Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) has a wide range of symptoms, but there are three core symptoms that include social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Other symptoms can be seen as neurological issues including sleep deficits, mood, anxiety, and others. Also, systemic issues like gastrointestinal disorders and immune dysfunction. The symptoms, shown in the figure below, can have a range of impact from mild to high on an individual. ASD has a wide range of therapies fit for the variety of symptoms an individual on the spectrum can display.
The treatments and therapies are customized to the symptoms an individual with ASD displays. It is not known what causes autism. Some research suggests a problem with the synapse structure (gap between two neurons) of glutamatergic neurons and a pathway called MAPK/ERK. These two problems are proposed to each result in zinc deficiency which leads to dysfunction of the immune system. Which then would result in dysregulation of the neurons causing an imbalance between the excitatory and inhibitory signals from the neurons. However, it is not known what causes autism. Therefore, medications that are recommended and approved for autism treatment only treat the side symptoms and not the three core symptoms as seen in the figure above.
Therapies are recommended because they are customized to the individual’s needs of this spectrum of a disorder. Therapies that are offered for ASD include family, animal-assisted, behavioral, and occupational therapy, amongst others. Behavioral therapy is recommended for early intervention. This includes a range of therapies like Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Under this category are therapies like floortime, pivotal response, and verbal behavior therapy. Floortime is commonly talked about and consists of the parent or teacher getting down on the ground at the child’s level to interact with them. This helps with expanding their communication by building on their strengths. The ultimate goal is an increase in self-regulation, intimacy, two-way and complex communication, and emotional ideas and thinking. Another recommended therapy based off of ABA and Early Start Denver Model is the Lovaas Model. This model uses one-on-one instruction of individualized treatment plans that the parents can be involved in.
The other therapies listed are generally recommended for toddlers on up. Animal-assisted therapy includes horseback riding and pet therapy. This type of therapy strengthens the child’s social skills. A study showed that of the families that own a dog, 94 percent said their autistic child bonded strongly with the pet. This has been seen to improve the social, emotional, and cognitive function of the individual. Occupational therapy focuses on the development and quality of life of the individual as well as considering the needs of the family. They do this by working on the individual’s ability to perform daily activities, instrumental activities, education, work, leisure, play, and social participation. Another type of therapy that is important is speech therapy. Enabling individuals with language impairment is helpful when it allows the person to communicate what they want or even their emotions clearer.
There are a wide range of therapies offered for ASD. The use of medication within the disease is limited to the side effects of ASD and not the three core symptoms because it remains unclear what exactly causes autism.
Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder
