If you have a child who is newly diagnosed with autism, or are thinking of starting a new therapy program for an autistic child, I highly recommend reading the article Which Therapies Can Help with Autism. The learning curve for therapies to help your autistic child can be daunting. Not every therapy works for every child, and it can take…
Many of us have had uncomfortable moments when a person with autism “acts out” or does something inappropriate. Sometimes these behaviours can be aggressive and downright scary for a parent or caregiver. While it might be easier to imagine that prescribing a drug could minimize these events or make them stop altogether, new research out of the UK suggests that many people with intellectual disabilities are overprescribed medications in an effort to treat problem behaviours such as aggression and self-injury, despite there being little evidence of any benefit from these medications.
It is an overwhelming task for parents to choose the right program for their child with autism. We do our research through media, family, friends, and ask other people in the autism community what is working for them. We then enroll our child in that program only to find it isn’t working for them. So what went wrong?
Answer: There is a dizzying array of information about autism and what treatments/therapies work best. You’ll get advice from parents who’ll tell you how well something worked for their child. Medical professionals will have an opinion. Internet research, forums, and articles may also influence your decision.
Last week in the Globe and Mail, there was an article about the effectiveness of autism treatments over the past decade. Two of the findings published in the journal Pediatrics that stood out to me were:
- Intensive behavioural and developmental therapy results in improved cognitive performance, language skills and behaviour in some young children, but few studies in this area were rated of good enough quality to single out specific approaches.
- There is little evidence of benefit for most medications used to treat ASD.
When a family receives an ASD diagnosis, the first question that often comes to mind is what treatment or therapy would work best for their child? Are some therapies more effective than others?
Ikiwa una mtoto ambaye amepatikana na ugonjwa wa akili au unafikiria kuanza mpango mpya wa matibabu kwa mtoto mwenye ugonjwa wa akili, ninapendekeza sana kusoma makala ambayo tiba inaweza kusaidia na ugonjwa wa akili. Kujifunza jinsi ya kumsaidia mtoto wako mwenye ugonjwa wa akili kunaweza kuwa vigumu. Si kila tiba inafanya kazi kwa kila mtoto, na inaweza kuchukua... Wengi wetu tumekuwa na wakati usiofaa wakati mtu mwenye autism <unk> anafanya nje <unk> au anafanya kitu kisichofaa. Nyakati nyingine tabia hizo zaweza kuwa zenye jeuri na zenye kuogopesha kabisa kwa mzazi au mtoa-matunzaji. Ingawa inaweza kuwa rahisi kufikiria kwamba kuagiza dawa inaweza kupunguza matukio haya au kuwafanya wasimame kabisa, utafiti mpya kutoka Uingereza unaonyesha kwamba watu wengi wenye ulemavu wa akili wanapewa dawa nyingi sana katika juhudi za kutibu tabia za shida kama vile uhasama na kujidhuru, licha ya kuwa na ushahidi mdogo wa faida yoyote kutoka kwa dawa hizi. Ni kazi ngumu sana kwa wazazi kuchagua programu inayofaa kwa mtoto wao mwenye ugonjwa wa akili. Tunafanya utafiti wetu kupitia vyombo vya habari, familia, marafiki, na kuuliza watu wengine katika jamii ya autism nini kinachofanya kazi kwao. Kisha tunamandikisha mtoto wetu katika programu hiyo tu ili kupata kwamba haifanyi kazi kwao. Kwa hiyo ni nini kilichotokea? Jibu: Kuna habari nyingi sana kuhusu ugonjwa wa akili na matibabu yanayofaa zaidi. Utapata ushauri kutoka kwa wazazi ambao watakwambia jinsi kitu fulani kilivyofanya kazi vizuri kwa mtoto wao. Wataalamu wa kitiba watakuwa na maoni yao. Utafiti wa Internet, vikao, na makala zaweza pia kuathiri uamuzi wako. Katika gazeti la Globe and Mail, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la New York Times, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani, gazeti la Marekani. "Tokeo la utafiti huo, uliochapishwa katika jarida la Pediatrics, ni kwamba ""Tiba ya Maadili na Maendeleo ya Utamaduni inasaidia kuboresha utendaji wa utambuzi, ujuzi wa lugha na tabia katika baadhi ya watoto wadogo, lakini ni masomo machache katika eneo hili yaliyopimwa kuwa ya ubora wa kutosha kuamua mbinu maalum.""" Kuna ushahidi mdogo wa faida kwa dawa nyingi zinazotumiwa kutibu ASD. Wakati familia inapopokea utambuzi wa ASD, swali la kwanza ambalo mara nyingi huja akilini ni ni matibabu gani yangefanya kazi bora kwa mtoto wao? Je, matibabu fulani ni yenye matokeo zaidi kuliko mengine?