Autism/Pervasive Development Disorder

Common Patterns

Autism and the Pervasive Developmental Disorders are diagnoses that relate to individuals who demonstrate

• severe problems with interpersonal communications, esp. involving language ability,
  eye contact, and interactive play
• limited activities they enjoy, and engaging in these in a repetitive, routinized manner
• unusual responses to sensory stimuli, particularly to touch, sound
• involvement in other senses, such as taste, smell, and light and darkness

Individual Differences

There is a vast array of individual differences among individuals diagnosed with Autism or PDD. Some have biochemical imbalances: allergies, nutritional deficits, unusual levels of heavy metals, or other factors that effect the nervous system, blood brain barrier, and functioning. Some are head-bangers or have sleep disturbances. Many have irregular muscle tone. Most make unusual noises, twirl themselves or objects, and engage in self-stimulation. All are individuals.

The HANDLE Perspective

HANDLE views Autism/PDD simply as labels for individuals whose attentional priorities are extremely limited from infancy or early childhood. This limitation is caused by irregularities in systems that support the senses and their interactions. Usually the forms of sensory stimulation these individuals tolerate are those that were not affected at birth with the sudden change from a wet and dark prenatal world to a postnatal world of air and light. Vision, for which there are no prenatal experiences, is frequently used by individuals diagnosed with Autism/PDD either just for an enchantment with the light, or to scan the periphery as protection from a sensed invasion by people and objects in the environment. For those whose label is a form of PDD (such as Asperger's Syndrome), the number/degree of sensory intolerances is less, allowing initial acceptance of more input and more interaction with the outside world.

Philosophy

According to this view, guided enhancing of ability to tolerate and to trust various environmental stimuli releases the person from stereotypical behaviors associated with the medical diagnosis.

HANDLE Treatment

After performing an intensive observational assessment and interviewing caregivers, individualized programs of activities, nutritional guidance, etc. are designed for each client. These activities are then implemented at home or in daycare situations. During the period of home treatment, recommendations may be made for some compensatory measures, such as reducing the amount of extraneous sounds in the surrounding, or changing the type of lighting in the most common environment. HANDLE treatment for these disorders usually involves initial activities to increase the range of bodily movement (particularly to include the sense of "behind" in Autism), incorporating specific tactile and vestibular activities, and other activities, selected in a developmentally sound sequence. It frequently reduces individuals' resistance to experience the world. when they realize that the experiences they perceive as threatening are also felt by others who acknowledge them and then dismiss them.

Treatment Options

Although we see similarities among our clients with Autism and PDD, each person diagnosed with Autism/PDD deserves personalized assessment and therapeutic plans. Generally, clients diagnosed with Autism/PDD require follow-up every four to six months for perhaps as long as two or three years, to help map the challenging journey from Autism. Some families benefit highly from our bi-weekly diagnostic-therapy sessions, and adults may seek weekly therapeutic sessions with our trained clinicians.

What Results We Might See

HANDLE practices and teaches respect for the intelligence and motivation of its clients diagnosed with Autism and PDD, as it does for other disorders. It is not an uncommon occurrence for individuals formerly deemed unresponsive to develop eye contact, seek physical contact, and begin to speak shortly after beginning therapy through HANDLE. Some first utterances usually relate to their understanding of the therapeutic program and their desire for improvement. It is not unusual to see significant gains in measured IQ in clients several months into treatment.

A mother comments about how HANDLE helped her son who was 8 1/2 years old at the time of initial service:

"Our child has been diagnosed Autistic/PDD/Hyperlexic and his expressive and receptive language skills were at half his chronological age. We received at HANDLE the most careful, specific, and individualized assessment and services we have yet experienced in 8 years of contact with professional providers. We saw results within two weeks' time."                         T. Geer

                                                                                                                

Copyright © 1996 The HANDLE Institute

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