What Is Autism

What strengths do autistic people have?

Strengths are unique to each person, and research has found a wide range of strengths among autistic people. Your child may have:

• The strength to speak out or “go against the crowd” even if it’s not the popular thing to do. • A strong sense of right vs. wrong, leading them to follow their moral compass even when no one’s watching. • The ability to express themselves directly and honestly. • A knack for connecting with people of all ages. • The ability to focus for long periods of time and gain expertise on a topic. • Strong nonverbal reasoning skills.

There are several effective interventions that can help a child reach their full potential.:

• Applied behavioral analysis: Involves systematic study of the child’s functional challenges, which is used to create a structured behavioral plan for improving their adaptive skills and decreasing inappropriate behavior
• Social skills training: Done in group or individual settings, this intervention helps children with autism improve their ability to navigate social situations
• Speech & language therapy: Can improve the child’s speech patterns and understanding of language
• Occupational therapy: Can address adaptive skills deficits with activities of daily living, as well as problems with handwriting
• Parent management training: Parents learn effective ways of responding to problematic behavior and encouraging appropriate behavior in their child. Parent support groups help parents cope with the stressors of raising a child with autism
• Special education services: Are provided by schools under an Individual Education Plan and can include a range of services and accommodations for social communication deficits, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. This can include special classes for very young children to address language, social skills and other needs.
• Treating co-occurring conditions: Children with autism are more likely to experience insomnia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, anxiety, and depression than peers without autism. These conditional also need to be addressed. The impact of these conditions can be reduced with the proper services, which can include any of the above, as well as psychotherapy and/or medication. Treating these conditions typically involves coordination with a pediatrician or primary care clinician.
• Medication: A child psychiatrist can evaluate for other mental health conditions and prescribe medication if appropriate. For example, autism-related irritability that does not respond to behavioral interventions can be reduced by medications such as aripiprazole and risperidone (the two medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for irritability associated with autism), prescribed judiciously by a knowledgeable clinician in collaboration with the child’s parents. (Read more in the Parents’ Medication Guide from the American Academy of Child and Adolscent Psychiatry and APA)

Several complementary and alternative interventions involving special diets and supplements have been tried over the years. Most of these interventions, including therapies, diets, and “natural treatment,” do not have scientific evidence supporting them and can lead to false expectations. Parents should be very cautious about treatments that are advertised as being able to “cure” autism. Research into these types of interventions continues, and parents/caregivers interested in them should discuss them with their child’s treating clinician.