Autism Alternative Treatments

The standard medical treatment for autism is medication although in recent times views on this are changing. With the search for effective treatments many more people have considered alternative approaches particularly as many modern medications have side-effects which are not pleasant. Natural products and interactive therapies are often considered and we have described several of these below.

Nutritional treatments

Varying the diet of an autistic child is sometimes considered as a primary approach. A typical alternative diet involves the removal of gluten from all food ingested, another frequently tried approach is the elimination of dairy products. The thinking behind these diet based treatments is that some autistic children may have a sensitivity to some of the ingredients in the foods that they eat, which then leads to the behavioural problems or at least to a worsening of behaviors when eaten.

Omega Three

Omega three is a fish oil with growing medical evidence that it can help to improve measured intelligence levels in children. Some people claim that omega 3 and is helpful as a treatment for autism and it is claimed to have resulted in more stable sleep patterns and improved social interaction. This fits a pattern of a better overall health and behavioural observations for the autistic child. This is an easy alternative treatment to administer through the addition of simple fish oil to the child’s foods where appropriate. Omega three and can be supplied in a flavourless liquid that can be added to drinks to accompany the meal.

Musical therapies

Many medical trials have found musical therapies to benefit the autistic child. Whilst many autistic children will not speak they can have a tendency to sing along with music when played in a therapy session. In addition to improving behaviour there is an a beneficial effect in helping to develop the child’s speech patterns. Choose the right type of music and a relaxing atmosphere can be created which engages the child and helps them to take part in activities involving other children.

Multiple sensory integration treatment

Sometimes autistic children have a great sensitivity to one or more senses and may react to various tastes, sounds, a particular smell or differing textures. Multiple sensory integration treatment can help the child to learn to accommodate the particular stimulus and helped them to be more calm when it is next experienced.

Speech therapies

Speech therapies are an essential part of an autistic child treatment and are very common as autism leads to children misusing words and confusing words with similar meanings such as many or few. When children are loath to speak a speech therapist can help to improve their communication by teaching with hand gestures. This can also be extended to help autistic children observe other peoples body language and to get some idea of what the other person is feeling.

Therapy through play

Playing therapies are often used with autistic children as,in addition to the therapy, they can also be fun. They ensure you meant side of play allows the autistic child to relax and concentrate on stimuli that they enjoy, this often involves the therapist working on the floor at the child’s level. Observation of which toys attract the child’s attention allows the therapist to build an interaction with the autistic child leading to the development of a relationship. As trust builds all the children can be brought into the environment and help the autistic child to play with children of their age.

There are many alternative therapies for autism and each year new alternative treatments are tried. You may find that some of these help your autistic child, if you select therapies which are not tiring and have no side-effects than you can be comfortable in what you are not distressing your autistic child but you may find a therapy which helps them.