Autism Treatment: Introduction

Autism is a complex condition, but the most general definition is a communication and social impairment of a person, along with unusual, repetitive interests or actions. PDD-NOS, Asperger's, High-Functioning Autism are all aspects of the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Unfortunately the only widely accepted treatment for autism is the educational therapies: ABA, ABBLS, PRT, RDI, Son-Rise, Floortime, DRI, etc. All of these programs are expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to organize.  Worst of all no one, not the Arkansas government nor private insurance, will cover the cost.

Without direct autism therapy, many families focus on the treatment of the symptoms of autism. Various entities will pay these bills, with the two big categories being the public school system and medical institutions.

Any secondary symptom of autism can be treated such as fine motor skill problems, social skill delays, ADHD, anxiety, motor skill problems, or intestinal troubles.  As a parent or individual with autism, you will need to make choices about which problems to tackle, and how. A lot of different things are often wrong at the same time, but only the family can make choices on what to treat first.

Eye Contact has a brief list of state autism resources, while another section has articles on therapy for autism. But any autism treatment plan will require further research and discussion with doctors, therapists, and other individuals. Specialized autism treatments are very few in Arkansas, so parents should consider going out of state if their private insurance allows such visits.