developing episodic memory (seen as impaired in autism) and filling it with the child's own personal stories of competence and mastery. RDI emphasizes declarative (as opposed to imperative) communication, and aims for an appropriate balance of verbal and nonverbal communication.
Dr. Gutstein claims that 70% of his patients improved their ADOS diagnostic category within 18 months and that a similar proportion are able to enter school without a shadow teacher or other personal assistant, though to date there is no peer-reviewed published research on the RDI protocol.
Son-Rise
Son-Rise is a home-based program with emphasis on eye contact, accepting the child without judgment, and engaging the child in a noncoercive way. Proponents claim that children will decide to become non-autistic after parents accept them for who they are and engage them in play. The program was started by the parents of Raun Kaufman, who is claimed to have gone from being autistic to normal via the treatment in the early 1970s.[18] No independent study has tested the efficacy of the program, but a 2003 study found that involvement with the program led to more drawbacks than benefits for the involved families over time,[19] and a 2006 study found that the program is not always implemented as it is typically described in the literature, which suggests it will be difficult to evaluate its efficacy.[20]
The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential
The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential,[21] established in 1955, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and development of children who have some form of brain injury, including children diagnosed with autism. The IAHP claims that many children show improvement with a home program consisting of a healthy diet, clean air, and respiratory programs, without the need for medication. The IAHP publishes the results of its treatment for over 1700 children on its website.
James Wiliams
''The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents'' proposes reducing stressful situations, and not forcing the autistic child to change into someone he or she is not. James Williams, one of the authors, is an autistic child who recounts much of his experiences through examples of possible problems encountered by parents of autistic children. Some recommendations made by Williams include not forcing the child into a mainstreamed schooling situation too early, adapting to problems caused by hypersensitivity, and allowing stimming as a means of dealing with Stress. The book promotes the idea that certain symptoms exhibited by individuals with autism are normal human responses to stress, and blocking these responses removes the individual's ability to deal with this stress. The authors also stress the importance of a primary bond between autistic children and parents, and building social interest and learning from that bond, while criticizing ABA for turning parents and children into adversaries or pushing them into dominant and submissive roles.
Biomedical interventions
Many parents and medical professionals have reported improvements in the behavior of autistic children enrolled in special diets, detoxification therapies, and a range of treatments, collectively known as biomedical intervention for autism. In 1995, The Autism Research Institute brought together a group of about 30 physicians and scientists to share information and ideas toward defeating autism as quickly as possible. This became known as Defeat Autism Now!, which comprises a network of doctors whose goal is to educate parents and clinicians about biomedically-based research, appropriate testing and safe and effective interventions for autism.
Some of these claims are contested by other specialist doctors, who fear that the failure of conventional medicine to address parental concerns, and the meager resources committed to scientific research, has led to autism becoming a magnet for quacks and charlatans.
The premise for biomedical intervention is that certain neurological disorders including autism are caused by environmental shocks that compromise the gastrointestinal, immunological and neurological systems. Gastrointestinal, in that they tend toward constipation or diarrhea and often have abnormal cravings or abhorence for certain kinds of food; immunological, in that they are prone to allergies, migraines, and react abnormally to infectious diseases; and neurological, in that they are consistently hypo- or hypersensitive to sensory impressions. Proponents of biomedical intervention claim that autistic children generally improve in all three systems with an adapted or 'special' diet or with the addition to their diet of certain dietary supplements, nutrients, and enzyme supplements. Based on this premise, what is often diagnosed as autism or PDD is seen as a physiological syndrome that can and should be treated as a physiological disorder.
