Here are the 10 golden rules for autism recovery.
Rule one – Have Hope
The first and foremost rule for autism recovery is to have abundant hope. After making the diagnosis of autism, a doctor concluding or saying directly to the parents that there is no recovery path for autistic children is not right. Saying that autism is not recoverable and breaking the hope of parents is not fair as recoveries do happen in autism cases as cleared by different, recent research. It is only hope that keeps parents optimistic, keeps them going and pushes them to try different modes of treatment like medicines, therapies and engagement in anticipation of recovery. Having plenty of strong hope is a key to autism recovery.
Rule two – Acceptance
The second rule is the acceptance of the diagnosis made by the doctor which is very important. To be more precise, early acceptance of diagnosis is very essential. This is because early acceptance of diagnosis and early intervention and treatment is directly proportional to the chances of recovery. It means accepting the problem early and starting the treatment which increases the chances of recovery and vice versa. This rule applies to cases of mild autism too as even mild cases are not self–recoverable and need treatment. Crucial time should not be wasted once the diagnosis is confirmed as starting the treatment early is of paramount importance to increase possibilities of recovery.
Rule three – Start Homeopathic Medicines
The third golden rule is about homeopathic treatment of autism. Homeopathy can be a boon for treating autism cases. Many autism cases can recover with homeopathic medicines but at the same time, a huge number of cases might not respond. But for those cases which respond, it can be life changing. The age of the child is a very important determining factor for recovery. The chances of recovery are more if the treatment is started at an early age when the child is around 2-3 year old. Some of the homeopathic medicines used in homeopathy for autism treatment are Baryta Carb, Carcinosin, Hyoscyamus, Veratrum Album, Stramonium and Tuberculinum. The mention of these medicines is only for information purposes, it is strictly advised to avoid using any of these medicines on your own without consulting an experienced homeopathic doctor having expertise in autism.
Rule Four – Engage, Engage, Engage
The fourth rule is engage, engage, engage, means keep the child in a constant state of connectedness throughout the day. Just being with the child does not serve the purpose and active engagement is required. Being left alone gives the child time to slip into his own world.
Rule Five – Therapy Is Not Rocket Science
The fifth rule is therapy which is not rocket science. There is no technicality in therapies and the fundamental behind it is very simple. The objective of therapies is to keep the child connected with his surroundings by doing the right things. Once the child is connected with the environment around him, he will start learning things on his own. Here doing the right things, means playing and doing fun-filled engaging activities, in a simple way is highly valuable rather than doing costly therapies. A common mistake one should refrain from doing is to avoid teaching and making the child learn things. This is because 90- 95 % of learning is passive which means we learn passively from our environment on our own by being in a state of connectedness with the environment. Active learning from what is being taught is not easy for a child especially when he has a developmental challenge. Our first aim should be simply to make the child connect with his immediate environment in the first place, and learning on his own will eventually follow in the due course of time. To summarize, keep the child playfully engaged throughout the day by doing fun-filled activities. Teaching the child should be avoided.
Rule Six – Connectedness And Happiness
The sixth rule is keeping connectedness and happiness together. The child should be kept connected through happiness means the child should be happy when we are trying to engage him. He/She should not be sad at all, irritable, frustrated and angry in any way because then it will not yield the desired results. To keep him happy and connected simultaneously, the salient rule is to avoid pushing the limits of the child to keep him connected. This will help in preventing anger, throwing tantrums, irritability, and hyperactivity in the child.
Rule Seven – Avoid Negating Effect
The seventh rule is to avoid negating effect. Giving therapies for an hour or two and leaving the child in his own world for the rest of the day might have a negating effect. Here negating means leaving the child in his own world will nullify the positive effects which we have achieved by efforts put in through therapies. Though difficult, make sure to keep the child constantly connected throughout the day and don’t let the child go into his own mental space to avoid negating effect.
Rule Eight – Understand His Emotions
The eight rule is regarding understanding the child’s emotions which is the most important rule. This is because different states of emotions like crying, anger, agitation, throwing things by a child becomes a hurdle in the child’s improvement because such emotions make the child go into his shell and he/she stops engaging. So, we really need to understand that if a child is crying, irritated, anxious or showing any other kind of negative emotions as mentioned above, then something is definitely troubling the child. That troubling factor needs to be found out and removed that could otherwise become an obstacle in recovery.
Rule Nine – Control His Sugar
The ninth rule is to reduce the sugar intake of the child. This is owing to the fact that sugar intake can increase hyperactivity in the child. As a result, concentration is affected due to which the child is not able to receive therapies. So it is advised to keep a check on the amount of sugar the child is consuming.
Rule Ten – Make Home A Therapy Centre
The tenth rule is to make your home a therapy center. Avoid sending the child to a regular school as it takes away much of the productive time of the childin a day. About 80 pc of an active day goes waste (if we calculate the time from waking the child up in the morning, getting him ready, travelling time to reach school, attending school till coming back home and sleeping after coming from school). However, if the school has an integrated plan where active engagement, active therapies like ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) are done and the child is engaged on one-to-one basis and the child is happy in the real sense, then one can put the child in such a school. But it is wise to avoid a regular school and make your home a therapy center. Also note that if the traveling time to the therapy center from your home is more, then it is not worth spending energy and money. In that case, make your home a therapy center and keep your child constantly engaged through fun-filled playful activities.