Children with autism experienced fewer behaviors and needed less medication when their parents used behavior therapy in addition to medication, new research shows.
Researchers looked at children ages 4 to 13 with a history of aggression and diagnoses of autism, Asperger’s syndrome or pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). The children were divided into two groups, one of which was given the medication risperidone to treat their behavior. Children in the other group took risperidone as well, but their parents also underwent a parent training program to learn how to manage severely disruptive and non-compliant behavior while improving daily living skills.
Children in both groups displayed improvements over the course of six months, but the kids whose parents had training were less likely to be irritable, throw tantrums or be impulsive. On average, these children were also taking a smaller dose of the medication at the end of the study, researchers report in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
What’s more, the benefits of the behavioral treatment provided by the parents appeared to increase over time, researchers said.
“Medication alone has been shown to help with some symptoms of autism, but its potential is limited,” said Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which provided funding for the study. “This study shows promise of a more effective treatment protocol that could improve life for children with autism and their families.”
More in Health & Behavior »
Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated and will not appear until they are approved. All comments must be in compliance with the DisabilityScoop.com Terms and Conditions. Please stay on-topic, keep your comments brief and refrain from inserting links or using abusive language.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Click here to login or register.
Dr. Thomas Insell won’t even ride an elevator with an autistic child and yet is always quoted as an expert intreating autism. The truth of the matter is that medication does almost nothing to help children with autism short of sedating them to help eliminate certain fears or behaviors. ABA therapy helps tremendously. However, neither comes close to doing as much as the gluten free/cassein free/soy free diet. My own son went in the diet and within a few weeks started to speak again. He is now a recovered 10 year old boy that has friends, goes to a regular school and enjoys time with his family. All of that happened from the diet and following the DAN! medical protocol. Wow, imagine that, he didn’t even have to take drugs or be sedated to get better. Thanks for nothing Dr. Insell!
We have used neither ABA nor medication with our son who is now 17. We have used a combination of sensory integration therapy, speech therapy, music therapy, food allergy diet and social stories along with special education services. When he was younger, he also had physical therapy due to low muslce tone on one side of his body.
I have seen first hand in working with people with developmental disabilities the problems associated with different medications used for people with Autism; namely weight gain, lethargy, food cravings and even more behavior problems. It is not pretty. Medication is a quick fix to problems that take time to overcome without medication.
My belief that if you can find a way to communicate with people with Autism (speech, echolalia, sign, pictures, electronic devices, etc), they will grow and behavior problems will fade away for the most part.
Now, is my son perfect? No. But he is happy, has a terrific sense of humor, is very loving, enjoys traveling, constantly draws what he sees (signs, movie trailers, restaurants, etc.) loves NASCAR and is helpful both at home and school.
Just my experience as a mom and my humble opinion.