Monthly Archives: April 2020

Not only in Singapore but also all over the world, researchers still are searching for the best treatments for ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD). Some recent approached or autism therapies for children can develop the condition of the child’s autism. Here, we will discuss significant autism therapies for the children that are successful in reducing the symptoms of autism. 

Behavior & communication therapies play essential roles to improve the cognitive abilities of the children. The behavior and communication therapies are practiced to improve the verbal skills of the child. Let’s learn about behavior and communication therapies for autism here.

Behavior and communication therapies for children

According to the research of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Research Council, the behavior and communication therapies are successful for the development of ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD) for children. The behavior approaches teach autistic children with particular structure, shape, and direction.

The behavior and communication approaches include Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment. This ABA treatment is quite applicable to different autism schools for disables children. It ensures positive behavior and improves a variety of communication skills. In ABA treatment, the therapist records the progression of each child.

Let’s discuss different types of ABA autism therapies for the children:

• Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

DTT is one kid of teaching approaches, where the teachers use several sequences of behavior approach to teaching them appropriate behaviorisms. In this training session, the lessons need to divide into several parts. The disables child gets a reward if they provide the correct answer. The wrong answers need to be avoided.

• Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)

This kind of ABA approach applies to autistic children between the age of 3 and 5. The goal of this therapy is to teach positive behaviors and social communication skills to the children. Also, it reduces the negative attitude of the children. Like- irritation, aggressiveness, and self-harming attitude. 

• Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

This type of ABA therapy is applicable for 12-48 months of ASD children. The parents’ role is significant. Both the parents and therapists’ roles are crucial to assist the children in developing their social, language, communication, and intellectual skills.

• Pivotal Response Training (PRT)

PRT aims to enhance the motivational power of the children so that they feel encouraged to learn, track their behavior, and start to communicate with others. The positive reinforcement in this approach helps to effect promisingly to their behavior.

• Verbal Behavior Intervention (VBI)

VBI is an ABA therapy that mainly deals with the improvement of the verbal skills of autistic children. It focuses on the ability of the disables child on ‘how they can institute communication with others.’ This therapy is quite essential for the treatment program of the ASD child. The Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment is quite successful in the improvement of autistic children. The above mentioned 5 types of ABA treatment are followed in Singapore and other countries as the autism therapies for children.

Remarkably, the significant number of available autism therapies can help parents to reduce their children’s autism symptoms and abilities. Help in terms of autism therapy is available and accessible.

The (AAP) American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the parents to start treatment immediately after they get noticed autism symptoms in their children. In recent times, not only in Singapore but also the therapists all over the world prefer to follow the following best autism therapies for the children to lessen their disabilities.

Let’s learn about the top 5 autism therapies for children

• Occupational Therapy

‘Occupational Therapy’ is quite helpful for autistic children. In the occupational therapy session, the therapists train the children to perform their daily tasks and activities. Like- wearing clothes, open the T-shirt’s button, ‘how to hold the fork in a proper way’ and others. This particular therapy aims to perform the tasks at school and playground with a child’s necessity and learning objectives.

• Speech Therapy

Speech therapy for autistic children helps them to improve their communication and interaction skills. Also, it aids autistic children in developing their non-verbal skills. For instance, the therapist train the children to make proper eye-contacts, involve in a conversation, and understand body movements and physical gestures.

Notably, the autistic children can express their thoughts and views with the sign of pictures, symbols, and specific languages in the speech therapy training session. Over recent years, speech therapists work efficiently for autistic children to improve their verbal and interaction expertise 

• Social Developmental Skills

Social developmental skills for autistic children can be applied in school, home, and or in a specific community. Here, the parents can be the active teachers for their children, and they can start teaching the social skills at their home. The objectives of social skills classes are to teach the child on ‘how to intact with others socially’ and ‘how to make social bonding with others.’ Here, therapists or parents teach autistic children through different role-playing activities. 

• Therapeutic Horseback Riding

‘Therapeutic Horseback riding’ or known as “Hippotherapy,” teaches the children to make interactions with the animals. Here, the therapist trains an autistic child to ride on a horse to understand the reaction and the movements of the animal. According to research, the ‘therapeutic horseback riding’ is successful in improving the autistic children’s (aged between 5 to 16) social and speaking skills. In the same way, it teaches the children to make themselves less irritable and agitated.

• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

This kind of autism therapy is helpful for the children, who can’t speak, face difficulties to understand and can’t comprehend anything. In this therapy session, the therapists use pictures to understand the activities and behaviorism to the children. PECS therapy is not applicable if the disable children don’t prefer to learn from pictures. According to scholars, the PECS can improve the communication skills of the disabled children, but can’t lead any active development in speech learning.