Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPlay TherapySpeech TherapyApplied Behavior AnalysisFloortimeRelationship Development InterventionParent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Aggressive Behaviors

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Play Therapy

Speech Therapy

Applied Behavior Analysis

Floortime

Relationship Development Intervention

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Aggressive Behaviors

It can be expensive to care for an autistic child. Therapy can be costly and is not always available or accessible. However, it has been shown that parents and caregivers can provide therapies that lead to improvement andbuild skillswhile helping them bond with their autistic kids.

While you can’t “cure” autism—either at home or under a professional’s care—parents can provide aspects of six well-established, risk-free therapies on their own without investing a lot of time or money. These therapies include:

How to Get Started With Floortime Play

Play therapyis exactly what it sounds like: learning through the process of play. Autistic children are more likely to play alone and repeat actions over and over, rather than engage in pretend play.

Therefore, the goal of play therapy is to build social interaction and communication skills and, in the long run, to enhance children’s ability to engage in new activities and symbolic play.

As your child’s abilities grow, you may be able to build toward taking turns in back-and-forth games, collaborative games, or even make-believe.

Some autistic children may have trouble with speech or language skills.Whilespeech therapyis a complex field, there are aspects of speech and communication therapy that parents can provide with relatively little training.

Speech therapy can help improve speaking skills, as well as nonverbal communication using signs, gestures, pictures, or an electronic speaking device.One way to get started is to visit theHanen Centreonline.

Hanen’sMore Than WordsandTalkabilityprograms are specifically designed for parents and caregivers to use with their autistic children.​ At the same time, they are terrific techniques for bonding with your child. You can take an in-person Hanen class or purchase their guidebook/DVD combos to get started.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Applied behavior analysis(ABA) is often referred to as the gold standard of autism therapy, largely because therapists set very specific, measurable goals. Some autism advocates object to its reliance on behavior modification principles they consider harmful, but many professionals recommend ABA and report its success.

While it’s possible to take courses and be certified in ABA, it’s also possible to do a quick online training program and use ABA techniques in your home. Basic concepts without formal training can be simple and intuitive:

Floortimehas a great deal in common with play therapy but is built around the idea that parents should work toward increasing “circles of communication” with theirautistic child.

In other words, through the use of Floortime techniques, parents encourage their child to participate in back-and-forth interaction (verbal or nonverbal). This helps autistic kids to expand theirsocial skillsand make emotional connections.

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)

RDIis a therapeutic technique specifically developed for parents and guardians. Like Floortime, it relies on developmental theories for parents to help their autistic children build social communication skills.

This model focuses on activities that help the child develop flexibility in thinking and handling social situations, like coping with change and understanding different perspectives.

Unlike Floortime, however, RDI has a prescribed series of goals and activities​ and requires that parents work with a consultant to get started.

If you’re interested in using developmental therapy with your child and prefer a clearly defined program (hiring a consultant to get started), RDI might be a great choice for you.

Some autistic children engage in aggressive behaviors that make it very difficult to leave home or participate in typical activities.

The goal is to disrupt escalation in the negative behaviors between parent and child, as parents learn to set clear limits and establish authority in the relationship.

PCIT is based on the idea that a strong, secure attachment relationship is a necessary foundation for establishing effective limit-setting and consistency in discipline, which leads to improved mental health for both parent and child."

Summary

6 Autism Therapies Parents Can Provide in Their Own Home

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pickles A, Couteur AL, Leadbitter K, et al.Parent-mediated social communication therapy for young children with autism (PACT): long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. 2016;388(10059):2501-2509. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31229-6.Solomon R, Van Egeren LA, Mahoney G, Quon Huber MS, Zimmerman P.PLAY Project Home Consultation intervention program for young children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled trial.J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2014;35(8):475–485. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000096Shire SY, Shih W, Kasari C.Brief Report: Caregiver Strategy Implementation-Advancing Spoken Communication in Children Who are Minimally Verbal.J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48(4):1228-1234. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3454-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder.Mohammadzaheri F, Koegel LK, Rezaee M, Rafiee SM.A randomized clinical trial comparison between pivotal response treatment (PRT) and structured applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention for children with autism.J Autism Dev Disord. 2014;44(11):2769-77.International Council on Development and Learning.What is floortime?RDIconnect.An introduction to RDI.PCIT International.Professionals: What is PCIT?

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pickles A, Couteur AL, Leadbitter K, et al.Parent-mediated social communication therapy for young children with autism (PACT): long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. 2016;388(10059):2501-2509. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31229-6.Solomon R, Van Egeren LA, Mahoney G, Quon Huber MS, Zimmerman P.PLAY Project Home Consultation intervention program for young children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled trial.J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2014;35(8):475–485. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000096Shire SY, Shih W, Kasari C.Brief Report: Caregiver Strategy Implementation-Advancing Spoken Communication in Children Who are Minimally Verbal.J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48(4):1228-1234. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3454-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder.Mohammadzaheri F, Koegel LK, Rezaee M, Rafiee SM.A randomized clinical trial comparison between pivotal response treatment (PRT) and structured applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention for children with autism.J Autism Dev Disord. 2014;44(11):2769-77.International Council on Development and Learning.What is floortime?RDIconnect.An introduction to RDI.PCIT International.Professionals: What is PCIT?

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pickles A, Couteur AL, Leadbitter K, et al.Parent-mediated social communication therapy for young children with autism (PACT): long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. 2016;388(10059):2501-2509. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31229-6.Solomon R, Van Egeren LA, Mahoney G, Quon Huber MS, Zimmerman P.PLAY Project Home Consultation intervention program for young children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled trial.J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2014;35(8):475–485. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000096Shire SY, Shih W, Kasari C.Brief Report: Caregiver Strategy Implementation-Advancing Spoken Communication in Children Who are Minimally Verbal.J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48(4):1228-1234. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3454-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder.Mohammadzaheri F, Koegel LK, Rezaee M, Rafiee SM.A randomized clinical trial comparison between pivotal response treatment (PRT) and structured applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention for children with autism.J Autism Dev Disord. 2014;44(11):2769-77.International Council on Development and Learning.What is floortime?RDIconnect.An introduction to RDI.PCIT International.Professionals: What is PCIT?

Pickles A, Couteur AL, Leadbitter K, et al.Parent-mediated social communication therapy for young children with autism (PACT): long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. 2016;388(10059):2501-2509. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31229-6.

Solomon R, Van Egeren LA, Mahoney G, Quon Huber MS, Zimmerman P.PLAY Project Home Consultation intervention program for young children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled trial.J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2014;35(8):475–485. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000096

Shire SY, Shih W, Kasari C.Brief Report: Caregiver Strategy Implementation-Advancing Spoken Communication in Children Who are Minimally Verbal.J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48(4):1228-1234. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3454-0

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment and intervention for autism spectrum disorder.

Mohammadzaheri F, Koegel LK, Rezaee M, Rafiee SM.A randomized clinical trial comparison between pivotal response treatment (PRT) and structured applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention for children with autism.J Autism Dev Disord. 2014;44(11):2769-77.

International Council on Development and Learning.What is floortime?

RDIconnect.An introduction to RDI.

PCIT International.Professionals: What is PCIT?

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