page_title: Outline of autism
section_title: Therapies, interventions, and potentially effective treatments
hierarchical_section_title: Outline of autism / Therapies, interventions, and potentially effective treatments
caption_attribution_description: "A child with autism (three years old) pointing to the fish in an aquarium." The photo demonstrates a controlled randomized test by Kasari, Stephanny Freeman and Tanya Paparella to determine whether intensive training in sharing attention (in this case, pointing at fish) and pretend playing can lay the groundwork for the acquisition of language skills and subsequent normal development.
context_page_description: The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism:
  Autism – disorder of neural development that affects social interaction and communication, and involves restricted and repetitive behavior.
context_section_description: Autism therapies
  Applied behavior analysis (ABA) – a science that involves using modern behavioral learning theory to modify behaviors.
  Cognitive behavior therapy – a therapy to help with thought distortions.
  Dialectical behavior therapy – a therapy that works on emotion regulation and social skills, originally developed for people with borderline personality disorder.
  Floortime – a developmental intervention involving meeting a child at their current developmental level, and challenging them to move up the hierarchy of milestones outlined in the DIR Model.
  Gluten-free, casein-free diet – ) or gluten-free dairy-free diet (GFDF diet) eliminates dietary intake of the naturally occurring proteins gluten (found most often in wheat, barley, rye, and commercially available oats), and casein (found most often in milk and dairy products).
  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy – a potentially risky therapy with unclear evidence of benefit.
  Hug machine – hug box, a squeeze machine, or a squeeze box, is a deep-pressure device designed to calm hyper-sensitive persons, usually autistic people.
  Lovaas technique – a behavior modification technique.
  Pivotal response therapy (PRT) – also referred to as pivotal response treatment or pivotal response training, is a behavioral intervention therapy for autism.
  The P.L.A.Y. Project –
  Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) – a trademarked proprietary treatment program for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), based on the belief that the development of dynamic intelligence is the key to improving the quality of life for individuals with autism.
  Son-Rise – a therapy encouraging adults to connect with autistic children.
  Speech therapy – therapy to improve speaking skills.
  TEACCH – a program that provides quality-of-life services.
caption: An autistic child and a therapist enjoying an aquarium.
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