Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurological condition typically appearing in the first three years of life, marked by pervasive impairment in the areas of social skills and communication. ASD is often associated with hyper or hypo- reactivity to sensory inputs, the unusual interest of stereotypical rituals or behaviors, and may or may not be accompanied by intellectual impairment. Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder. Individuals with ASD often present other co-occurring conditions, including epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Signs and Symptoms of ASD

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- 5), a guide developed by the American Psychiatric Association to diagnose mental disorders, individuals with ASD have:

Difficulty in communication and interaction with other people

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors

Symptoms that hurt the person's ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life

Causes and Risk Factors

While scientists don't know the exact causes of ASD, research suggests that genes can act together with influences from the environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD. Although scientists are still trying to understand why some people develop ASD and others don't, some risk factors include:

"Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step." - Mariska Hargitay

Autism Treatment in AMMA

In AMMA, treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder is done by a multidisciplinary team comprising Clinical Psychologist, Occupational therapist, Speech and language pathologist and Special educators, inclusive with parents and caretakers. This approach helps the child acquire functional skills in daily living, manage the core features associated with the disorder, and eliminate the behaviors that are unhelpful or disruptive. The child will be adequately assessed by each professional in the multidisciplinary team. The responsibility to formulate an intervention plan is for the team. The developed plan will then be brought together to tailor the treatment of the child. The parents or caretakers are involved in the entire process of therapy. The plan will address multiple areas such as communication, social skills, motor skills, sensory skills, behaviors, daily living, and learning. The child's progress will be monitored and documented every week.

AMMA multi-specialty clinic provides services through three categories. In category 1, children who are suffering from severe symptoms of autism have to be admitted to the inpatient section (IP). During the period of treatment, the parent/caretaker has to stay with the child. The team of AMMA will monitor all the activities of the child. The procedure may last for three months to one year (as per the need), and the parents can extend the treatment further as per the recommendation of the team.

Category 2 is for the children who show a moderate level of symptoms of autism. They have to be admitted in the therapeutic daycare. The treatment will be from 10 am to 3.30 pm. The parent can drop the child and can leave, or they can be a part of the procedure. In the absence of a parent, a trained therapeutic daycare assistant will be assigned to care for them. The service of the daycare assistant will be provided for any child who shows a moderate level of symptoms and whose parents are working. The duration of the treatment plan lasts for 14 days to 3 months. Parents can extend the treatment further as per the recommendation of the team.

Category 3 is for children who show mild symptoms of autism. Treatment can be provided either in the therapeutic daycare settings or as an outpatient (OP). Each treatment session will be independent and one-to-one by the professionals in the multidisciplinary team. The duration of the treatment will extend up to 45 minutes. These will be direct therapy sessions. Parents can extend the treatment further, or they can shift from another module of therapy as per the recommendation of the team of professionals

Early Intervention Programme (EIP), Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), Sensory Integration Therapy (SI or SIT), Sunrise Program, Music therapy, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Natural Language Teaching Programme (NLTP), Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication for Handicapped Children (TEACCH), DIR/Floortime model (Developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based) and video modeling methods are the key therapeutic tools that are used for the improvement of individuals with ASD.