Do Autism symptoms change over time? and Current treatments

Do symptoms of autism change over time?

For many children, symptoms improve with treatment and with age.  Children whose language skills regress early in life—before the age of 3—appear to have a higher than normal risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity.  During adolescence, some children with an ASD may become depressed or experience behavioral problems, and their treatment may need some modification as they transition to adulthood.  People with an ASD usually continue to need services and supports as they get older, but many are able to work successfully and live independently or within a supportive environment.

How is autism treated?

There is no cure for ASDs.  Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can bring about substantial improvement.  The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of individual children.  Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.

Educational/behavioral interventions:  Therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis.  Family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with an ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with an ASD.

Medications:  Doctors may prescribe medications for treatment of specific autism-related symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Antipsychotic medications are used to treat severe behavioral problems.  Seizures can be treated with one or more anticonvulsant drugs.  Medication used to treat people with attention deficit disorder can be used effectively to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Other therapies:  There are a number of controversial therapies or interventions available, but few, if any, are supported by scientific studies.  Parents should use caution before adopting any unproven treatments.  Although dietary interventions have been helpful in some children, parents should be careful that their child’s nutritional status is carefully followed.

Some new Autism Treatments and Interventions

There are many established and new autism treatments and interventions in the domains of medicine, education and behavior. Biomedical interventions are those that focus on the physical needs of the person as a biomedical organism, addressing deficits or encouraging weaker pathways by medical or chemical means.

This summary covers some of the common biomedical interventions in current autism treatment, such as the gluten-free/casein-free diet, addressing food sensitivities, use of supplements, gut treatments, sulfation and immune system regulation. These treatments are summarized by an engineering scientist who volunteers his time to several autism research and affiliate activities, and who is also an experienced parent of a young adult with autism. Again, it is important to keep in mind that each person with autism is unique and may respond better to some treatments than others.

There are many established and new autism treatments and interventions in the domains of medicine, education, and behavior. Biomedical inventions are those that

The dramatic increase in the number of individuals identified with ASD has focused increased attention on the types of interventions that can lead to opportunities for a high quality of life. The Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism has compiled the Texas Autism Resource Guide for Effective Teaching (TARGET) which provides information on interventions for individuals with ASD. Recognizing the diversity of those with ASD, TARGET exercises a pragmatic approach to evidence-based practices:

"The best measure of effectiveness of an intervention is whether it is effective for a particular individual. It is of utmost importance to collect and analyze data when using interventions with a student with autism. If an intervention results in positive change for a particular student and you, as an educational professional, have data to support that, then the intervention is evidence-based for that student."

A report by the Ohio State University Project Team entitled Education Services for Military Dependent Children with Autism includes a comparison chart (created by Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D) outlining and describing the evidence-based practices developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Autism Center and the National Professional Development Center on ASD. 

http://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/treatment-options/related-approaches.html 

How Can Autism be Treated?

Each child or adult with autism is unique and, so, each autism intervention plan should be tailored to address specific needs.

Intervention can involve behavioral treatments, medicines or both. Many persons with autism have additional medical conditions such as sleep disturbance, seizures and gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Addressing these conditions can improve attention, learning and related behaviors. 

Early intensive behavioral intervention involves a child's entire family, working closely with a team of professionals. In some early intervention programs, therapists come into the home to deliver services. This can include parent training with the parent leading therapy sessions under the supervision of the therapist. Other programs deliver therapy in a specialized center, classroom or preschool.

Typically, different interventions and supports become appropriate as a child develops and acquires social and learning skills. As children with autism enter school, for example, they may benefit from targeted social skills training and specialized approaches to teaching.

Adolescents with autism can benefit from transition services that promote a successful maturation into independence and employment opportunities of adulthood.