duminică, octombrie 26, 2008

Autism Spectrum Disorder Explained

Autism spectrum disorder is a diverse developmental disorder that can be found in about 1 in 150 of our children. People that are suffering from this disorder have problems with social interaction and communicating verbally as well as non verbally. Although this is not always the case, you will generally know if your child has this disorder before they reach their third birthday. The only developmental disability that is more common is mental retardation. More children suffer from ASD than cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer combined. As far as we know family income, race, education levels, and ethnicity are not a factor in whether or not your child will develop this disorder.

ASD is Described as a spectrum disorder due to the fact that the symptoms show up in many different combinations and can be either mildly or severely disabling. While we do not know what causes ASD, we do know that males are 4 to 5 times more likely to be afflicted with the disorder. Unfortunately, children that suffer from autism have a very difficult time making and sustaining friendships and spend a majority of their time isolated from others.

Routines become very important to these children and if the pattern that has been set for them is interrupted you may have to deal with a severe outburst. And while these are some of the main characteristics of this disorder, not all children with autism will react to the same situation in the same way.

There are certain drugs, special diets, and various other treatments that researchers have discovered that can be a tremendous help to those that suffer from autism spectrum disorder. Parents of children that suffer from this disorder may become very frustrated while trying to find the proper treatment for their child.

The symptoms of ASD are very diverse and usually not very well defined. All of this combined usually sends parents to seek out many different specialists in different fields. A short checklist for parents may include a delay in language skills development, unusually repetitive behavior, and a lack of social interaction. Of course, the best thing that you can do is to present your concerns to your doctor or consult a psychotherapist directly, as soon as you possibly can

What is ABA?

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a system of autism treatment based on behaviorist theories which, simply put, state that behaviors can be taught through a system of rewards and consequences.

The concept can be explained in this way:

Applied - principles applied to socially significant behavior
Behavioral - based on scientific principles of behavior
Analysis - progress is measured and interventions modified

ABA and Autism

When it comes to autism, ABA has become synonymous with the methods and research of Dr. Ivar Lovaas. ABA wa first applied to autism at the Psychology Department at UCLA in 1987. The idea is that social and behavioral skills can be taught, even to profoundly autistic children, through the ABA method. Many if not most children who receive ABA training learn to behave appropriately at least some of the time -- and some, but rare, even lose their autism diagnosis after years of intensive therapy.

Can ABA Cure Autism?

No. Nothing cures autism. ABA can teach some valuable rote skills through the behavioral approach, but it doesn’t foster creativity. Read more about the progress you can expect.

How ABA Works

ABA starts with "discrete trials" therapy. A discrete trial consists of a therapist asking a child for a particular behavior (for example, "Razvan, please pick up the spoon"). If the child complies, he is given a "reinforcer" or reward in the form of a tiny food treat, a high five, or any other reward that means something to the child. If the child does not comply, he does not receive the reward, and the trial is repeated.

What is Discrete Trials?

It's important to note that the specific content of the discrete trials therapy is based on an evaluation of the individual child, his needs, and his abilities. So a child who is already capable of sorting shapes would not be asked to sort shapes indefinitely for rewards -- but would focus on different, more challenging social and/or behavioral tasks.

The very youngest children (under age three) receive a modified form of ABA which is much closer to play therapy than to discrete trials. As they master behaviors, well-trained therapists will start to take learners out the classroom or home setting and into more natural settings, where they can practice and adapt their new skills to the real world.