What are the different treatment approaches for autism spectrum disorder?
When it comes to treating autism, there’s a whole range of options out there, from your standard treatments to procedures like stem cell therapy. Let’s take a closer look at each one and see what evidence shows about how well they work in helping manage autism.
1. Standard treatment for ASD
The conventional methods of treating Autism revolve around analyzing the development growth challenges and training the children to cover the gaps with different kinds of therapies such as behavioral therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, or physiotherapies.
Along with these therapies, the doctor may also prescribe some medications for suppressing very aggressive symptoms or gut issues.
The details of these therapies are as follows.
Behavioral therapy
So, let’s talk about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which is pretty common for treating autism. Precisely, it breaks skills down into small steps and uses rewards to teach and reinforce good behaviors.
ABA therapy can be intense, with sessions going on for 25 to 40 hours a week for a few years. But the good news is, this therapy helps with areas like thinking skills, language, everyday stuff, and social skills.
More information on the benefits of Cognitive behavioral therapy for Autistic children can be found on the United States official website of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Speech therapy
Speech therapy for autism aims to improve communication abilities, including language development, and social interaction. It can help children with autism grasp abstract concepts, develop conversational skills, and understand social cues.
Speech therapy is typically provided by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who are trained to work with individuals with communication disorders.
More information on speech therapy for Autism can be found on the United States official website of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy for autism helps with different areas like how you process sensations, your ability to use your hands for small movements, taking care of yourself, getting along with others, and learning how to do things on your own.
Visit to read research on the role of occupational therapy.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy for autism can make you stronger and better at moving your body. It helps with things like running, jumping, and staying balanced. It also makes it easier to do everyday activities and feel more confident around others.
For more information read Physical Therapy for Autism.
Medicines
The healthcare provider may refer medications for an autistic person. These are mostly anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant medications.
Anti-anxiety medications can calm down feelings of worry and fear that are common with autism. Anticonvulsant medications can help control seizures, which happen to some people with autism.
More information on medicines for Autism can be found on the United States official website of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Diet
The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free (GFCF) diet is a popular diet for autism. It means avoiding foods with gluten (like wheat, barley, and rye) and casein (like milk and dairy products). Some parents and caregivers say they notice better behavior, social skills, and learning when their child follows this diet.
Visit to read research on the Effects of Diet in Children With Autism.
Pros and Cons of Conventional Treatments
PROS
The Major benefit of this approach is that it’s very well-established and widely practiced by neurologists. This is the approach that is also taught in Medical colleges. Most of the government bodies also recognize these approaches.
There is a very high probability that if you are getting your kid treated by any of the neurologists, you might be undergoing a few or all of the above-mentioned therapies.
CONS
The major con of this approach is that nobody can predict how much time these therapies will take to bring your kid to the stage where he/she can do his/her daily activities on his/her own.
It may take years to decades to show visible results.
Moreover, if a doctor needs to give anti-anxiety drugs for extreme hyperactivity, that can also have its own short-term and long-term side effects. The doctors, typically explain the side effects and also the risk-benefit ratio to patients when they prescribe it.
So the question is how we can expedite the recovery process of the children.
If you are also the one who is looking for the answer to this question, then you need to further read it.
2. Stem Cell Therapy
There is a new advancement in allopathy treatment which is focussed around using the regenerative capabilities of stem cells to treat Autism disorder.
Stem cell therapy for autism helps by using special cells to improve brain function in children with autism. These cells help repair damaged areas of the brain, leading to better communication and behavior.
But what’s the basic science behind stem cell treatment?
In this treatment method, doctors use the regenerative power of the stem cells. Stem cells are the basic building blocks of our body and they can take the form of any kind of specialized cell and do their function.
Their basic biological task is repairing and regenerating the damaged cells and the power of this amazing cell is used to treat autism symptoms.
Apart from that, stem cells have two major functions paracrine and immunomodulatory. Paracrine and immunomodulatory functions of these cells help in growth factors like learning, communication, behavioral patterns, and immunity.
Doctors are using these powers of stem cells to regenerate and repair the damaged tissues in the brain of an autistic child and adapt their immunity to help them function independently.
There is a high probability that the damaged neurons of an autistic child’s brain can be regenerated with stem cell therapy.
Visit for more information on Stem Cell Therapy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Therapy for Autism
PROS
By the basic science of stem cells, this approach attempts to bridge the limitations of conventional approaches and can expedite the recovery process of Autistic children significantly. Training-based therapies such as behavioral, speech therapy, etc will still be required to train the repaired ( or in some cases newly generated) neurons.
Many parents have seen positive changes in their children’s social skills and language abilities after undergoing stem cell therapy.
When the stem cell therapy gives results, they are visible in 2-4 weeks and significant recovery happens in four to six months.
CONS
Since this regenerative science is in the research stage, there is no existence of a standard protocol yet. The protocols are driven by the researchers and practitioners.
