Once you come to know that your child suffers from autism, you should start on a treatment plan. There are a number of treatments available for autism. Often people worry about using medication that might prove dangerous to the child. But this is not justified. Not all children need medication. Apart from prescription medication, there are a number of other options for treating an autistic child. While some prefer to stick to the standard treatment plan, many others opt for the alternative natural plan. Here are some different treatments for autism.

Medication

In autism, a number of different types of medications are used for treatment. These medicines cover different aspects of autism. There are some medicines that help with the anxiety that many autistic children are prone to, while some medicines help autistic children who have trouble falling asleep. For children suffering from behavioral problems, antipsychotic drugs are used. These medicines do not actually cure the autism and in addition to this certain medicines have very bad side effects. If the child is on medication, he or she needs to be monitored very closely.

Occupational Therapy
This therapy helps the Autistic child learn independence. They are taught daily skills that are needed such as taking a bath, dressing up etc. Their fine motor skills are worked on. Children are also taught how to use devices that are helpful in daily life. Safety measures are also taught whether it be safety inside or outside the home.


Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is one of the most common forms of treatment among autistic children. Children with relatively lower muscle tone gain an immense amount from this therapy. In this the basic motor skills of young children is also dealt with. This includes walking, rolling and standing. Autistic children can suffer from many other health problems. Physical therapy helps solve these problems also.

Behavioral Therapy
This therapy will help teach the autistic child different behaviors that are appropriate. Usually a form of reward system is included. Children learn how to behave in social settings. Usually this therapy is done in the setting of the child's home only. Parents, too, need to learn how to deal with unwanted behavior from their kids. Generally, the autistic child learns that certain behavior can give him or her, a reward and so consequently the bad behavior stops.

Speech Therapy
Communication is one of the toughest problems that autistic children face. The autistic people do not understand non-verbal cues. There are a few autistic children who do not speak altogether, so they need to be taught how to communicate with other people. They need to learn about body language. Sign language or pictures are often used to help some autistic children who have speech defect. A non verbal child can be taught how to speak by a speech therapist.

These are only very few of the treatment options available to autistic children. All children do not require all the treatments. It is very important to decide on a treatment plan that works well for your child. Autistic children can thrive if they are treated properly and in time.