Autism a neurological brain disorder affects the communication and socio interactivity of the child. Some autistic people have high functioning while some are calm and passive. Some autistic children are also mentally retarded and they may have poor speech or speech at all.
Why autism occurs is yet a mystery but spot it easily by the age of three. This disorder continues till adulthood so an early intervention helps in modifying the behavior problems. So earlier the treatment is begun the chances of improvement in the child is noticed. Every child has different problems so a single therapy cannot solve the problem of all the autistic people. Each one needs different handling according to their learning ability and skill and so the parent should choose the program taking this into account and the parents, teachers, doctors and the researchers agree with this.
A proper blend of behavioral therapies helps the autistic child like the language and speech therapy along with special education. Studies say that play based therapies along with the necessary supplement of vitamins and mineral nutrients can enhance the autistic child. But other problems like improper sleep patterns, anxiety and other malabsorption and digestive problems can hamper their progress.
ABA – Applied Behavioral Analysis
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is also known as the Intensive Behavioral Intervention where the child is given one to one attention and each skill is separated and taught one by one. Parents and doctors prefer this therapy as they see a positive result in the child. Activities start from recognizing colors which is a simple task to an advanced level of learning a language. The children are rewarded for their correct and good response and vice versa. This positive back up encourages the child to learn more and improve a lot.
Dietary Therapy
This therapy believes in supplements of food tthat can bring about improvement in the child. Certain food like milk and gluten have a bad impact on autistic children whereas vitamin B12 and magnesium nutrients help in the control of some behaviors like sudden outbursts, agitated behavior and also improper sleeping patterns
Anti-fungal Therapy
Autistic children have poor bowel problems and also excessive growth of microbes and fungi. So they have good response to anti fungal therapies. They have high absorption of yeast and bacteria and studies say that Candida Albicans, a type of yeast causes autism and also aggravate the behavior problem in autistic children.
Chelation Therapy a new detoxification treatment which is accepted by doctors nowadays is a treatment based on theory of childrens vaccines which are rich in metals like mercury causes autism.
The innumerable therapies available make the parents to choose a combination to get a respite from autism. Around 30% try unconventional methods, special diets, and vitamin supplement to improve behavior in autistic children. Apart from these vision therapy, music therapy, yoga and horse riding help to cure autism. As every child is unique one can never say how much a particular child benefits from a particular therapy. Medical science is still trying new therapies and treatments to fight autism.