Moreover, the results also vary from patient to patient. There is even a possibility that you may not find any improvement or temporary improvement in the kid.
So the very crucial factor is doctor selection. You should choose a doctor who has successfully treated Autistic children with a consistent success rate and also a large number of patients. This is really difficult but with the organizations like MedicoExperts which is working with many doctors and hospitals, this problem can be fairly addressed.
Furthermore, again since these therapies are in research mode, there are no formal approvals from government organisations and insurance companies. Even if you are insured, you need to plan the expenses from your pocket.
For more details on stem cell treatment for autism please click the button below.
3. Homeopathy
Homeopathy is another stream of medical sciences (Like allopathy) and is a strong pillar in the Alternative medicines category.
Homeopathy is originated in Germany and practiced in many countries today.
You can find more information on the history of Homeopathy
To understand its science, you need to understand its principles. Homeopathy is based on “similia similibus curentur”, which means light can cure light or “all diseases should be treated by similar drug diseases“.
When we talk about homeopathy, it has two balancing factors – your body and your mind. When these two factors are in harmony with each other, your body remains healthy and you do not get ill. But when the stability of your mind and body gets hampered, you are attacked by diseases.
In that case, you need medicine. In short, the core science of homeopathy works by balancing and stabilizing your mind and body.
Homeopathic treatment concentrates on the causes of autism, and after observing the child’s symptoms, the practitioners give them the medication. Unlike stem cell therapy, homeopathy focuses on training the already existing cells and maximizing their function.
Homeopathy offers a promising treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Since each child with ASD is unique, treatment needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the kid. The doctors may use different homeopathic medicines may be used at various stages of the condition. The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the condition and the child’s age.
Pros and Cons of Homeopathy Treatment for Autism
PROS
The treatment often shows positive results, with many children experiencing improvement. The results generated by the Homeopathy are sustained results and the possibility of reversal of achieved results is very rare.
A few of the shortcomings of Stem cell therapy can also be addressed in Homeopathy.
Moreover, Homeopathic remedies are safe for all ages and have no known side effects. They can be taken for extended periods without worry.
CONS
Homeopathy works slowly and steadily and there might be changes in the medication and doses during treatment. You should be prepared for a minimum of 6 months to 2 years of treatment.
There are no standard protocols and the medication is customized for each patient. The search and availability of good practitioners of Homeopathy is also a challenging task.
Hence, the very crucial factor is doctor selection in homeopathy. You should choose a doctor who has successfully treated Autistic children with a consistent success rate and also a large number of patients. This is difficult but with the organizations like MedicoExperts which is working with many doctors and hospitals, this problem can be fairly addressed.
For more details on autism treatment in Homeopathy please click the button below.
4. Ayurveda
Ayurveda is yet another stream of medical sciences (Like allopathy and homeopathy), originated thousands of years ago in India and is very popular in India for its root cause-solving approach and hence a very strong pillar in Alternative Medicines.
You can find more information on Ayurveda including its history here History of Ayurveda.
In Ayurveda, Indian medicinal herbs and plants are used to treat any disease. An Ayurvedic practitioner diagnoses a disease or an ailment based on three different elements or energies.
Based on these three elements or energies, there are three doshas-
- Vata dosha (air and space energy is more active). Vaat dosha governs the moment part of your body.
- Next is pitta dosha (where fire energy is more active). Pitta dosha governs the metabolism of your body.
- The last one is cough dosha (where water energy is more active). This dosha governs the emotional and mental health part of your body.
An imbalance of these three doshas indicates that your body has some ailment or disease.
In Ayurveda, the treatment modalities are herbal medications and Panchkarma which are different external therapies with medicated oils.
In the research about using Ayurveda for treating autism, various studies were examined. Some studies have shown the effectiveness of Ayurveda in treating autism.
Pros and Cons of Ayurveda Treatment for Autism
PROS
Ayurveda medications and therapies are natural therapies and are widely known for having no side effects. These medications and therapies even have references in sculptures as old as the BC era and have been practiced since then.
Many autistic patients are benefitted from Ayurveda. In all cases, the results are sustained results.
Ayurveda is a recognized medical science by the Indian government and many of its herbs are widely used even by allopathy medicines. Many researchers have worked on these herbs and generated scientific evidence on their properties.
Ayurveda medications and treatments can be very clubbed with conventional methods and stem cell therapy.
CONS
Ayurveda also works slowly but steadily. So you should be prepared for slow but sustained results.
For PanchKarma therapies, international patients may need to travel to India as these therapies may not be available in your country. However, in developed countries, you can easily find the Ayurvedic centers.
The treatment protocols are customized for every patient and hence the skills of doctors play a very important role in the results. So, finding a good doctor who has consistently given results is a difficult task but with organizations like MedicoExperts that work with many doctors and hospitals, it can be very well addressed.
For more details on Ayurvedic treatment for autism please click the button below.
