Although there is no cure for ASD, early intervention can help mitigate the challenges associated with it. Therapeutic, psychological, behavioural and educational interventions can help people with ASD.
Some of the most commonly used treatments include:
Behaviour therapy: a series of techniques designed to encourage positive behaviours using a reward system.
Cognitive behaviour therapy: can help children with ASD understand how thoughts influence behaviour.
Nutritional therapy: a nutrition specialist can create a meal plan that caters to specific dietary needs and preferences.
Occupational therapy: focuses on teaching autistic people to live as independently as they can, such as placing food orders or getting dressed.
Physical therapy: can build on a person’s motor skills with a focus on posture, coordination, balance, and muscle control.
Social skills therapy: learning basic social skills, including how to carry on a conversation, understand humour, and read emotional cues.
Educational therapies: highly structured education programs may help children with autism, who often respond well to routine.
Speech-language therapy: teaches verbal skills that can help people with autism communicate better.
Animal therapy: therapeutic horseback riding can help children build confidence, expand their social skills, and even increase core body strength.
Art therapy: engages sensory, perceptual, cognitive, and symbolic capacities through art making processes and the art produced.
Music therapy: uses music to address a person’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs.
Medication treatment: there is no medication to treat autism. However, medications sometimes can be an option in managing the more disruptive behavioural symptoms of ASD such as unprovoked aggression and self-harm.