Teachers and parents of children on the autism spectrum are frequently looking for "alternative treatments for autism." Perhaps the student is not behaving the way other children do.
Behavior challenges or behavior "differences" are frequently the reasons caregivers seek more treatment options. What do you really need?
Answering questions at a workshop
I was presenting at a workshop where we were discussing how to deal with behavior problems.
And we were talking about looking at the world from the student’s point of view. Answering questions like, “What could the student be thinking?” Or “What did the situation look like from the student’s point of view?” Good questions.
Then I asked one more question
I encouraged the participants to fill in the blank. They needed to think of a student they worked with and then finish the sentence from that student’s point of view.
The question: If only people understood ___________.
Here are some of the answers from workshop participants. . . .
How would you answer that question?
The more we can understand what is going on inside of the minds of our students, we'll have clues how to help them. That's the way we get a lot of our answers.
Some of our therapists and educators have received special training to be able to do that.
For example: Occupational Therapists have learned how to interpret "How sensitive I am to all sensory stimulation." Understanding that leads to alternative treatments for autism students who have sensory sensitivities.
Another example: "It takes me a long time to process what you are telling me" can lead the Speech Therapist to develop some visual strategies to help that autistic child process communication information better.
This is important to understand
Alternative treatments for autism is not about finding a "magic bullet" that suddenly "fixes" everything. More accurately, it refers to exploring the student's needs from different perspectives.
We have learned a lot
Over the last 40 years, we have learned a lot about ASD. Autism is not just an educational issue. Communication, sensory systems, medical, bio-medical, genetic, dietary, environmental and many other domains have contributed to our understanding of autism.
Since it's acknowledged that autism is not a single disorder with a single cause, we desperately need to recognize that solutions for students need to be individual. What helps one student is not the "cure" for everyone.
But solutions require two important things
First, we need all those researchers and explorers in the various domains to keep sharing their findings.
Second, those of us on the front lines need to become excellent communication partners so we can read those cues and signals that are difficult to interpret but give us important information.
Do those of us who live with and teach children with autism have the ability to understand what they are thinking? Can we figure out how they understand? Alternative treatments for autism might really include different ways for me as a communication partner to interact with children with ASD. Visual strategies offer me one alternative.
It's good to remember that alternative treatments for autism include making changes in how I participate as a communication partner to understand each of these individuals and their communication needs better.
Check this out:
Related Posts
Sensory problems in autism cause a lot of confusion for teachers and parents. This was a comment from an “autism mentor.” I’m assuming that is another name for a teacher’s aide or a one-on-one to assist a student. She lamented that the teacher that she was working with was “mean” and “degrading” to the autistic students and
Read MoreMany parents and teachers misunderstand autism and sensory issues. Do you know how sensory issues affect autistic individuals in your life?It’s estimated that 80-90% of those with ASD experience some sensory challenges. Even though these sensory issues are common, few caregivers understand them or really know how to support students when they are experiencing behaviors
Read MoreSo should we re-think how we provide therapy while we are dealing with the Coronavirus?Schools have closed and children are home. How do we provide their “free and appropriate education?” There’s no real direction so teachers and therapists are struggling with how to do their jobs. It’s a sudden surprise. No one was prepared. Then it
Read MoreAutism and noise is an important topic that most people don’t consider enough.Young children with autism, adults on the autism spectrum and every age in between may be affected by sensory challenges or sensory differences.We are talking about how these individuals respond to sensory input such as sound, taste, smell or movement.A simple way to
Read More