There is no cure for autism, but many interventions and therapies can be used to manage and improve symptoms and develop communication skills and social skills. Parents of children with ASD are often advised that early intensive behavioural intervention is vital. Still, there is seldom a lot of guidance regarding the types of available intervention. There are many different programs for autism, and most of them include some kind of behavioural treatment.
What is Behavioral Therapy?
This type of therapy is used to treat mental health disorders and is based on behavioural principles that encourage good behaviour and discourage unwanted behaviour in young children. These therapies use positive reinforcement such as rewards and affirmation for good behaviour and consequences such as timeouts for negative behaviour.
To do this, caregivers observe behaviours and actively target ones that need to change. In children with ASD, behavioural therapies can help change outward behaviours and rewire these behaviours to improve social blindness, gain language, learn to read emotions, pick up social gestures, or help in understanding the give and take of social relationships.
How Effective is Behavioral Therapy for Autism?
Behavioural therapies have shown to be the best approach in diminishing the symptoms of ASD. These therapies can prove to be very effective in the long run but may also turn out to be very expensive.
It is worth noting, however. That there is no one-size-fits-all solution for ASD. Numerous behavioural therapies work differently for different people. While one child might benefit from a particular type of therapy, others with individual differences might not.
Examples of behavioural therapies include:
- Applied Behaviour Analysis
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Relationship Development Intervention
- Verbal Behavior Therapy
- Developmental and Individual Differences Relationship Therapy
Finding the right therapy for your child will require logical planning, flexibility, monitoring, and making adjustments to treatments according to your child’s diagnosis. Although there is no guarantee of how much these therapies will benefit your child, continuous behavioural therapy is proven to help with development and skills.
How Much Behavioral Therapy Does an Autistic Child Need?
There is no specific timeline for behavioural therapy in children with autism. Most children with autism benefit from intensive and long-term applied behaviour analysis therapy. This entails 25 to 40 hours of treatment per week for at least 1 to 3 years. As previously stated, the key to ABA therapy success is consistency and long-term commitment.
Early intervention can also make all the difference when it comes to the duration and intensity of the treatment that your child might need. The sooner you begin with the treatment, the better the results will be.
How Does It Work?
The first step to getting your child the best type of behavioural therapy is to assess them. This is when a therapist will determine your child’s strengths and weaknesses and inquire about your child’s biggest challenges. From here, the therapist will develop a customized plan for therapy for your child to address their specific needs. They will also determine goals that your child must meet to reduce problematic behaviours and improve particular skills.
The therapist will also choose a strategy for other individuals who interact with your child and ensure everyone is on the same page. Behavioural therapy should continue outside treatment with parents and caregivers, reinforcing desired behaviours. Lastly, your child should undergo frequent evaluations to determine the areas of a child’s behaviour that need more work and make the appropriate adjustments to the treatment to ensure positive results.
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