Mayo Clinic Health System
  • Request an Appointment
  • Patient Online Services
    • Services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Adams
      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Janesville
      • Lake City
      • Lake Crystal
      • Le Sueur
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • New Richland
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Trimont
      • Truman
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Elmwood
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      Iowa

      • Armstrong
      • Decorah
      • Lake Mills

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals
    • COVID-19
    • Request an Appointment
    • Patient Online Services
    • Pay Bills Online
    • Refer a Patient
    • For Patients & Visitors
    • Financial Assistance
    • Donate
    • Careers
    • Volunteer
    • For Medical Professionals
    • About Us
    • Community Resources
    • Press Room
    • Mayo Clinic
    • CaringBridge
    Posted By
    Tanushree Singhal, M.D.

    Tanushree Singhal, M.D.

    Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine (Children)

    Recent Posts

    • Speaking of Health
      Could my child have autism spectrum disorder?
      April 02, 2021
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Speaking of Health
    Monday, April 12, 2021

    Autism: Treatments and therapies

    Mom and daughter reading book on sofa

    Pediatricians who work with children and families facing autism find that families who reach out to others — their health care team and other families dealing with the disorder — are best able to cope. While there isn't a cure for autism, there's reason for optimism. There are different treatment options available for loved ones with autism.

    The ultimate goal of treatment is to increase a child's ability to function, reduce symptoms and help in the child's development and learning. Autism symptoms and severity differ greatly. Thus, treatment options for children diagnosed with autism also vary.

    Working together at home and school, and with the child's health care provider, families may find treatment options include:

    Behavior and communication therapies

    These therapies focus on decreasing behavioral problems and teaching new skills, such as how to act in social situations. These therapies can be provided at home, day care or school.

    Educational therapies

    Highly structured education programs may help children with autism, who often respond well to routine. Preschool children who receive intensive, individualized behavioral interventions often show good progress. One such intensive behavioral intervention, applied behavior analysis, seeks to reinforce desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors. Often children receive speech and occupational therapy.

    Family therapies

    Getting the whole family involved can help. Parents can learn special ways to play with their child with autism. This can help children learn daily living skills and how to communicate with others.

    Medications

    There is no medication to treat autism. However, medications sometimes can be an option in managing autism symptoms. Symptoms may include anxiety, perseverating (i.e., getting "stuck," such as counting the same series of numbers over and over) and unpredictable negative behaviors, such as mood swings and unprovoked aggression.

    It's important to remember that any therapy must come in the context of loving and accepting your child for who he or she is while maintaining an optimistic, yet realistic, expectation for his or her future. Talk to your health care provider about treatment options that will best suit your child's needs.

    Additional autism resources:

    • Read about a study debunking the autism-vaccine link.
    • Visit the Autism Navigator website for family resources.
    • Use the 100 Day Kit for young children to maximize the first days after diagnosis.

    Tanushree Signhal, M.D., is a pediatrician in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.


    For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
    Topics in this Post
    • Autism
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Pediatric Medicine

    Related Posts

    Autism Autism-vaccine link debunked
    Playing with toy cars and trucks Could my child have autism spectrum disorder?
    Teen girls sitting on curb smiling 5 things you need to know about mental health and girls

    Stay Connected

    • Contact Us
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Terms of Use
    © 2018 - 2021 Mayo Clinic Health System