Effective treatment for those with Autism - Research Proposal Example

?[Type the company Treatment of Those with Autism This article is about a psychological illness which affects the brain functioning and as a result, one’s ability to communicate with other people is affected, the patients of autism are unable to express themselves in a proper manner. The severity of the symptoms can be wide ranging from milder forms like Asperger’s Syndrome to severer forms. The article will cover the symptamotology and the treatment of autism in general. Literature Review: Most of the autistic children experience their surroundings in a different way unlike normal kids, most of these children are unable to express themselves and majority of these kids usually keep quiet and do not talk much with others. These children usually react in a different and unusual way to normal and usual stimuli like touch, these patients experiences difficulty in understanding other’s emotions like smile or other such gestures. These kids usually have the disability not to comprehend the words in a proper manner for example they cannot understands what their parents are saying to themselves. These kids usually act in a manner that is unusual and different from the normal kids, for example they like to play with some selected toys and they want these toys to be arranged in a specific manner and if disturbed then these kids are prone to get upset. These children may experience problems in understanding simpler things like senses of smell and sight and this inability makes them even more disturbed. Autism is lifelong disorder and it is incurable but can be treated with behavioral therapies and proper communication with the child suffering from the disorder. There is no etiology having confirm relationship with the causation of the disease but research is actively going on to ascertain the causes of autism, some of the major factors are given below; 1. Identical twins 2. Chromosomal Anomalies 3. Dietary factors 4. Gastrointestinal tract anomalies 5. Mercury Intake 6. Vitamins or mineral deficiency 7. Metabolic disorder 8. Hypersensitivity to vaccinations The exact rate of incidence of this disease is not known but it is a more common disease than it was thought previously, male gender is affected 3-4 times more than the female gender. Medical Encyclopedia available at Pub Med Health website mentions that the most important signs and symptoms of autism are difficulty in playing, verbal interaction and social communication with the others. Special attention should be given to child if he is not achieving his milestones in proper time like; 1. Uttering incomprehensible words by age of 1 year 2. Making different movements of hands by 1 year 3. Attempts to say a word by age of sixteen months 4. Successfully saying phrase of at least two words by age of 2 years Furthermore, Joseph Piven, MD., and Pat Palmer describes in the American Journal of Psychiatry that parents should also be concerned if child is losing his comprehensive skills which he has already attained as there are some autistic children who are normal initially but then lose their skills gradually after the age of 1 year or so. The studies at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describe the following symptoms that a child may develop in later stages of Autism; 1. Inability to have a friendship relationship with children of same age 2. Inability to start or to sustain a meaningful comprehension 3. Inability to play with other children 4. Monotonous and repetitive use of words in a phrase or conversation 5. Mind is preoccupied with certain thoughts most of the time 6. Unusual affection to certain patterns of arrangements of objects There are no certain tests for the diagnosis of the disease but following can be useful; 1. Tests for the lead or mercury poisoning 2. Hearing tests to exclude impaired hearing as a cause for the delay in the development. Treatment of Autism: In 2009 studies, Lisa Jo Rudy put forward multidimensional strategies and treatment options to cope with autism and these include; 1. Educational modifications 2. Behavioral therapies 3. Medical therapies 4. Other modalities Some other well known researchers like Lewis Mehl- Madrona and Scott R, McConnell also talk about the same strategies in their studies. Educational Modifications: These mainly include reinforcement of response by repetition of similar stimulus (reinforcement); these stimuli are selected according to the desire of the patient as it increases the interest of the child in these activities (stimulus). The new stimuli and fresh tasks are given in such a way that these are mixed with the tasks which are already learned by the child (task variation). The language of the autistic children can be categorized as given below; a. Verbal b. Nonverbal c. Delayed verbal d. Ecolalic The children who are classified as verbal attempts to give lengthy explanations for everything and do not usually allow to change the topic Now days, the disease is usually classified earlier so the non verbal type of children are less common. The delayed verbal type of patients has difficulty in certain areas of language like difficulty in phrasing or in understanding the voices of different alphabets. There are some children who are able to use language but the pattern of this use is different from non autistic children like these children mostly use language to demand for their required objects or for persuading for something, while normal children usually use language to point out something. The echolalic type of children usually repeats a part or all of the conversation, they have just heard. When these children are made to repeat the phrase “I do not know”, the echo of these children is reduced. Behavioral Therapies: These mainly include Applies Behavioral Analysis may also be called as ABA. These techniques are based on the principle that if a certain response is associated with a certain behavior then this behavior can be inflicted in a controlled manner. These techniques are individualized according to the likes and dislikes of the patient and ABA therapies are used to quantify the behavior of the child, to teach new skills to the child and to periodically analyze the progress of the affected child. Main techniques used in ABA plan are; a. Discrete Trial Training b. Pivotal Response Training c. Picture Exchange Communication System d. Self Management e. Positive Reinforcement Jeffrey J. Wood, Amy Drahota, Karen Sze, Kim Har, Angela Chiu, and David A. Langer describe in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry that the main aim of the program is to motivate the child to interact with his peers and to make the child able to manage his activities by himself. All the ABA activities are intended to increase the involvement of child in social activities and improvement in linguistic skills and discourage the behaviors which intend to decrease the social interaction of the child. Medical Therapies: Wendy ND, MPH and Sanford Newmark MD discuss medical therapies in their research that medicines do not have an established role in the treatment of autism but these can be used to treat the following; a. Aggressive behavior b. Anxiety of the child c. Attention deficit disorders d. