The Autism Treatment Gap - Theory and Practise

OLDER ARTICLE

I recently had the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of topics in the special needs space at an international summit. It included renowned names from the industry worldwide.

After listening to them I felt a certain joy; joy that more and more specialists were coming onboard with what methodology truly works for an autistic child. Far away from ABA.(Applied Behaviour Analysis)

I also noted that there was a certain order/stages to Autism intervention which worked. Only when these blocks(stages) were placed in the right order and position, the recover was natural and irreversible.

Stage 1. Socialisation - Understanding who they are. Eye contact. Observation.

Stage 2. Imitation - Inculcating self esteem.

Stage 3. Communication - Non verbal primarily. NOT Speech and language. Connecting to others.

Stage 4. Occupational Therapy - Understanding their physical body. Becoming confident in using them.

Stage 5. Rhythm - Bringing in rhythm to build the faculties mentioned above. Left and Right exercises. Plasticity.

Stage 6. Speech - Encouragement for speech once child is confidently engaging with the family members.

Stage 7. Behaviour Therapy - Preparing for school environment by teaching certain social behaviours the child might have missed in stage 1. This is the only place for the traditional ABA. ABA is inefficient in raising a natural child as it was instituted for an alternative purpose.

Each stage mentioned above is hierarchal until a baseline is achieved, then we add the next stage. So, when we reach stage 7, a good level of ability exists in stage 1, 2, 3 and basic level ability exists in 4, 5 and 6.

So, how does one know when to move to the next stage? A parent will know it if he is truthful to himself. No doctor can guide, as it is only the parent who knows the true ability of the child.

Guiding parents identify and move across these stages is a key job of an interventionist. Find a good interventionist with knowledge and experience on all aspects and who has the time to guide you daily/weekly. Your ship will transform and sail smoothly.

I can guarantee that there are mothers out there with this secret modus operandi and are succeeded in raising very happy families with children carrying their ASD diagnosis with pride. These children are helping further by spreading awareness on the same.

The Gap -

Though developmental paediatricians advocate the above, they still refer the child to a regular therapy center on their list. Predominantly centers still have the ABA mindset to create robots who would listen to others instructions with no faith in the child's ability. They often directly attack stage 7 or stage 4 and the child always seems lost.

There is large gap when it comes to practising these stages at home or on the therapy floor in any center to achieve results. The "How" is unknown and hence the gap.

There are experienced interventionists who can answer the how for you. They also hand hold parents through these stages daily/weekly. The journey is educational and best results are achieved where parents are completely involved in the remedy of the child.

Yes, these stages are same whatever be the age of the child. If a stage has been missed, it has to be recovered.

If this article was helpful in giving you a path forward or if you would like to speak to an interventionist, do leave a message.

WE HAVE REWORKED ON THE SAME AND CURATED 10 FREEDOMS