This point of view is consistent with wider evidence that diet and nutrition can affect behavior generally, but there is no medical literature evidencing claims that autism can be fully cured. Many of the most prominent researchers and advocates of biomedical therapies in autism have autistic children of their own and have been driven by their own experience of seeing their own children improve to devote their time to helping others. These include Dr. Bernard Rimland, who is seen by many as the godfather of biological interventions in autism. Dr. Rimland, a psychologist and parent of an autistic son, early speculated that his son's autism was the result of the DPT vaccine. Dr. Rimlands strong anti-vaccine stance and denouncement of the DPT vaccine was a significant factor in the redesign of the vaccine in 1990. He experimented with eliminating certain kinds of food and found that by eliminating casein and gluten from his son's diet, autistic symptoms were reduced. This gave rise to the notion of the "leaky gut" cause of autism, in which the gastrointestinal walls have been compromised, allowing for incompletely broken down and thereby toxic protein chains to be absorbed into the bloodstream[22][23].
Sidney Baker, MD, Maureen McDonnell, and other health care practitioners used Dr. Rimland's observations to develop the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) protocol. While the DAN doctors operate outside the mainstream medical community, they have attracted a growing number of pediatricians, neurologists, allergists, nutritionists, and others to develop and refine their approaches.
In addition, parents are increasingly active in assessing a wide range of approaches to help their autistic children. A large and growing number of online communities are constantly exchanging information and ideas to further the state of biomedical intervention as treatment for autism and related disorders.
Another 'protocol', in existence for a number of years, is known as the NIDS [Neuro Immune Dysfunction Syndromes] protocol [5]. Essentially, this protocol is an amalgam of some older protocols used in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndromes. The NIDS protocol consists basically of: anti-virals; anti-fungals; antibiotics; low-dose SSRIs and other specific pharmaceutical meds as needed. NIDS has not gained the popular following that the DAN! protocol has, due mostly to the lack of basic information, dearth of publications and the small number [ <5 ] of practitioners. Moreover, much of the focus of the original protocol provider has been spent on the continual quest for bringing to market certain immunomodulators (eg. VIP analogs) hoped to remedy the condition.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support biomedical intervention - most parents who try one or several therapies report some progress, and there are many anecdotal stories of children who have undergone these programs and become seemingly completely neurotypical, able to return to mainstream education, and/or made dramatic improvements in health and well-being. However, this evidence may be confounded by the dramatic improvements often seen in autistic children as they grow up, with or without such interventions. There are calls for more research including double-blind studies to test the relative efficacy of the different treatment approaches, and the light they might shed on the nature of autism.
As an example, the use of high doses of vitamin B6 with or without magnesium is gaining popularity among parents. Some studies do validate its effectiveness; including some double-blind ones.[6] However, there appear to be some significant risks associated with high doses of vitamin B6, including peripheral neuropathy. Some people argue that vitamin B6 only helps children in the following groups:
★ Those with nutritional deficiencies, which can benefit from multivitamins in general; autistic children are notoriously fussy eaters.
★ Those with vitamin B6 deficiency (related to seizures.)
Chelation therapy
Based on the speculation that heavy metal poisoning may trigger the symptoms of autism, particularly in small subsets of individuals who cannot excrete toxins effectively, some parents have turned to alternative medicine practitioners who provide detoxification treatments, via chelation therapy, as a treatment method. However, evidence to support this practice has been anecdotal and not rigorous. Furthermore, there is strong epidemiological evidence that refutes links between environmental triggers, in particular thimerosal containing vaccines, and the onset of autistic symptoms. Currently there is no data that supports the theory that mercury and thimerosal cause autism.[24]
The death of a five year old boy in August 2005 has been linked to this practice.[25] This case has been attributed to the accidental administration of an incorrect chelation agent.[26]
Diets
In the early 1990s it was hypothesized that autism can be caused or aggravated by opioid peptides like casomorphine that are metabolic products of gluten and casein.[27] Based on this hypothesis, diets that eliminate foods containing either gluten or casein, or both, are widely promoted, and many testimonials can be found describing benefits in autism-related symptoms, notably social engagement and verbal skills.
