Can Autism be cured?

There is no known cure for Autism as it causes are relatively unknown. Research has therorised that it may be caused by a variety of conditions affecting brain development. They include: maternal rubella, tuberous sclerosis, lack of oxygen at birth and complications of childhood diseases such as whooping cough and measles. In some cases genetic traits could be an underlying cause though the sites of relevant genes have yet to be identified

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What steps can be taken to aid development?

Early intervention is key to assisting children with Autism. Essential is special education and training adapted to their individual requirements.

Studies show that children with autism respond well to a highly structured, specialised education programme. This includes interventions such as:

* Communication Therapy
* Social Skill Development
* Sensory Integration Therapy
* Applied Behaviour Analysis

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Educational Approaches

Highly effective teaching methods are available to assist children with autism develop fully. Each of the methods require trained, motivated tutors working and should be conducted on a with a high teacher:student ratio. In conjunction with these training approaches, support should also be provided in term of speech and occupational therapy to ensure a full programme of therapy is engaged.

A.B.A. (Applied Behavioural Analysis)

Key steps:
Skills broken-down into individual steps
Programme tailored to meet each child's needs
Teaching trials are repeated, until the child can respond without prompting. Appropriate behaviour is rewarded, while inappropriate behaviour is redirected or
ignored

This approach has been adopted by I.C.A.N.D.O, (Irish Children's Autism Network for Developmental Opportunities). I.C.A.N.D.O have established a school in Dublin providing one to one tuition using this particular teaching method. They also operate workshops for parents to learn the techniques of A.B.A. so that they may conduct their own programmes at home. The basics of the procedure can be learned in a few weeks

T.E.A.C.C.H.

Key Steps:
Design of a structured teaching environment.Workstations established for each child in classroom. Involves the child in working with a teacher and also on their own on tasks set. Tasks rely on visual motor activities i.e. sorting objects by colour. Visual clues are provided to help children to perform tasks by themselves. Schedules are designed where the child is instructed to perform several tasks by following a series of visual clues. Parents are encouraged to use schedules to help structure environment

T.E.A.C.C.H emphasis the strengths in visual skills, recognising details and memory of children with autism. This approach is used as a basis to enable the child to function successfully as an adult.

Options Son-Rise

Key stages:
Home Based, child centred based on attitudes of love and acceptance.
Child is fully in control of the interaction - never forced to partake in activity.
Unique playroom set up to build trust, maximise attention span and enhance ability to focus.
On a one-to-one basis with only one thing introduced at a time.

Programme is very intensive a require a committed, cohesive, and motivated team of volunteers to ensure it operates to full capacity.

Other Methods

There are many therapies and treatments that have proved to be successful in helping children with autism. These include:

Sensory Integration
Music Therapy
Auditory Integration Therapy (A.I.T.)
Facilitated Communication

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Therapies
The spectrum nature of autism and the many different behavior combinations that can occur, leaves not one specific approach for alleviating symptoms of autism. Detailed below are some of the most common treatments. All of them work for some children and in some instances none of them work for other children.

Early intervention is essential and all educational approaches emphasise early, structured and specialised education. Research is continually taking place to identify the cause and possible alternative treatments for autism.

Treatments include:
* Secretin
* Homeopathic Secretin
* Gluten and Casein Free Diets
* Vitamin B6 and Magnesium
* Super Nu-Thera
* Dimethyglycine(DMG)
* Vitamins and Minerals

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