Autism Spectrum Conditions/Disorders: Support Options
There is no “treatment” for Autism Spectrum Conditions/Disorders (ASC/Ds) alone, but there are options for associated symptoms/ problems like insomnia. Essentially, you can’t exactly “cure” or “treat” Autism. However, there are support options so that you can thrive in a neurotypical world or it can become easier in your day to day life.
Image Credits: Posted on Open Clip Art. All credits to the creator. I don’t own this image.
Note: We recognise that some like the puzzle piece symbol, and otherwise prefer options like the neurodiversity symbol. Here is an image combining both. Your preferences are valid. There is no single way to be “autistic” or “on the spectrum”.
Each individual has unique needs, but a structured option tailored to ASCs is preferable because:
structure can be helpful for people with ASCs
non-adapted treatments like general CBT are unlikely to be beneficial unless they account for differences in ASCs
Note: We are not advocating specific treatments. We are trying to provide a more objective and balanced view of options which cover a range of areas:
Today we will focus on a few interventions, and will expand on others in a later post.
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Social Communication Skills and Behavior: These are common targets for interventions, though some might consider options controversial because it might be distressing and potentially unethical to teach someone how to communicate/ behave in the right way or reduce “challenging behavior”.
Some do find Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) helpful, and the Mayo Clinic suggests that ABA is meant to “ help children learn new skills and generalize these skills to multiple situations through a reward-based motivation system.”
Social Skills Training to make interactions with others easier.
Speech-language therapy to make it easier to speak: it can address both spoken skills (like expressing oneself), and non-verbal communication (like using the Picture Exchange Communication System).
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Tagging some people who might be interested based on past posts: @reddotonblack, @AuntieMymble, @sunshinegiraffe123, @amoOna97, @mobteru, @lyricalAngel70, @Treedome, @igetcha, @powderPuffMango, @funnyDog8378, @resourcefulPond1641, @RexDreamer
Co-written by HealTheHealer and jovialButterfly6752.
Edited by jovialButterfly6752 on December 15th, 2021 to make minor formatting changes.
Thanks so much for this 🙏🏼 thought that I’d just also share that ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) has been a form of therapy used to help those living with autism develop skills to be able to communicate and do things independently and the research shows that it has been helpful by many while many also criticise this approach pointing out that it can cause an unhelpful, demeaning or robotic effect. Whether or not this approach is effective highly depends on the therapist delivering this approach. For some, it has been a successful experience and for some it hasn’t. Besides that, they may possibly be many areas in ABA itself that can need some improving just like every other form of therapy, theory or approach. Nothing is perfect or complete and there is always room for improvement.
@amoOna97
Yes of course ☺️ That's what we meant. It is also for people to decide theirselves whether they find something helpful or not. Thank you for your thoughts!
Exactly right, @jovialButterfly6752 no one particular form of therapy is for everyone and so it’s a journey and a constant learning experience in discovering what works best for individuals.
Thanks @HelaHeals
I would say the main treatment is aceptance and love. Understanding the sensory needs and limitations, if any, is very important. Many autistic people do have their senses working in very different ways, also their brains. So their family and friends may need some educational help to understand what is happening.
Neurotypical familiars and friends may need some help to accept that being different its ok, sensing different its ok, proccesing different its ok, loving unccomon things its ok, not wanting to communicate its ok, and not wanting to camuflate in a neurotypical world its also ok.
From love and acceptance of the autistic person as they are, we can help them discover their passions and support them finding their own way to channel those passions into the world so they can hopefully get back some money and become happy adults.
Being forced to functionality at the very cost of your soul is not the way.
Also, contacting with other people in the spectrum (adults included) may prove very beneficial. Anyone suffering from discrimination may prove more understanding and willing to acept them as they are than "healthy" neurotypicals that are wired to detect and destroy those who are different in their groups (not their fault, with some therapy they get much better).
Very nice post, hugs. 😊
I would like to share this regarding ABA because they word it better than I can. ABA has messed me up, and I feel like it's an outdated and unethical treatment for autistic people.
https://autisticscienceperson.com/why-aba-therapy-is-harmful-to-autistic-people/