Studies supporting these claims have had significant flaws, so the data are inadequate to guide treatment recommendations. Even if they do not help, changes in diet are probably harmless aside from their bother and cost. Elimination diets in autism spectrum disorders: any wheat amidst the chaff?, Christison GW, Ivany K, , , J Dev Behav Pediatr,
Researchers such as Rosemary Waring found a significant proportion of people with autism were salicylate intolerant and unable to properly metabolise the chemical (a natural plant compound common in many foods that is toxic at high doses). This was found to be associated with deficiencies in the phenolsulphurtransferase enzyme, the lack of which could lead to suppressed immunity and detoxification functions.
Waring's work was taken up by other researchers and led to alternative dietary approaches such as the lutein-free diet, known as Sara's Diet, to treat autism.[28] This dietary approach was developed by nutrition researcher Sandra Desorgher, founder of World Community Autism Program and involves the total elimination of dietary lutein, artificial food dyes and aspartame. This approach aims to provide all known and suspected essential nutrients from natural food sources, taking into account that optimal nutrition varies from individual to individual. Other elements of the diet might include: removal or reduction in intake of gluten and/or casein, soy protein, carotene pigments, high purine foods, active dry yeast, MSG, and excessive dietary supplements. Some dairy fats or grains that are not allowed on the GFCF diet are allowed under the lutein-free diet protocol.
The Feingold Diet involves eliminating artificial colorings, flavourings, preservatives and nitrates, as well as salicylates. Salicylate intolerance has been linked to attentional problems, hyperactivity, mood and anxiety disturbances.
In the Specific Carbohydrate Diet certain bi- and poly-saccharides, such as lactose, fructose, starch, etc. are eliminated.
Supplements
Derrick Lonsdale is currently leading a pilot study on the treatment of autistic children with thiamine.[29][30]
Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast. The use of probiotic diets for children with autism has been reported to have improved the concentration and behavior of the study subjects so much that medical trials collapsed because parents refused to accept placebos. According to the researchers, the effectiveness of the treatment caused some of the parents involved in a blind trial to realize that their children were not taking a placebo. The parents then refused to switch to the placebo as scheduled, resulting in the collapse of the trial. As a result, it was difficult for researchers to draw firm conclusions. Further research is being planned.[31]
Gold salts have recently come into focus as a potential treatment for autism. Boyd Haley, a University of Kentucky professor and leading proponent of the mercury-autism hypothesis, has suggested that gold salts may reverse conditions attributed to mercury administration in the form of thiomersal that was used as a preservative in vaccinations until recently (however, it is important to note that thimerosal has not yet been outlawed in all 50 states). Currently, Dr. Mady Hornig of Columbia University is testing gold salts on mice specially bred to be susceptible to thimerosal. Dan Olmsted[8] reported a 1947 case of a 12 year old patient, the first person ever diagnosed with autism, who was treated for arthritis using gold salts at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. According to the patient's brother, the "extreme nervousness" and excitability that had afflicted him cleared up as well as the arthritis. However, Haley cautions "
Because the gastrointestinal system is presumed to have been compromised in autistic children, many parents and medical professionals find it necessary to give their children nutritional supplements. The range of supplements given to autistic children undergoing biomedical intervention is wide, but can be categorized as follows:
★ Vitamins - in particular:
★
★ B-complex vitamins, such as B12, B6, etc. This also includes Vitamin B derivatives, such as TMG, P5P, etc.
★
★ Vitamin C
★
★ Vitamin A
★
★ Others, in RDA doses
★ Minerals - in particular
★
★ Calcium
★
★ Zinc
★
★ Magnesium
★
★ Other trace minerals, such as Molybdenum, etc.
