INTERVENTION APPROACHES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
If you have concerns about your child’s behavior and development, discuss these concerns with your child’s pediatrician. There can be a long wait for ASD diagnosis, so it is important to begin therapy while you are still waiting for a diagnosis. However, a formal diagnosis of ASD may open up opportunities for more specific interventions, such as applied behavioral analysis (ABA). It is important to have your child seen by an ASD specialist even if your child is already receiving intervention.
How can intervention help my child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?
The goals of any autism intervention are to help your child achieve his potential by learning key life skills in the areas that are hard for him. Most ASD therapy focuses on improving social communication and interaction skills and on reducing problem behaviors such as inflexibility or repetition. Autism therapy can be provided at home, at school, or in a clinic setting. Most children with ASD need therapy in more than one setting. Most autism intervention is usually provided by speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, or behavioral analysts.
How do I choose what type of intervention is right for my child?
When deciding which interventions to choose for your child, it is important to consider which ones are evidence-based. No matter what approach is used, it is very important that parents and caregivers are involved.
A good place to start is to find out which types of interventions are available in your area. Consider which interventions will be covered through your child’s school and/or health insurance program. Ask your child’s pediatrician, other parents, and community organizations which services might be the right fit for your child and your family. You may need to try several types of interventions or several therapists within each type of intervention before you find the right fit for your child. Your child’s needs may change over time as well. Set aside time every year to reflect on the services your child already receives and whether they are meeting your child’s needs.
How do I access intervention services for my child?
Every child with ASD has the legal right to receive therapy services through their school under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. These services may include early intervention, early childhood special education, individualized education plans. These services should be provided at no cost to your family.
To obtain therapy for your child with ASD through the public school system, you should ask for an Individualized Family Service Plan (if your child is younger than 5) or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP, if your child is 5 or older). Ask your child’s pediatrician if you need help with this. Schools must provide autism-related therapy to children within a few months of a formal request.
Intervention services may also be given through your child’s health insurance, though how much and what type of services your child’s insurance will pay for depends on the type of insurance and where you live.
Obtaining the services your child needs and deserves may be challenging depending on where you live. You and your child’s pediatrician may need to fill out a lot of paperwork, and your child may be placed on a long wait list for essential services. Sometimes, several evaluations will be required before therapies can be initiated. It is normal to feel frustrated, confused, or “stuck.” Remember that your job as a parent is to advocate for your child’s needs, so do not feel bad about checking in with your pediatrician or therapy/service providers frequently if you have been waiting for a long time.
Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
These programs are provided through the public education system for children aged 0 to 3 (EI) or 3 to 5 (early childhood special education). These services can be offered either inside the family home or at a center. These services are available locally in all parts of the United States and may be autism-specific or more generalized (ex. speech therapy). You can refer your child for these services, and you do not need any paperwork from a child or a school to do so. Once you have made a request, federal law requires that your child be seen within 45 days.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
ABA is an intervention that teaches children developmental, social, and language skills. The therapy is intensive, which for most children is at least 15 hours per week. Therapy is usually covered through your child’s medical insurance. Applied behavioral analysis can be done at home or in the clinic or community. It often involves a lot of parent participation.
In ABA therapy, goals are set by the therapy team. A strong ABA program will consider your child’s favorite interests and activities, have a good learning environment, develop clear behavioral plans, measure your child’s progress, and work with your child at home and in other places your child often visits.
Although there is no cure for ASD, studies show that ABA successfully helps with skill building and improving challenging behaviors. Some say that more hour per week of therapy works better than fewer hours.
There are several different approaches to ABA therapy. Some common evidence-based approaches include:
- Discrete trial training
- Pivotal response training
- Reciprocal imitation training
Developmental Relationship Interventions
Developmental relationship interventions focus on teaching adult show to improve a child’s communication and social skills through play. By playing with others, children learn to communicate, control their emotions, and understand more about social relationships. These interventions have been shown to improve ASD symptoms in scientific studies. Some common evidence-based developmental interventions include:
- Developmental, Individual-Differences, & Relationship-Based (DIR) model floortime
- Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) use both ideas from ABA and ideas from Developmental Relationship Interventions. They focus on child-led teaching, chances for natural learning clear goals, and measuring progress. The most studied NDBI is the Early Start Denver Model, which has been shown in small studies to improve IQ and problem behaviors in children who have ASD.
Parent-Mediated Treatment
Recent evidence shows that parents can be good autism therapists for their child when given the right tools. Training sessions for parents and other caregivers can happen in the home, the school, or other community settings. JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, & Regulation) is an example of evidence-based parent training intervention for ASD. Other parent training programs may be available in your area.
Social Skills Instruction
May children with ASD have a hard time having conversations, understanding social cues (such as eye contact or facial expressions), or playing with others. Social skills instruction is used mainly for school-aged children with ASD, both in and outside of school. Social skills instruction can happen one-on-one with an adult, or with a small group of other children. Some studies show that video and computer social skills training may also help children. An example of evidence-based social skills intervention for teens is the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills intervention.
