Autism Education
Meeting the challenges of autism can be better described as education rather than treatment. While there is no cure for autism, there are treatment and education approaches that may lessen some of the challenges associated with the disability. Although education is the chief form of treatment for autism, educators are frequently poorly equipped to deal with these children.
Autism Treatment Diets
There are a good number of unconventional or alternative therapies and treatment approaches that have been suggested for autism, together with nutritional supplements, dietary restrictions, and chelation therapy. One dietary autism treatment is a gluten-free, casein-free diet. An outcome of a decrease in autism traits was reported after a significant beneficial treatment effect for the combined gluten- and casein- free diet. After treatment for candida and an elimination diet, some have successfully treated several patients and have largely overcome their autism. Slowly, the gluten free / casein free diet is becoming a mainstream recommendation for the treatment of autism.
Autism Therapy
The most prevalent autism treatment options involve both occupational and physical therapy. The most usual autism treatment options involve both occupational and physical therapy. A vitamin and mineral therapy was developed, which is now considered an effective treatment for particular individuals with autism. Many insurers will not pay for autism treatment, leaving families holding the bag on up to $40,000 per year in therapy costs.
Books
"Autism Treatment Guide" by Elizabeth Gerlach, is the first comprehensive guide to autism treatment. SKF Books ( http://www.skfbooks.com ) exists to make and publish book and videos sorely needed in the world of Autism treatment and advocacy. "Facing Autism" by Lynn Hamilton ( http://www.facingautism.com ) is an outstanding new book that covers all of the central, effective treatments for autism in a friendly, concise tone. This broad-ranging, authoritative book is necessary reading for anyone with an interest in autism and its treatment.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
For children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, a genetic test has helped to identify which treatment options may lead to the best results. One study suggested that methylphenidate is a treatment option for children with autism spectrum disorder and hyperactivity. Parents Helping Parents ( http://www.php.com ) is a support group for parents interested in exploring bio-medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders, including pervasive development disorder (PDD) and Aspergers.
Autism Treatment Research
Recently, the NIH Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC) has initiated a new research initiative in the area of treatment interventions directed at autism symptoms. The NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , is one of several Institutes doing research into different aspects of autism, as well as its causes, prevalence, and treatments. The Autism Treatment Network (http://www.autismtreatmentnetwork.org ) (ATN) is intended to develop clinical and research centers of excellence which will share current data on patient care, education, and research on autism. Intensive behavioral/psychoeducational treatments for autism and research needs and future directions are being evaluated by the ATN. Eventually, ATN hopes to produce treatment procedures for autism based on credible research and rigorous clinical trials. Additionally, ATN conducts its own research on the causes, methods of prevention, diagnosing, and treatments for autism and linked disorders. Newly diagnosed children with autism should receive intensive, quality, effective treatment that is rooted in research. A major obstacle in useful autism research has been the lack of a valid means of measuring the effectiveness of multiple treatments. Clinical research studies continue to look for more promising treatments for autism.
Tantalizing Clues
Some studies have implied that all types of autism involve a malfunction in the way the person deals with metal regulation. This indicates a malfunction of a certain metal binding protein called metallothionein (MT) . Thus, a recent therapy for autistic children involves zinc, amino acid and glutathione supplementation.
The most recent studies imply that the digestive systems of autistic children do not completely break down food. Autistic persons also seem to have low levels of secretin.
Secretin
The use of secretin appears to be the most promising treatment yet discovered for the treatment of autism. The hormone secretin has gotten recent attention as a breakthrough treatment for autism. Some further children with autism suggested limited improvement after treatment with secretin. Evidence suggests a lack of benefit of a single dose of synthetic human secretin in the care of autism and pervasive developmental disorder. Notwithstanding these results, interest in secretin in the treatment of autism continues.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment Evidence
ABA ( applied behavioral analysis )/EIBI (early intensive behavioral intervention) has the biggest body of scientific evidence supporting its methodology as an effective treatment for autism. With scientific evidence, a good amount of of these interventions should turn out to be part of the future treatment protocol for subtypes of autism. There is no evidence to validate adopting a single autism treatment program as the gold standard. The challenge for autism treatment research is that there is no simple test that can be quantified before and after an intervention. A large array of non-traditional treatments exist for autism, most with just anecdotal evidence of their utility.
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