★ Essential fatty acids, provided in supplements such as
★
★ Fish liver oil
★
★ Borage oil
★
★ Flax seed oil
★ Anti-yeast supplements - parents report mixed success with antifungal medication, but are more enthusiastic about natural remedies such as:
★
★ Garlic
★
★ Caprylic acid
★
★ Grapefruit seed extract[32]
★
★ Products such as Biocidin
Prescription medication
Some studies have found beneficial effects of antidepressant medications such as clomipramine and fluoxetine in adults with autism. Also the newer antipsychotic medications such as risperidone[33] and the much older drug haloperidol have been shown to be effective, possibly due to the preponderance of comorbid disorders in those with autism. In many cases, several medications will be tried unsuccessfully, and palliative drug treatments may lose much of their effectiveness for mitigating symptoms later in life. Distinguishing between beneficial, palliative and detrimental treatments is not always straightforward.
The benefits of drug use in autism is disputed. Campaign groups such as Autistic People Against Neuroleptic Abuse have suggested that although mood, anxiety and compulsive disorders do occur in some people with autism, autistic people are not generally psychotic, anxious, depressed or bipolar, and they criticise the over-prescription of drugs to treat these comorbid psychological conditions.
Stem cell therapy
Mesenchymal stem cells and cord blood CD34+ cells have been proposed to treat autism, but this proposal has not been tested.[34]
Alternative views
Autism is not a disorder
Some people hold the view that autism is not a disorder, but a normal, healthy variation in neurological hard-wiring, and therefore does not need to be cured. This "anti-cure" perspective supports the model of autism that claims that autism is a fundamental part of who the autistic person is and that autism is something that cannot be separated from the person. A cure is seen as destroying the original personality of the individual and is perceived similar to attempts to "cure" homosexuality, therefore this perspective considers the disease classification insulting. In line with this belief, an autistic culture has begun to develop similar to deaf culture. This view is promoted by some groups such as the Autism rights movement), but it is not generally held by all autistic people. It has been criticized by some parents of autistic children who see the 'Autism rights movement' as unrepresentative of the views of the autism community generally.
There is no one condition called autism
This view was put forward by autistic author Donna Williams in her 9th book in the autism field, ''The Jumbled Jigsaw'' based on her work as an autism consultant working with over 600 people on the spectrum over 8 years. Here she presented a holistic model called ''Autism as a fruit salad'' model and demonstrated how the severity of someone's autism could be linked to their degree of co-morbid communication, sensory-perceptual, gut/immune, neurological integration, mood, anxiety and compulsive disorders a person inherited or developed coupled with cognitive and learning style differences and unusual personality trait collections. She suggested these challenges came about via different combinations of pathways including genetic inheritance, toxic exposure and clashing socio/sensory environments. She suggested that treatment and management, therefore, depended on mapping out which collection of co-morbid challenges were underpinning the ''autistic presentation'' for different individuals and addressing each with the most appropriate approaches to each individual underlying issue to maximise each person's potential. She also acknowledged that within this framework, individuals would exist for whom their greatest challenge would be cultural clashes between themselves and the neurotypical world.
Problems with service providers
Some service providers equate IQ with functioning and may refuse to serve high-IQ autistic people who are severely compromised in their ability to perform daily living tasks, or may fail to recognize the intellectual potential of many autistic people who are considered low-functioning autistics. For example, some professionals refuse to recognize autistics who can speak or write as being autistic at all, because they still think of autism as a communication disorder so severe that no speech or writing is possible.
