Interventions of Autism spectrum Disorder

 

What is an Intervention?

First of all,we need to know what the interventions of autism are. Intervention for autism involves taking action,often which outside help to improve a specific condition or behaviour. A successful intervention requires the cooperation of the child,parents and therapists.

When can autism intervention strategies be used?

The effects of autism vary from one child to another.Parents,family members,and caregivers are the ones who can determine if a child with autism needs to undergo treatment to resolve harmful and unacceptable behaviour.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism is a development disorder characterized by abnormalities in social behaviour,language, and cognition. Children with autism are identified by around 14 months of age,when they fail to show expected normal patterns of interaction with others. They display repetitive movements and stereotyped patterns of interests and activities. The disease was first identified in the middle of the twentieth century. It is five times more common in males than females.

Some challenging autistic behaviour can include-

Refusing or ignoring requests

Aggressiveness

Tantrums

Stimming (Repetitive behaviour)

Hurting oneself or others.

Interventions which can be useful-

Applied Behaviour Analysis-

ABA aims to build a positive change in behaviour using the premise people improve their behaviour when given positive consequences or rewards.It is a variety of techniques used to teach people with autism a new skill or to lessen undesirable behaviour. ABA therapy  focuses more on rewarding good behaviour. When children with autism behave a certain way with the promise of a reward,they are more likely to repeat the behaviour in the future.

ABA uses an observation tool called the ABC’S

A -Antecedent: the events,actions,or circumstances that happen before a behaviour.

B- Behaviour: the behaviour that results from the antecedent.

C- Consequences: the action or response that follows the behaviour.

An example of this in an everyday setting is;

A- A parent asks the child to stop playing and eat dinner.

B- The child refuses and throws a fit when asked several times.

C- A parent leaves the child alone,and the child goes back to playing.

Discrete Trial Training-

Discrete Trial Training is a teaching method. DTT  is often used in ABA-based sessions.It is ideally for autistic children aged 2-6 years. DTT  makes learning easier for children on the spectrum by breaking down a task  into its most basic components.A task like tooth brushing can be broken down into steps,so it's easy to follow.Most DTT methods rely on repetition until the child learns the skill or behaviour.

Five steps of DTT are:

Antecedent( usually instructions or requests given by the therapists)

Prompt( any gesture that helps guide the child to what he/she needs to do).

Response (the target behaviour).

Consequence for correct response (reinforcement)

Consequence of incorrect response (correction)

Inter-trial interval (a break in between tasks or learning points).

Early Intensive Behavioural Interventions-

Early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) is under the umbrella of ABA.this method is for children with autism ages five and under. A successful EIBI  treatment requires the child to undergo 20-40 hours of sessions in a week. Just like ABA,EIBI uses positive reinforcement to achieve a target autism behaviour. It is also used for curbing harmful and destructive behaviour such as self-harm, hurting others,aggression,and irrational tantrums.

Incidental Teaching-

Incidental teaching is a naturalistic teaching method that is part of ABA. It is used to improve the communication skills of children with autism. Incidental teaching is advisable for children ages 2-9,but it works with any age.