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Common Autism Treatments
Reviewed
Autism is a developmental disability that affects both children
and adults. The symptoms of autism are usually diagnosed within
the first three years of the child抯 life. These symptoms may be
more pronounced in some than others and will often affect both
the social and communication abilities of the individual. When
diagnosed with autism, the individual can benefit from many of
the different treatment programs and educational programs
available.
Biomedical
While there is no special drug to cure the symptoms,
professionals, as well as parents, have found that some drugs
that are often used for other disorders will help to alleviate
some of the behavioral symptoms of autism.
For example, Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors have been used to
help treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and
anxiety. Through research it is found that there are elevated
levels of serotonin in as many as one-third of those diagnosed
with autism. Drugs such as Anafranil, Lenox, and Prozac may be
able to reverse some of the symptoms of having high levels of
serotonin, such as repetitive behaviors, irritability, and
aggressive behavior. Some researchers found that autistic
children may show increased eye contact and may become more
responsive to others when taking these drugs.
Your child's physician may recommend other drugs, such as
Ritalin, to help treat your child's symptoms. The main issue in
treating the symptoms of autism with drugs is the side effects
that may come along with certain medications. As with any
medication being taken, you want to fully inform your child's
physician about any side effects you may notice. It should also
be stated that because children with autism may have a higher
sensitivity to drugs, the dosages should be adjusted
accordingly.
Vitamins
Many parents of autistic children and professionals feel that
adjusting the child's diet and adding vitamins will help to
treat the symptoms associated with autism. Research has proven
that taking an increased amount of Vitamin C will help reduce
the severity of symptoms, while others have shown that vitamin
B and magnesium will help with the behavioral problems, improve
their eye contact, and improve the autistic child's ability to
pay attention. Professionals feel that due to malabsorption
problems in those with autism, nutritional deficiencies may
have an effect on how severe the symptoms are.
Before starting your child on a vitamin program, your child's
physician should do an assessment of nutrition. This will help
them to find out what your child is missing in vitamins and
minerals to help to determine what they need and how it may
help them.
Dietary
Individuals that have been diagnosed with autism sometimes may
have sensitivity to certain foods, as well. Some of these may
also contribute to certain behaviors. There are times that when
certain substances are taken from the child's diet, it will
alleviate some of these behaviors. One example of this is
gluten. Researchers have found that if an autistic child has
trouble breaking down the peptides of foods containing gluten
and casein, found in diary products, wheat, oats, and rye, this
may cause an upset of the biochemical and neurological
processes of the brain. By removing these foods from the diet,
it can reduce some of the autistic symptoms.
Behavioral
Due to the wide range of communication and behavioral symptoms
that are associated with autism, there are a wide variety of
behavioral treatments for individuals with autism. Many of
these behavioral treatments for children with autism are based
on the Applied Behavior Analysis. This theory focuses on
rewarding good behavior.
The main thing to consider in choosing a behavioral treatment
program for your autistic child is to understand their learning
style. If your child is more visual, you may want to make sure
the program is set up to assist your child in the way he or she
learns best.
These are only a few of the treatments available for
individuals diagnosed with autism. Because autism is unique in
the sense that the symptoms vary according to the extent and
severity, you and your child's physician will need to find a
treatment program that works best for them. There are a lot of
programs available for your child however, one program may be
wrong for one child and perfect for another. Before starting
your child in any program, seek the advice from your physician.
He or she can test and assess your child to find out which
treatments may help to alleviate some of your child's autism
symptoms.
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