AUTISM - INTERVENTIONS

Early Intervention If parents, teachers, and other professionals discover a child's disability early and provide the right kind of help, it can give the child a chance to develop skills needed to lead a successful and productive life. It begins from birth or first diagnosis. It involves specialized therapy services for the child, as well as support for the whole family through information, advocacy, and emotional support. Early Childhood Intervention has several goals. Firstly, it is provided to support families to support their children's development. Secondly, it is to promote children's development in key domains such as learning, communication or mobility. Thirdly, it is to promote children's coping confidence, and finally it is to prevent the emergence of greater future problems. Intervention programs - Interdisciplinary approach The child should be provided services in a multi-disciplinary setting. Look for a centre which has a team comprising people with varied expertise. An ideal Intervention team generally consists of Speech and Language pathologists, Occupational therapists, Special Educators, Psychologists and Counselors. A key feature of "interdisciplinary model" is where staff members discuss together and work on goals as a team. This approach would be more beneficial to the child as well as the family. Professionals involved in intervention A good program should involve the following consultants (along with medical practitioners) who will work as a team to enhance overall development and facilitate independence in the mainstream society. Parents play an integral role and hence should be actively involved in the whole process. •Speech-Language Therapists •Occupational Therapists •Psychologists •Special Educators •Counselors Speech-Language Therapy is a major part of the intervention model as it has been recognized that children with autism have difficulties with language. But it is clear that traditional approaches emphasizing mastery of the formal language (grammar etc.) are largely inappropriate. Training children just to speak is not going to bring about a transformation of their behaviour. A Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of language problems and speech disorders is ideal to help a person learn how to communicate effectively. Speech Therapists working with a nonverbal autistic individual, may consider alternatives to the spoken word such as signing, writing, typing, or a picture board with words. Speech therapists work with the child and as well as the family to build strong social bonds and incorporate the most apt communication system to enhance a positive nourishing environment. Speech therapists also help the child cope in school by designing communication systems that can be used within the school setting to facilitate social interaction among peers and adults. Using their mode of communication to not only request for needs but also express and share ideas is a primary focus of communication therapy. Occupational Therapy (OT) focuses on improving fine motor skills, or sensory motor skills that include balance (vestibular system), awareness of body position (proprioceptive system), and touch (tactile system). Children are assessed in terms of age-appropriate life tasks. OT addresses areas that interfere with the child's ability to function in such life tasks. OT may be provided to children in the form of play activities which are used to enhance or maintain play, self-help and school-readiness skills. Occupational therapists collaborate with families and other professionals to create an environment and routines to support optimal developmental progress and outcomes. Occupational Therapy benefits a child with autism by attempting to improve the quality of life for the individual through successful and meaningful experiences. This may be accomplished through the maintenance, improvement, or introduction of skills necessary for the child to participate as independently as possible in meaningful life activities. Such skills include coping skills, fine motor skills, self-help skills, socialization and play skills. Occupational Therapists use a variety of theories and treatment approaches which include developmental and learning theory, model of occupational performance, sensory integration, and play therapy. The choice of therapeutic methods depends upon the specific needs of the child and the Occupational Therapist may choose to employ a combination of approaches to meet those specific needs. In most cases, treatment is provided in a one-to-one setting. Group therapy is recommended for a child whose issues are more in the areas of social-emotional adjustments and interaction. Here the therapy will focus on socialization skills such as sharing things and ideas, eye contact while interacting, body language, following rules in a game, competitiveness, following a leader, decision making etc Occupational Therapy plays an important role in overall program planning as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing consultation or direct services. Areas of focus include: posture and movement, bilateral skills, fine motor skills, preschool / school skills, self-help skills and sensory issues. The current role of psychologists and behavior specialists as interventionists in the education of young children with autistic spectrum disorders most often involves assessment, consultation, and development of intervention strategies. Psychologists and behaviour specialists are often involved in providing functional analysis of problem behaviours; designing behavioral interventions; providing cognitive, adaptive, and social assessments; guiding the educational curriculum in these areas; and consulting with the rest of the educational team about educational strategies and interventions. Psychologists and behavior specialists are often involved in parent training and support as well. Psychologists, speech language therapists and occupational therapists are sometimes involved in carrying out social skills groups, generally for older school age children to help cope in the mainstream school environment.