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Early diagnosis is significant for autism treatment. The sooner the diagnosis is, the better the treatment and therapy process works. If the diagnosis is done in the early ages, that would indicate long enough time for an efficient therapy; hence individuals can achieve auditory, cognitive and behavioral abilities. However, there are some topics to be considered before starting the therapy. The starting time should be picked carefully and the process should not be started if the individual is not completely ready for the therapy.
1. Diagnosis
First step in autism treatment is diagnosis. It is known that autism is a disorder seen in one out of 68 children. Many cases can be detected from the early baby ages. If the child is not showing developments that the age group he or she is in supposed to show, there is a great chance that the child has autism disorder. Communication and social development disorders are the primary symptoms of autism. If the communication with the parents, immediate environment and friends is not healthy, if the child cannot communicate, form a sentence or has difficulty in understanding or interpreting what’s being said, parents can suspect autism in their children. However, it is important to note that not every child with communication failures should be considered to be autistic.
Another symptoms of autism are repetitive, limited attention and behavior. Moving objects attract interest of children with autism. A child with autism can watch spinning of a washing machine or a record for hours. It is also known that individuals with autism have strong opinion on “preservation of sameness” They may ask the same question over and over again and want to get the same answer, to give an example. This characteristic negatively affects language development of individuals. If your child shows reactions like this, there is a high chance he or she is suffering from autism. Once diagnosed, the treatment process should be planned and started at an appropriate time.
2. When to Start The Autism Therapy
To begin with, you should be aware that autism can trigger various disorders. Especially in puberty, it may cause depression or anxiety. To handle such situations, before starting the therapy, serious medication therapy must be used for the patient to pay attention to the therapy. Once the patient is ready both physically and mentally, the treatment can start.
3. Specifying the Purpose
Autism is not a disorder, reasons of which can be eliminated completely. Thus, the therapy must go on a designated track to reach the goal. The purpose of autism therapy is to help children with auditory, visual and communication problems, who cannot solve these problems themselves, to overcome them with the theraphy.
4. Choosing a Treatment Method
There are many therapy methods for individuals with autism. Sensory and auditory integration therapies, music, art and drama therapy, dolphin therapy, hippotherapy etc. are the most popular treatment methods known. Although there are positive opinions on these methods, none of them are proved to supply a complete treatment.
To determine a therapy method, it is necessary to build a profile of the individual with autism and to pick the most suitable treatment. For example, individuals with contemplating and interpreting problems and communication disorder may benefit from drama therapy. Music therapy, on the other hand, is suitable for people who have auditory disorder and have problem making sense from what they hear. To pick a suitable method, the profile of the individual should be built meticulously.
Sources:
- Nergis Çanak, Otizmli Çocukların Resimlerinin İncelenmesi, Trakya Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2008
- Şahin Bodur, Dr.Şebnem Soysal, Otizmin Erken Tanısı ve Önemi, Türk Tabipler Birliği Dergisi, 2004
- Gül Sultan Özeren, Otizm Spektrum Bozukluğu ve Hastalığa Kanıt Penceresinden Bakış, Acıbadem Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, Sayı 2, 2013
