The word “correction” is very important in the work of my colleges, and I do this with families with autism and other neuro-formation disorders, but this is a word that many people don't know. I thought that this week I would like to talk about what rehabilitation means in general, and in particular in the field of autism.
Let's start with some basic vocabulary definitions:
Fix (verb) - To fix the problem
Correction (adjective) - Designed to correct or improve skills in a particular area; therapeutic, corrective, restorative
Correction (noun) - the use of corrective methods to improve skills; remedial action or process
Dr Definition of rehabilitation by Stephen Gutstein: Correcting the deficit until it is no longer an obstacle
My definition: Work on something, not just around it.
Regardless of whether you are a parent or a specialist, it is important to understand what a correction is and the distinction between recovery and compensation. Perhaps the most common application of this distinction is the problem of reading. If a child is diagnosed with a lack of reading, we usually use rehabilitation methods to help them learn to read. At various points, we can use compensation, such as books on a tape, to support them. However, our goal is to correct or correct a problem that prevents them from reading so that they can become functional readers. In my professional experience, I still have to face a situation where adults believe that if an 8-year-old child does not read yet, we just have to compensate for this and give them books on tape to listen for the rest of their lives. Eliminated efforts to eliminate the problems that interfere with successful reading.
Now take the same concept and apply it to the individual across the spectrum of autism. By definition, they struggle in many areas: socialization, communication, thinking is flexible, and the list goes on depending on the person. What approach do we usually apply to these shortcomings? In general, we take a compensation approach. We find ways to solve these problems so that students fit into what we do at home and at school every day. Our main motivation is to use strategies that help them demonstrate what we consider to be “typical” behavior — this is especially in the classroom or in the church, learn academic skills, play on playground equipment, wait in line, not getting upset, greet others when we see them, etc. Although we may also look for ways to support their communication and improve relations with others, we do it on a very superficial level, without understanding the obstacles that these problems create in the first place. And since we really do not understand the root problems that create these problems, we resort to methods of compensation, and not to eliminate the root causes.
When you look at the history of treatment in the field of autism, first of all it concerns compensation. Although brain and autism research continued to move forward and provide us with new information, our approaches to treatment have stalled. The methods we used 30 years ago are still the methods that are used today, because of the fact that we have a number of new information available to us. Now we have the ability to perceive what we know about the autism disorder and how it affects brain function, and develop new methods and approaches that go beyond compensation and actually work to correct (correct) the main features of the disorder. This is one of the exciting things about new approaches, such as the Development Interconnection Development Program (RDI) ®, which is aimed at correcting, not only at work, the major deficiencies that we see in people with autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders. development.
It is time to move beyond thinking about treatment, simply by taking advantage of strengths and thinking about how to strengthen areas of fatigue. Research has shown us that autism is primarily a disorder of connectivity in the brain - with some portions over connected and others when connected. What is interesting is that we know that the neural connection can change throughout life. The human brain has an intensive ability to develop new connections and change connectivity models with the right choice of stimuli. This is what allows us to look at the treatment of autism in a new light. It can not be just strengthening areas that are already strong. Effective education and treatment should be aimed at creating new connections in areas where communication deficiencies are insufficient. This is the essence of rehabilitation.
