There isn’t really one specific treatment for Aspergers syndrome and there isn’t a medication that will cure the disorder. You may need to try some different treatments that can help with the problems association with Aspergers and see what works best for your child. Here are some of the treatment options available for Aspergers syndrome.

Social Skills Training

Children with Aspergers will find it hard in social situations as they just don’t seem to know how to ‘fit in’. They also find it hard to understand the tone of voice used as well as facial expressions so they will often misinterpret things said to them. They don’t realise if someone is just joking or being sarcastic and will take things very seriously and very personally. With some social skills training your child may be able to learn how to recognise changes in people’s tone of voice and what different facial expressions mean.

Children with Aspergers syndrome will also often avoid eye contact and this is something that you can help your child to develop through some encouragement and social skills training.

By teaching your child these social skills it will help them to develop friendships. Children with Aspergers do want to make friends and join in but they are hesitant to because they just aren’t sure how to. Social relationships are important for all children and so is a big help to your child if you can help them learn how to develop them.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive behaviour therapy can teach your child ways of coping with situations. Aspergers children will often be very anxious as they are aware that they don’t quite ‘fit it’ and it can be very stressful for them. Cognitive behavior therapy can help them to reduce their anxiety and how to spot situations that would make them anxious and avoid them or learn to cope with them better.

By using cognitive behavior therapy you may stop your child from reaching the stage of having anxiety attacks or even a meltdown. When they feel unwanted behavior coming on they will have more control over themselves and will be able to control their behavior more effectively.

Medication

There is no medication to treat or cure Apsergers syndrome but there are medications that can help with some of the symptoms. Aspergers children will often have anxiety or depression and there are medications that can help to relieve these problems. By relieving your childs anxiety they may be more comfortable in social settings.

There is also medication that can help with anger and aggression which if you reach a stage where your child’s anger and aggression are out of control then medication can be useful to reduce these feelings and behaviors while you then work on their social skills and cognitive behavior therapy so that they can learn to control their anger and frustration.

You do need to be aware however that these medications can have some negative side effects both short term and long term. I personally feel that medication should be a last resort and other treatments should be tried to help your child before considering medication.

Natural Therapies

Consulting a naturopath is always a good option, particularly if you want to avoid the traditional medications. Using natural therapies on your child is a much safer alternative and they can have very good results.

Some naturopaths can do a live blood screening where they do a finger prick blood test and view the blood under a microscope. They may be able to tell from the blood screen if there are any underlying conditions, such as food intolerance or leaky gut syndrome, that may be contributing to your child’s behaviors. Often if you can correct these things in your child you will see an amazing improvement in their behavior and skills.

Diet

Although there is no scientific proof of diet affecting Aspergers, Autism and ADHD behaviors, many parents have found that by eliminating certain foods from their child’s diet has made a remarkable difference to their child. It is usually found that removing gluten or casein (or both) can make a big difference and in some cases children have had no symptoms of the disorder once starting these diets.
There is a lot of information available on gluten free, wheat free and casein free diets. Some people will eliminate both of these food groups from their child’s diet while others will choose one and give that a go. It is completely up to you whether to take this approach and whether to eliminate both or just one food group.

The biggest problem with gluten and/or casein free diets is that these products are in so many foods that it doesn’t leave you with many choices.

One of the big problems in today’s society is also the amount of preservatives and additives that are in our foods. Once again, if you choose to eliminate these you are restricting the diet even further.

I have found that by baking cakes, slices and snacks for my children then at least I have the advantage of knowing what is in them and I have the assurance that they are not filled with preservatives.

Changing diets to this extreme is not easy but once you get into your new diet routine it does get easier.

Parenting Education

It can be helpful to undertake some training as the parent of an Aspergers child as it can help you find ways to deal with your child’s behaviors. The more information that you can arm yourself with then the more you will be able to help your child. Training can teach you ways of calming your child down when they are having a tantrum or an anxiety attack. You will be taught different ways of controlling behavior in the long term and strategies to help avoid behavior issues. If you child is taught how to deal with his/her behaviors at home then they will be more equipped to deal with them in other places.

By implementing some of these treatments in your Aspergers child’s life you will make both your life and your child’s life a lot easier and more enjoyable. If there is no control or strategies used your child may quite likely develop some really bad behaviour problems which will make your whole families lives very, very stressful. As the parent of an Aspergers child your number one priority is to get a treatment plan in place for your child.

What Is Aspergers Syndrome?
Symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome
Strategies for helping with Aspergers Syndrome