If your child has autism or falls anywhere on the spectrum, it can be a bit overwhelming to decide which type of behavioral therapy is best. As a parent, you want to provide the best for your child and with so many behavioral autism therapies out there, finding the one that fits your child’s needs best can seem like a daunting task.
Because each child is unique, so is the style of therapy that will work best. Overall, this type of therapy helps to develop social skills and give your child a better quality of life.
Keep reading to learn about the different styles of behavioral therapy available to you. Here you will learn about Behavioral Autism Therapies for Your Child with ASD.
1. Applied Behavior Analysis
ABA therapy is one of the most popular and researched forms of therapy for autism. This highly structured therapy helps to teach a range of behaviors including communication, play, social skills, and self-care.
The therapist works with the child by reinforcing positive behaviors with encouragement and repetition and ignoring the less desirable behaviors. ABA therapy is ideal for more severe symptoms and can involve working with a therapist full time, for around 40 hours a week.
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2. Sensory Integration Therapy
This type of behavioral therapy works directly with a child’s sensitivities to stimuli. Many children with autism can be easily overwhelmed by bright lights, touch, or loud sounds.
Sensory integration therapy will help by slowly introducing the child to these types of stimuli at low levels. The therapist will then work up to a higher level of stimuli, slowly pushing the child limits until they are comfortable.
3. Relationship Development Intervention
This style of therapy is centered around the whole family. It helps to establish meaningful relationships and form emotional bonds.
A therapist practicing RDI will work with the parents and the child to work on relationship goals and skills for better interpersonal interactions. The focus is often things like a motivation to engage or communicating back-and-forth.
4. Verbal Behavior Therapy
Verbal behavior therapy is best for children who are non-vocal. It teaches children how to use their words in a manner deeper than just knowing what something is called.
VBT works to encourage the child that communication has positive results so they can begin expressing what they want or need. A therapist will often use something the child likes to get their interest and then prompt them to use language to ask for it.
5. Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy works great for children who have milder symptoms of autism. The goal of this style of therapy is to help the child identify their own triggers and give them the awareness of when it happens.
Then the therapist teaches the child how to have control of these situations by choosing a different way to respond. This can help a lot with symptoms of anxiety and fear.
Trying Different Behavioral Autism Therapies
You may find that you have to try a few different combinations of behavioral autism therapies before finding what works best for your child’s needs. This type of therapy is a great foundation to help your child develop skills.
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