Autism Therapy
Many insurers will not pay for autism treatment, leaving families holding the bag on up to $40,000 per year in therapy costs. The most typical 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 certain individuals with autism.
Autism Education
Meeting the challenges of autism can be better described as education instead 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. Notwithstanding education is the chief form of treatment for autism, educators are frequently poorly equipped to deal with these children.
Autism Treatment Research
A important obstacle in useful autism research has been the lack of a valid means of measuring the effectiveness of different treatments. Clinical research reports continue to watch for more promising treatments for autism. 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. Ultimately, ATN hopes to create treatment guidelines for autism based on credible research and rigorous clinical trials. Further, ATN conducts its own research on the causes, methods of prevention, diagnosing, and treatments for autism and related disorders. Recently, the NIH Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC) has undertaken a fresh 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 diverse aspects of autism, in conjunction with its causes, prevalence, and treatments. Newly evaluated children with autism should attain intensive, quality, effective treatment that is rooted in research.
Books
"Autism Treatment Guide" by Elizabeth Gerlach, is the first complete guide to autism treatment. SKF Books ( http://www.skfbooks.com ) exists to create 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 required reading for anyone with an interest in autism and its treatment.
Autism Treatment Diets
One dietary autism treatment is a gluten-free, casein-free diet. An outcome of a lowering in autism traits was reported after a significant beneficial treatment effect for the combined gluten- and casein- free diet. Subsequent to 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. There are many unorthodox or alternative therapies and treatment approaches that have been indicated for autism, in conjunction with nutritional supplements, dietary restrictions, and chelation therapy.
Tantalizing Clues
Some studies have indicated that all types of autism involve a malfunction in the way the body deals with metal regulation. This suggests 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.
Recent studies imply that the digestive systems of autistic children do not completely break down food. Autistic people also seem to have low levels of secretin.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
For children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, a genetic test has helped to identify which treatment options could lead to the best results. One study indicated 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 probing bio-medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders, including pervasive development disorder (PDD) and Aspergers.
Secretin
The utilization of secretin seems to be the most promising treatment yet discovered for the treatment of autism. The hormone secretin has gotten the most recent attention as a breakthrough treatment for autism. Some further children with autism showed limited improvement after treatment with secretin. Evidence shows a lack of benefit of a single dose of synthetic human secretin in the care of autism and pervasive developmental disorder. Despite these results, interest in secretin in the treatment of autism continues.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment Evidence
There is no evidence to support 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. 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 may turn out to be part of the future treatment protocol for subtypes of autism. A large array of non-traditional treatments exist for autism, most with only anecdotal evidence of their utility.
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