How is Autism treated?

While there is no known cure for Autism, effective treatments do exist.  Effective interventions may reduce symptoms, improve cognitive ability and daily living skills, and maximize the ability of an individual to function and participate in the community.  Remember, Autism is a spectrum disorder. Some people may need little to no treatment, while others may require intensive therapy. Treatments can be behavioral therapies, medications, and alternative therapies (Gaus, 2007).

Behavioral Therapies

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Useful in helping people with Autism manage anxiety. CBT is a type of talk-therapy between a client and a trained psychologist where individuals learn about the connections between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
  • Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) – People with Autism are sometimes unusually affected by sensory input, such as sight, sound, or smell. SIT is based on the theory that heightened senses makes it hard to learn and display positive behaviors. With the help of an occupational therapist, SIT attempts to even out a person’s response to sensory stimulation.
  • Social Skills Training (SST) – A type of behavioral therapy used to improve social skills in individuals with developmental disabilities. For some people with Autism, interacting with others is very difficult, which can lead to many challenges over time.

SST may be used by teachers, therapists, or other professionals to help individuals with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders and other diagnoses.  Someone undergoing SST learns fundamental social skills, including how to carry on a conversation, understand humor and read emotional cues. Clinical psychologists and occupational therapists often administer social skills training.

Medication

There are no medications specifically developed to treat Autism. However, several medications used for other conditions that may occur with Autism might help with certain symptoms.  Before taking any medication, speak with your physician about your symptoms.

Medications used to help manage the symptoms of Autism fall into several categories:

  • Some newer antipsychotic medications may help with aggression, self-harm, and behavioral problems in both children and adults with Autism.
  • While many people with Autism take antidepressants, researchers are not sure whether they actually help with Autism symptoms. Still, they may be useful for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety.
  • Stimulants, generally used to treat ADHD, may also help with overlapping Autism symptoms, including inattention and hyperactivity.
  • Some people with Autism also have epilepsy, so anti-seizure medications are sometimes prescribed (Osborn, 2020).

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

To help relieve the symptoms of Autism that interfere with daily life, some healthcare professionals use treatments that are outside of what is typically recommended by family practitioners. Complementary and Alternative Therapy treatments refer to products or services that are used in addition to, or instead of, traditional medicine. They might include special diets, dietary supplements, chelation (a treatment to remove heavy metals such as lead from the body), biologicals (for example, secretin), or mind-body medicine, i.e., yoga, mindfulness meditation, craniosacral manipulation, acupuncture/acupressure, and reiki (Rudy, 2020).

There is also a range of Autism-specific food supplements that are often used to treat Autism. Outside of a regular multivitamin (as is generally recommended by doctors), the most popular include vitamins A, C, B6, zinc and folic acid.

Complementary and alternative treatments have an important place in supporting some traits of Autism, though neither they nor any mainstream treatment is likely to lead to a “cure” for those seeking it. When selecting treatments, however, it is important to ask these questions:

  • What is the desired positive outcome?
  • Are there risks associated with the treatment?
  • What do researchers, my family physician and other trusted sources say about the treatment?
  • Can I afford the treatment if it is not paid for by my insurance?