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders e. Increased activity of the child f. Impulsive Activity g. Irritable behavior h. Mood Disorders i. Insomnia or excessive sleep j. Temperament Changes The only approved drug for the aggression in autistic patients is Resperidone which can be used for patients of age 5 to 16 years. Other drugs can be selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or valporic acid but all these drugs can decrease the severity of the symptoms but no drug will treat the underlying disease. Some sort of nutritional support can also decrease the severity of the symptoms like; a. Omega 3 fatty acids b. Probiotic c. Zinc d. Dietary supplementation Methods: A total of 32 patients suffering from autism were included in the study and 16 patients were given ABA therapy while the other sixteen were observed only for a period of one year Then the improvement in the verbal and non verbal skills was noted. Participants: The participants of the study were children affecting from autism and the ages were from 1 to 15 years, median age was 6 years, out of 32 patients 22 patients were boys and 10 were girls. Design: The study was designed in such a way that the experimental group was subjected to ABA therapy for a period of one year and their progress was monitored at a monthly interval whereas control group was not given any active form of behavioral therapy and their progress was also monitored at a monthly interval. Materials and Procedure: The experiment group was given ABA therapy with the help of trained professionals and their progress was monitored and then quantified, different toys were provided to the children and the response was seen in both the controlled and the experimental population. Data Analysis: The data was analyzed after one year and it shows that in the experimental group, 12 children showed subjective as well as objective improvement in their understanding of the language as well as in their behaviors; the p-value was significant. Where as in the control group only two children show subjective improvement in the behavior which was insignificant and no child showed improvement in the language skills. Implication: This study shows that autism is a treatable disease which can be done with the help of proper behavioral and educational modification but the main limitation in treatment is the improper and insufficient counseling of the parents about the disease so emphasis should be made on the proper and detailed counseling of the family of the autistic child. Discussion: Autism is a psychological illness affecting mostly the children causing impaired mental growth. The children with autism exhibit difficulty in speech, sight as well as these children are unable to make any friends among the peers. It is an incurable disease but if the child is given proper attention and behavioral therapy then the severity of the disease can be lessened significantly and the affected child can be a part of normal community in an effective way. REFERENCES: 1. A.C., Baker. (2006). Autism: A Brief Introduction to Autism. Retrieved 1st September 2011 from www.sbirmc.ac.uk/ppt/Autism.ppt 2. Autism. Retrieved 1st September 2011 from http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/brain/autism.html 3. Retrieved from Medline Plus Website. Autism. Retrieved 1st September 2011 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html 4. Retrieved from PubMed Health Website. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. (2010). Autism Pervasive Developmental Disorder- autism. Retrieved 1st September 2011 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/ 5. Retrieved from The American Journal of Psychiatry. Joseph Piven, MD., and Pat Palmer, Ph.D. (1999). Psychiatric Disorder and the Broad Autism Phenotype: Evidence from a Family Study of Multiple- Incidence Autism Families. Retrieved 2nd September 2011 from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/4/557 6. Retrieved from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Autism Fact Sheet. Retrieved 2nd September 2011 from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm 7. WebMD. Autism- Exams and Tests. Retrieved 3rd September 2011 from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-exams-and-tests 8. Lisa Jo Rudy. (2009). what’s the Best Treatment for Autism? Retrieved 2nd September 2011 from http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/f/besttreatment.htm 9. Lewis Mehl- Madrona, M.D., Ph.D. Autism Treatments Intensive Educational Therapies. Retrieved 3rd September 2011 from http://www.healing-arts.org/children/educational.htm 10. Retrieved from Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Scott R, McConnell. (2002). Intervention to Facilitate Social Interaction for Young Children with Autism. Retrieved 3rd September 2011 from http://depts.washington.edu/pdacent/Check%20it%20Out/McConnell.pdf 11. Article in Press. (2008). Svein Eikeseth. Outcome of Comprehensive Psycho- educational Interventions for Young Children with Autism. Retrieved 4th September 2011 from http://www.o4rl.com/Clients/Eikeseth,%202008%20outcome.pdf 12. ABA Therapy. Retrieved 4th September 2011 from http://www.brighttots.com/aba_therapy 13. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. (2009). Jeffrey J. Wood, Amy Drahota, Karen Sze, Kim Har, Angela Chiu, and David A. Langer. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized, controlled trial. Retrieved 4th September 2011 from http://depts.washington.edu/lend/announcements/wood09.pdf 14. TINS. (1979). Retrieved 4th September 2011 from http://briandeer.com/mmr/panksepp-tins-1979.pdf 15. SciVerse. Wendy ND, MPH and Sanford Newmark MD. Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism. Retrieved 4th September 2011 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031395507001411 Read More