There is a significant portion of people within the autism spectrum who are gifted or have extreme knowledge in a specialized area, such as music, art, or acquisition of information in an area of interest.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy can stimulate the development of connections in these higher order systems, focusing on the emergence of conceptual connections, interpretive language and so on. CBT uses techniques to help people become more aware of how they reason, so that they can change how they think and therefore how they behave. http://www.researchautism.net/interventionitem.ikml?ra=15 We encourage these systems to re-tune by providing an adapted sensory environment which is tailored to the individual perceptual problems the child is facing. In this way, (because as we know brain plasticity involves, the brain growing new synapses and pruning disused ones), we can influence not only brain function, but the development of it's structure. The aim being that the synapses which have been built to support the problems which the child is displaying are pruned and that synapses supporting more normal functioning are built. http://www.snowdropcerebralpalsyandautism.com/apps/blog/show/4807919-neuro-cognitive-therapy-for-cerebral-palsy-autism-and-other-neuro-developmental-disabilities-
Applied Behavioral Therapy
ABA uses careful behavioral observation and positive reinforcement to teach each step of a behavior. A child’s behavior is reinforced with a reward when he or she performs each of the steps correctly. Undesirable behaviors, or those that interfere with learning and social skills, are watched closely. The goal is to determine what happens to trigger a behavior, and what happens after that behavior that seems to reinforce the behavior. The idea is to remove these triggers and reinforcers from the child’s enviornment. New reinforcers are then used to teach the child a different behavior in response to the same trigger .http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/applied-behavior-analysis-aba http://www.autismcoach.com/Underconnectivity%20Theory%20of%20Autism.htm
Speech Therapy
Speech therapy involves much more than than simply teaching a child to correctly pronounce words. In fact, a speech therapist working with an autistic child or adult may work on a wide range of skills including:
Floor Time
Dr. Stanley Greenspan, a child psychiatrist, developed a form of play therapy that uses interactions and relationships to reach children with developmental delays and autism. This method is called the Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based model, or "DIR®/Floortime" for short. Floortime is based on the theory that autism is caused by problems with brain processing that affect a child's relationships and senses, among other things.With Floor Time, the child's actions are assumed to be purposeful. It is the parent's or caregiver's role to follow the child's lead and help him develop social interaction and communication skills. http://www.autismweb.com/floortime.htm
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy can stimulate the development of connections in these higher order systems, focusing on the emergence of conceptual connections, interpretive language and so on. CBT uses techniques to help people become more aware of how they reason, so that they can change how they think and therefore how they behave. http://www.researchautism.net/interventionitem.ikml?ra=15 We encourage these systems to re-tune by providing an adapted sensory environment which is tailored to the individual perceptual problems the child is facing. In this way, (because as we know brain plasticity involves, the brain growing new synapses and pruning disused ones), we can influence not only brain function, but the development of it's structure. The aim being that the synapses which have been built to support the problems which the child is displaying are pruned and that synapses supporting more normal functioning are built. http://www.snowdropcerebralpalsyandautism.com/apps/blog/show/4807919-neuro-cognitive-therapy-for-cerebral-palsy-autism-and-other-neuro-developmental-disabilities-
Applied Behavioral Therapy
ABA uses careful behavioral observation and positive reinforcement to teach each step of a behavior. A child’s behavior is reinforced with a reward when he or she performs each of the steps correctly. Undesirable behaviors, or those that interfere with learning and social skills, are watched closely. The goal is to determine what happens to trigger a behavior, and what happens after that behavior that seems to reinforce the behavior. The idea is to remove these triggers and reinforcers from the child’s enviornment. New reinforcers are then used to teach the child a different behavior in response to the same trigger .http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/applied-behavior-analysis-aba http://www.autismcoach.com/Underconnectivity%20Theory%20of%20Autism.htm
Speech Therapy
Speech therapy involves much more than than simply teaching a child to correctly pronounce words. In fact, a speech therapist working with an autistic child or adult may work on a wide range of skills including:
- Non-verbal communication. This may include teaching gestural communication, or training with PECS (picture exchange cards), electronic talking devices, and other non-verbal communication tools.
- Speech pragmatics. It's all well and good to know how to say "good morning." But it's just as important to know when, how and to whom you should say it.
- Conversation skills. Knowing how to make statements is not the same thing as carrying on conversations. Speech therapists may work on back-and-forth exchange, sometimes known as "joint attention."
- Concept skills. A person's ability to state abstract concepts doesn't always reflect their ability to understand them. Autistic people often have a tough time with ideas like "few," "justice," and "liberty." Speech therapists may work on building concept skills.http://www.autismcoach.com/Underconnectivity%20Theory%20of%20Autism.htm
Floor Time
Dr. Stanley Greenspan, a child psychiatrist, developed a form of play therapy that uses interactions and relationships to reach children with developmental delays and autism. This method is called the Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based model, or "DIR®/Floortime" for short. Floortime is based on the theory that autism is caused by problems with brain processing that affect a child's relationships and senses, among other things.With Floor Time, the child's actions are assumed to be purposeful. It is the parent's or caregiver's role to follow the child's lead and help him develop social interaction and communication skills. http://www.autismweb.com/floortime.htm