Autism therapies

Autism therapies encompass educational and psychosocial interventions as well as medical management, all designed to improve communication, learning, adaptive skills of autistic people. Such methods of therapy seek to aid autistic people in dealing with difficulties and increase their functional independence. Treatment is typically catered to the person's needs. Training and support are also given to families of those diagnosed with autism.

Available approaches include applied behavior analysis (ABA), developmental models, structured teaching, speech and language therapy, social skills therapy, and occupational therapy. ABA is a behavioral therapy that aims to teach autistic children certain social and other behaviors by prompting using rewards and reinforcement learning through play, expressive labeling, and requesting as well as reduce aggressive and self-injurious behavior by assessing its environmental causes and reinforcing replacement behaviors. Occupational therapists work with autistic children by creating interventions that promote social interaction like sharing and cooperation. They also support the autistic child by helping them work through a dilemma as the OT imitates the child and waiting for a response from the child. For autistic adults, key treatment issues include residential care, job training and placement, sexuality, social skills, and estate planning.

Studies of interventions have some methodological problems that prevent definitive conclusions about efficacy. Although many psychosocial interventions have some positive evidence, suggesting that some form of treatment is preferable to no treatment, the systematic reviews have reported that the quality of these studies has generally been poor, their clinical results are mostly tentative, and there is little evidence for the relative effectiveness of treatment options. Intensive, sustained special education programs and behavior therapy early in life can help children with ASD acquire self-care, social, and job skills, and often can improve functioning, and decrease severity of the signs and observed behaviors thought of as maladaptive; Early, intensive ABA has demonstrated effectiveness, but many randomized clinical studies lacked adverse event monitoring, although such adverse effects may be common. The limited research on the effectiveness of adult residential programs shows mixed results.

Medical management addresses co-occurring challenges such as irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, and sleep disturbances rather than core social and communication traits. Many such treatments have been prescribed off-label in order to target specific symptoms. Antipsychotic medications such as risperidone and aripiprazole can reduce severe behavioral issues, while stimulants may help with attention and activity levels. Pharmacological treatments, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, may be prescribed to manage co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, or irritability, but they do not treat the underlying characteristics of autism. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, oxytocin, and other agents have shown inconsistent results. Parents of autistic children often encounter conflicting advice, unproven "miracle" treatments, and misleading claims in efforts to improve symptoms of a largely genetic disorder that currently has no cure. Many alternative or complementary treatments, including dietary restrictions, chelation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sensory integration, and acupuncture, lack scientific support and may pose health or financial risks.