How is autism actually treated? You hear people saying the diagnosis changed their kids life or it’s important to be diagnosed early, but how?
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There is no “treatment”, only therapies and strategies to help them develop the skills and functions they are struggling with.
Autism is a huge spectrum – my twins are non-verbal and delayed but with some areas where they have age-appropriate or even advanced skills. One of my twins is hyperlexic which means he can spell and read, but he has no speech.
They attend a specialist autism schools where autism-specific strategies are embedded throughout the day – total communication approach (so signing, speech, PECS which uses picture cards to communicate or an AAC device), intensive interaction which is child led and about an adult watching what the child engages with and copying their play / actions to increase social awareness, etc), short periods of focus with plenty of movement breaks, choice of activities they can access for learning and an individualised curriculum.
They also have direct therapies – speech and language, occupational therapy to help with sensory needs, one has music therapy as he’s very interested in music, etc.
Then they have weekly outings into the community – things like going to a farm shop or supermarket and buying something etc.
Obviously you’ll have autistic people that don’t need any of this and need different things – for example my twins don’t have anxiety because they lack the social awareness, where for some autistic people social anxiety is the most pressing issue.
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