Is Autism Curable?
We are hopeful. A few decades back, the world considered cancer as a disease with no answer; today, it is both curable and preventable up to quite an extent. So while autism has no completely preventable or curable measures, it is possible to diminish the effects of this (in)famous bio-neurological disability. Results have shown certain therapies allowing autistic individuals interact and communicate with an immediate environment satisfactorily; therefore, we may expect advanced behavior modification and nutritional counseling procedures to deliver greater results in future.
Effective measures to treat Autism
Those who are facing absolute trauma with a near and dear one affected by autism must know that it is possible to turn an autistic person into a highly productive social entity through occupational therapy; however, that takes time, patience and a lot of concern. For better results, treatment for autism requires employing physical therapies alongside; unless the body gets used to certain exercise regimens, an autistic individual cannot control his or her body movements the right way. Thus, autism requires a combination of therapies to bring out the maximum results along with the medications
Anti-convulsions, antidepressants, stimulants, anti-psychotics or hyperbaric oxygen treatment). Single treatments fail to deliver the best results and combination therapies require a tailored approach.
Autism treatment measures: In Brief
i. Behavior modification techniques: These techniques help in eliminating aggressive, repetitive and undesirable behavior displayed often by autistic individuals. Positive reinforcement being the key word in most of these techniques, they involve scientifically structured activities under the supervision of one or more behavioral therapists. Usually, these sessions are one-on-one by nature.
ii. Sensory integration therapy: This is a therapy that exposes autistic individuals to a varied range of sensory stimuli. It helps in triggering the right responses from an autistic individual, who in turn learns to react appropriately to a given situation.
iii. Play therapy: Strictly for autistic children, play therapies involve role-playing and telling stories, which in turn, encourage an autistic child to actuate his or her imagination, thus improving overall social interaction abilities.
iv. Communication therapy: This is for improving the usage of language in an autism patient for communicating thoughts efficiently. Speech therapy makes an important component in communication therapy. Often it is blended with PECS (picture exchange communication systems) to enhance usage of visual cues.
Treatments for Autism: The Conclusion
Although expensive (10% for medical care, 30% for care and education and 60% for the lost economic productivity of patients and their family members) and complex, the treatments for autism vary with both age and location of the patients and this is the prime reason behind why the same treatment procedures offer varied results from individual to individual.
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