Scientist are finding more and more support for taking an relationship-based approach to autism treatment. The following section explains why. Included are easy techniques you can begin immediately to encourage the social development of your child with autism.

The Science

Earlier theories saw autism as a behavior disorder and so attempted to treat it through behavior modification, i.e. attempting to reinforce non-autistic behaviors and punish autistic behaviors to stamp-out the symptoms of autism. This view grew in the 1950s (soon after autism and Asperger’s syndrome were first outlined) when the trend in psychology was for behaviorism; a philosophy stating that only any organisms behavior was worth studying and science should spend no time investigating thoughts, feeling or conscious experience to understand human beings. Much work in the behaviorist camp was done with animal training. It is from this scientific backdrop that behaviorist treatments for autism arouse (e.g. ABA and various forms of the original therapy proposed by Ivan Lovaas).

Fortunately psychology has moved on and realized the crucial importance of studying thoughts, feeling and the conscious experience in understanding human beings. From this more modern and holistic approach to psychology has emerged a new understanding of autism. One of autism as a challenge in creating basic relationships. There is now much research showing that children with autism can be seen to be different to their typically developing peers as early as 6 months of age (often only in retrospect at this stage but researchers are working on ways to identify autism earlier than the usual 2.5-3 years). Read the rest of this entry »