Adapted from information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
AAP Feed run on: 9/12/2024 Article information last modified on: 9/12/2024
INTERVENTION APPROACHES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
If you have concerns about your child’s behavior and development, discuss these concerns with your child’s pediatrician. There can be a long wait for ASD diagnosis, so it is important to begin therapy while you are still waiting for a diagnosis. However, a formal diagnosis of ASD may open up opportunities for more specific interventions, such as applied behavioral analysis (ABA). It is important to have your child seen by an ASD specialist even if your child is already receiving intervention.
How can intervention help my child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?
The goals of any autism intervention are to help your child achieve his potential by learning key life skills in the areas that are hard for him. Most ASD therapy focuses on improving social communication and interaction skills and on reducing problem behaviors such as inflexibility or repetition. Autism therapy can be provided at home, at school, or in a clinic setting. Most children with ASD need therapy in more than one setting. Most autism intervention is usually provided by speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, or behavioral analysts.
How do I choose what type of intervention is right for my child?
When deciding which interventions to choose for your child, it is important to consider which ones are evidence-based. No matter what approach is used, it is very important that parents and caregivers are involved.
A good place to start is to find out which types of interventions are available in your area. Consider which interventions will be covered through your child’s school and/or health insurance program. Ask your child’s pediatrician, other parents, and community organizations which services might be the right fit for your child and your family. You may need to try several types of interventions or several therapists within each type of intervention before you find the right fit for your child. Your child’s needs may change over time as well. Set aside time every year to reflect on the services your child already receives and whether they are meeting your child’s needs.
How do I access intervention services for my child?
Every child with ASD has the legal right to receive therapy services through their school under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. These services may include early intervention, early childhood special education, individualized education plans. These services should be provided at no cost to your family.
To obtain therapy for your child with ASD through the public school system, you should ask for an Individualized Family Service Plan (if your child is younger than 5) or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP, if your child is 5 or older). Ask your child’s pediatrician if you need help with this. Schools must provide autism-related therapy to children within a few months of a formal request.
Intervention services may also be given through your child’s health insurance, though how much and what type of services your child’s insurance will pay for depends on the type of insurance and where you live.
Obtaining the services your child needs and deserves may be challenging depending on where you live. You and your child’s pediatrician may need to fill out a lot of paperwork, and your child may be placed on a long wait list for essential services. Sometimes, several evaluations will be required before therapies can be initiated. It is normal to feel frustrated, confused, or “stuck.” Remember that your job as a parent is to advocate for your child’s needs, so do not feel bad about checking in with your pediatrician or therapy/service providers frequently if you have been waiting for a long time.
Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
These programs are provided through the public education system for children aged 0 to 3 (EI) or 3 to 5 (early childhood special education). These services can be offered either inside the family home or at a center. These services are available locally in all parts of the United States and may be autism-specific or more generalized (ex. speech therapy). You can refer your child for these services, and you do not need any paperwork from a child or a school to do so. Once you have made a request, federal law requires that your child be seen within 45 days.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
ABA is an intervention that teaches children developmental, social, and language skills. The therapy is intensive, which for most children is at least 15 hours per week. Therapy is usually covered through your child’s medical insurance. Applied behavioral analysis can be done at home or in the clinic or community. It often involves a lot of parent participation.
In ABA therapy, goals are set by the therapy team. A strong ABA program will consider your child’s favorite interests and activities, have a good learning environment, develop clear behavioral plans, measure your child’s progress, and work with your child at home and in other places your child often visits.
Although there is no cure for ASD, studies show that ABA successfully helps with skill building and improving challenging behaviors. Some say that more hour per week of therapy works better than fewer hours.
There are several different approaches to ABA therapy. Some common evidence-based approaches include:
- Discrete trial training
- Pivotal response training
- Reciprocal imitation training
Developmental Relationship Interventions
Developmental relationship interventions focus on teaching adult show to improve a child’s communication and social skills through play. By playing with others, children learn to communicate, control their emotions, and understand more about social relationships. These interventions have been shown to improve ASD symptoms in scientific studies. Some common evidence-based developmental interventions include:
- Developmental, Individual-Differences, & Relationship-Based (DIR) model floortime
- Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) use both ideas from ABA and ideas from Developmental Relationship Interventions. They focus on child-led teaching, chances for natural learning clear goals, and measuring progress. The most studied NDBI is the Early Start Denver Model, which has been shown in small studies to improve IQ and problem behaviors in children who have ASD.
Parent-Mediated Treatment
Recent evidence shows that parents can be good autism therapists for their child when given the right tools. Training sessions for parents and other caregivers can happen in the home, the school, or other community settings. JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, & Regulation) is an example of evidence-based parent training intervention for ASD. Other parent training programs may be available in your area.
Social Skills Instruction
May children with ASD have a hard time having conversations, understanding social cues (such as eye contact or facial expressions), or playing with others. Social skills instruction is used mainly for school-aged children with ASD, both in and outside of school. Social skills instruction can happen one-on-one with an adult, or with a small group of other children. Some studies show that video and computer social skills training may also help children. An example of evidence-based social skills intervention for teens is the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills intervention.
Adapted from information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
AAP Feed run on: 9/12/2024 Article information last modified on: 9/12/2024
