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Autism Spectrum Disorder
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ASD is a developmental disorder characterized by marked engagement in repetitive behaviors, deficits in the ability to freely communicate and interact socially with others. Individuals with the disorder tend to also have restricted interests and a combination of these symptoms often impact an individual’s ability to manage their daily life.
Behavior management therapy tries to reinforce wanted behaviors and reduce unwanted behaviors. It also suggests what caregivers can do before, during, after, and between episodes of problem behaviors.
Behavioral therapy is often based on applied behavior analysis (ABA), a widely accepted approach that tracks a child's progress in improving his or her skills.
Different types of ABA commonly used to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include:
Positive Behavioral and Support (PBS). PBS aims to figure out why a child does a particular problem behavior. It works to change the environment, teach skills, and make other changes that make a correct behavior more positive for the child. This encourages the child to behave more appropriately.
Pivotal Response Training (PRT). PRT takes place in the child's everyday environment. Its goal is to improve a few "pivotal" skills, such as motivation and taking initiative to communicate. These help the child to learn many other skills and deal with many situations.
Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI). EIBI provides individualized, behavioral instruction to very young children with ASD. It requires a large time commitment and provides one-on-one or small-group instruction.
Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT). DTT teaches skills in a controlled, step-by-step way. The teacher uses positive feedback to encourage the child to use new skills.
Keep in mind that other behavioral therapies, beyond ABA, may also be effective for people with ASD. Talk to your health care provider about the best options for your child.
Anxiety is a common and impairing problem in those with autism. Many patients with autism will also receive another diagnosis, with several medical conditions linked to the disorder.
According to a study by researchers at York University, about 70\% of children with autism will face some form of emotional problems. Approximately half of these children will have anxiety and 25-40\% percent will experience anger or depression. Furthermore, the study found that CBT helped patients with autism to cope with, and manage, not only their anxiety, but also any additional emotional issues they experienced.
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