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What Are the Treatments for Autism in Toddlers?

Jun 17, 2010 | By Walli Carranza
What Are the Treatments for Autism in Toddlers?
Photo Credit the boy. image by Andrey Armyagov from Fotolia.com

The Autism Society Of America defines autism as a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. A diagnosis of autism can be made as early as 15 to 18 months of age. This allows for early intervention aimed at optimizing outcomes.

Promoting Joint Attention

When a normally developing toddler sees something interesting, he wants to share it with others. If it's scary, he wants reassurance that all is well, and if its just exciting, he wants to make the experience richer by having others see it too. He'll go to mom, capture her attention and then point to what's of interest, directing her to look and inviting her comment with his gaze.
This behavioral pattern, called joint attention, is not a part of an autistic child's natural repertoire of behavior. But a team at the University of Washington has proven that, within a window of opportunity, the autistic child can be taught to engage in joint attention. This is critical, because joint attention is how children learn about new things before they can read and discuss them verbally.
In the UW study, the children who received a total of 25 hours of play therapy from therapists and their own parents, largely to aimed at promoting joint attention, gained 18 IQ points during the 24-month study. Their results were published in the August 2009 issue of Pediatrics.

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Applied behavioral analysis, or ABA, is a method of teaching social, verbal, motor and rudimentary reasoning skills that would occur naturally in a normally developing child but that have to be intensely embedded into the response patterns of a child with autism, according to the March 2002 issue of Infants and Young Children.
In ABA interventions, the therapist carefully observes the child's behaviors. When she does something that is not healthy and productive, like hitting or flapping her arms, the therapist looks for what triggered the behavior and what reinforced it. Conversely when she does something positive, the therapist finds the way of reinforcing it that matters most to the child.
Scott Meyers, M.D., writing in the October 2007 issue of Pediatrics, notes that intensive ABA, meaning 25 to 40 hours of weekly intervention, results in significantly better outcomes than less intensive programs. However, he stresses that ABA does not result in a cure of autism, and the potential for progress is highly individual.

Medications

As of 2010, no medication, supplement or diet has been proven to cure autism. Medications are used to control autistic traits such as hyperactivity, repetitive motions, tantrums and the inability to focus attention.
Scott Meyers, M.D., and Chris Plauche-Johnson, M.D., from the Council on Children with Disabilities, list the medications proven effective in the management of autism, in the National Institutes of Health Guidance on Treatments for Autism. Medications that are used to manage behavioral patterns in older autistic children are not appropriate or safe for toddlers, but anticonvulsants, such as Topamax, Lamictal, Depakote and Tegretol, are prescribed to the prevent seizures that one out of four autistic children experience.
Children with autism often respond differently than other children to medications. A developmental neurologist or pediatric neuropsychiatrist who treats many children with autism will be most familiar with treatment needs. These specialists are found at comprehensive pediatric centers across the United States.

References

Article reviewed by Holland Hammond Last updated on: Jun 17, 2010

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