Research
There are approximately twelve research studies published each week on therapies for individuals with autism. One review article[35] suggests that there are three major barriers in the transfer of this information from the laboratory to the child. They are:
★ treatment providers do not routinely turn to treatments that have been validated scientifically
★ a large minority of patients (actually parents of patients) resist therapies that have been scientifically validated
★ even scientifically validated therapies are not universally effective for all individuals with autism
References
1. List of interventions
2. A randomized, controlled trial of a home-based intervention program for children with autism and developmental delay, Rickards AL, Walstab JE, Wright-Rossi RA, Simpson J, Reddihough DS, , , J Dev Behav Pediatr, 2007
3. Autism Society of America ABA study
4. Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children., Lovaas O, , , Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 1987
5. Intensive behavioral treatment at school for 4- to 7-year-old children with autism. A 1-year comparison controlled study., Eikeseth S, Smith T, Jahr E, Eldevik S, , , Behavior modification, 2002
6. A comparison of intensive behavior analytic and eclectic treatments for young children with autism, Howard JS, Sparkman CR, Cohen HG, Green G, Stanislaw H, , , Res Dev Disabil, 2005
7. A two-year prospective follow-up study of community-based early intensive behavioural intervention and specialist nursery provision for children with autism spectrum disorders, Magiati I, Charman T, Howlin P, , , J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2007
8. Intensive behavioral treatment for children with autism: four-year outcome and predictors., Sallows G, Graupner T, , , American journal of mental retardation : AJMR, 2005
9. ABA and autistics controversy
10. '''Let Me Hear Your Voice''' at Amazon.com
11. Effectiveness of a home program intervention for young children with autism, Ozonoff S, Cathcart K, , , Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1998
12. Animal-assisted therapy: a meta-analysis, Nimer J, Lundahl B, , , Anthrozoos,
13. Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: more flawed data and more flawed conclusions, Lori Marino, Scott O. Lilienfeld, , , Anthrozoos,
14. Autism and Computers Department of Education study
15. Autism and Computing
16. A meta-analysis of school-based social skills interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders, Bellini S, Peters JK, Benner L, Hopf A, , , Remedial and Special Education,
17. Social skills interventions for children with Asperger's syndrome or high-functioning autism: a review and recommendations, Rao PA, Beidel DC, Murray MJ, , , J Autism Dev Disord,
18. Son-Rise: the Miracle Continues, Kaufman BN, , , HJ Kramer, 1995,
19. The Son-Rise Program intervention for autism: an investigation into family experiences, Williams KR, Wishart JG, , , J Intellect Disabil Res, 2003
20. The Son-Rise Program intervention for autism: prerequisites for evaluation, Williams KR, , , Autism, 2006
21. IAHP Online
22. [3]
23. [4]
24. [7]
25. Death as a result of improper chelation therapy
26. Chelation therapy mistake results in death
27. Probable etiology and possible treatment of childhood autism, Reichelt KL, Knivsberg A-M, Lind G, Nødland M, , , Brain Dysfunct, 1991
28. "Sara's diet"
29. Treatment of autism spectrum children with thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide: A pilot study Derrick Lonsdale, Raymond J. Shamberger 2 & Tapan Audhya
30. Lonsdale, D. & Shamberger R.J. (2000). A clinical study of secretin in autism and pervasive developmental delay. ''Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Vol 10 (4)'', pp 271-280.
31. Treatment with 'friendly' bacteria could counter autism in children Ian Johnston
32. [9]
33. Atypical antipsychotics in children with pervasive developmental disorders, Chavez B, Chavez-Brown M, Sopko MA Jr, Rey JA, , , Paediatr Drugs, 2007
34. Stem cell therapy for autism, Ichim TE, Solano F, Glenn E ''et al.'', , , J Transl Med, 2007
35. Treating the core features of autism: are we there yet?, Bodfish JW, , , Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev, 2004
Further reading
★
External links
★ ScienceDaily.com - 'The Age of Autism: Gold salts to be tested', Dan Olmsted, United Press International (UPI) (August 29, 2005)
★ UPI.com - 'The Age of Autism: Gold standards', Dan Olmsted, UPI (December 30, 2005)
★ Washington.edu - 'About gold treatment: What is it? Gold treatment includes different forms of gold salts used to treat arthritis', University of Washington (December 30, 2004)
★ Research Autism - UK charity which provides free, impartial and scientifically validated information about autism interventions.
★ The Autism Research Unit (ARU) at the University of Sunderland, UK
★ Generation Rescue Biomedical For Autism
★ Virginia.edu - 'Autism and Secretin'
★ Parents push for autism cure - MSNBC news article
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