The Three types of Mild Autism Therapy Part (2)

 

In the previous video I described how Therapy (1) the Traditional therapy, says autism is incurable, that is the Children will remain in their Own Worlds forever.

Therefore it focuses on making the Children comfortable in their Own Worlds

by setting-up structures and routines so that they don’t feel anxious,

and therefore more comfortable with life.

I also said in the previous video that structure and routines are very useful, for particularly younger children, who at that age are floundering in confusion, but that continued use of that structure leads to dependency for the rest of that Child’s life.

 

I then contrasted Therapy (1) with Therapies (2) & (3), that said that such Children can learn to leave their Own Worlds and enter and interact with the Real World just like other children do, even if they do so at a later age, so long as they have the right Therapies, and Training to help them.

And that’s of course where Therapies 2 & 3 concentrate. They focus on helping Children leave their Own Worlds and interact with the Real World as others do.

By aiming to cure or to reduce autism to neurotypical levels, both therapies aim higher, and by aiming higher achieve better results.

 

So, what are the differences between Therapies (2) and (3)?

By Therapy (2) I mean therapies like Floortime, and Son Rise, both very good.

And by Therapy (3) I mean “Parent-Power, Real World Training”, which is even better!

 

One example of the differences between therapies is that Floortime, a therapy (2) type, uses the words “draw” or “pull” when describing how to get a Child out of Own World into Real World.

These words support the concept that ‘outside pressure’ is the driving mechanism for Real World entering, rather than focusing on encouraging the child’s personal volition, his or her personal motivation.

 

The ABA technique is also to demand the Child’s attention too, so in that respect it is also a type (2) Therapy, however its roots are in Therapy (1) which regards autism as a defect or condition, and focuses on changing the condition, rather than spending time motivating the child.

Son Rise therapy, in my opinion the best type (2) therapy, frequently uses exaggerated enthusiasm to awaken the Child’s attention and participation.

While this is OK when the child is in a prepared state, if he or she is in a Withdrawn state, my experience is that this is counter-productive, because they are likely to become more Withdrawn and then more wary if such Training is used again.

 

By contrast, Therapy (3) utilises the principles of Dr. Henry and Kamila Markram’s “Intense World” Theory. In essence the Theory states that when the world becomes so intense for an oversensitive Child, the greatest impulse for that person is to Withdraw into their Own World and shut the Real World out.

 

When the Child is firmly Withdrawn one should not intrude. One should not verbally demand or over-enthusiastically try to get that Child’s attention. One should let them be in their Own World, and that is the difference between Therapies (2) and (3) in their approach.

 

So Therapy (3) pays more attention to the Child’s readiness before any intervention Training begins

An example of this Type three therapy approach, the Parent-Power Real World Training, can be found in Module 3 of the Training. That Module carefully outlines 10 preliminary steps to take before beginning any Training.

 

In briefer form than the 10 steps, the acronym “SET” can be used (as in ready-set-go.)

The “S” in SET  stands for “State” and refers to both you and your Child’s State of mind, that both of you are sufficiently receptive to give and to receive the Training.

“E” is for energy levels, as there is no point in half-hearted Training, it may be counter-productive, better to wait for another time, and “T” means you need to have allocated the time to do the Training and not be distracted.

 

Also built into the Real World Training philosophy is the recognition that your Child needs rest in Own World after having made the effort of Real World contact. So Own World is not denigrated here, but respected as a valid and valuable place to retreat to after good work is done, and is part of the overall Therapy.

 

There is a final distinction between Therapies (2) & (3).

And that is their attitude towards “Curing” mild autism.

Whereas Therapy (2) sometimes talks about “curing” mild-autism, we maintain in Therapy (3) that the word “curing” is not relevant, because autism is part of everyone’s character: everyone needs autistic Withdrawal to Own World from time to time, maybe in smaller amounts, but autism is something we all have.

Therefore what we do with Real World Training, is to reduce the need for excessive Withdrawal, by creating an environment where entering the Real World is FUN !

– ultimately achieving a level of Withdrawal that is much closer to the norm, or the “neurotypical” levels.

 

I hope you have gained value from this exposition on autism Therapy types.

 

If you are a parent, you’re now more aware of the types of Therapy that are used on your Child, and the kinds that you’d like to use with your Child in the future.

 

If you are a member of the medical profession, for example if you are a GP, who is usually the first person called-upon to make an initial assessment by anxious parents, I offer you a free download of the “Real World Training” Modules, so you can see for yourself and investigate the value of this “Type 3” Training.

 

If this sounds or appears interesting, I welcome you to email me via my website www.mild-autism.com and I will arrange that free download for you, and I will arrange another free download for one of your patients, so you can see how they get along with it.

 

And last but by no means least, I offer you this, my “First Diagnosis” Checklist. It outlines the usual autism signs to look for, which you probably already know well, but it ALSO gives parents step-by-step instructions as to what to do between when they first visit you, and those anxious months between then and when they finally get to see the specialist.

You can remove much of their panic and uncertainty, because the checklist outlines helpful steps that parents can take for their child right now.

 

And to conclude, for all those who would like further contact with me, I welcome you to do so, via my website www.mild-autism.com. I look forward to talking to you.