Some behavioural therapies include:

• Individualized Education Programs
• Applied Behaviour Analysis
• Positive Behavioural Interventions and Support
• Parent training
• Pivotal response therapy
• Communication interventions
• Music and art therapy
• Aversion therapy
• Animal-assisted therapy

Some medical management techniques include:

• Prescription medication
• Supplements
• Diets
• Chiropractic
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Prosthetics

For more information, visit http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com

Some behavioral therapies include:

• Individualized Education Programs
• Applied Behaviour Analysis
• Positive Behavioural Interventions and Support
• Parent training
• Pivotal response therapy
• Communication interventions
• Music and art therapy
• Aversion therapy
• Animal-assisted therapy

Some medical management techniques include:

• Prescription medication
• Supplements
• Diets
• Chiropractic
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Prosthetics

For more information, visit http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com.

Art Therapy: A Useful Alternative.

Art therapy is a unique alternative to the more conventional methods of therapy. It allows the children to express themselves, and as communication and expression is hindered and difficult in autism children this methods provides a creative, fun release. It does not rely on the language skills of a child and therefore there is no stress or pressure and the child is able to heal by expressing what they could never put into words.

Art therapy has been able to help those suffering from autism in the following ways:

• Increases self awareness

• Develops social skills

• Changes behaviors

• Develops problem solving strategies

• Allows an individual to engage in creative thinking in a safe environment

• Allows an individual to focus solely on the activity at hand and shut out other thoughts that may be intrusive.

In summation, art is naturally a therapeutic activity and when applied to situations where a child is unable to communicate, or find solace in any other form of therapy, art therapy is a gentle, fun, creative way to begin the healing process.

In Canada there are a few different requirements for becoming an art therapist established by the Canadian and
american art therapy associations. The first Requirement is either a bachelors or a masters degree in psychology,
social work or another relevant social science. The second is a diploma from a credible art therapy institute.

In Canada there are a few institutes to choose from:

B.C. School of Art Therapy
http://bcsat.com
1941 Lee Avenue, Victoria, B.C. V8R 4W9
phone: (250) 598-6434
fax: (250) 598-6449

Vancouver Art Therapy Institute
http://vati.bc.ca/
350 – 1425 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, B.C. V7T 1B9
phone: (604) 926-9381

Kutenai Art Therapy Institute
http://kati.kics.bc.ca/
#2A – 601 Front Street
Nelson, B.C. V1L 4B6
phone: (250) 352-2264
toll free: 1-800-580-6388
fax: (250) 352-5911

Adler School of Professional Psychology
http://www.adlercentre.ca/
101 – 1193 Kingsway
Vancouver, B.C. V5V 3C9
phone: (604) 874-4614

Most of these programs offer both a post-bachelors and a post-masters program which generally run for 15 weeks.
Also most programs require practia Vancouver Art therapy institute, for example, requires 700 hours of practica in
schools,agencies, hospitals, residential treatment and community settings. The programs offer a variety of courses
in art therapy such as multiculturalism, Child art therapy, group art therapy, ethics etc. Students should graduate
with the knowledge to continue as a registered art therapist and can continue there careers working under an institute
or they can establish their own private practice.

• Marty Levenson, a registered art therapist, offers work shops, group therapy and individual sessions for both adults and children who would like to work through their disabilities or life struggles using art therapy. He can be contacted by phone: 604.928.4033. By Email: Martylev.telus.net or by visiting The Vancouver art therapy studio located at: #203-230 west broadway.

• The Canadian Art Therapy Association Provides a Directory of art therapists all over Canada. This list provides the therapists education and experience as well as contact information: http://www.catainfo.ca/directory_online.php

• The Directory of Art therapists at www.bcartherapy.com provides information of all the art therapists working in your area and all of their contact information.There is also an option to choose which focus you would like whether its autism or ADHD.

• Circle art therapy offers creative healing through non-verbal communication and art. Group therapy is cultural- oriented and is available for people of aboriginal decent. Individual therapy is also available. Circle or art therapy can be contacted by phone: 604-986-4660 or by email: Lorraine@circletherapy.ca More information is available at www.circlearttherapy.ca

I did some research and it was hard to find concrete results, and then I remembered two friends of mine who are going to school in Amsterdam to become art therapists. I met them while they were doing their social work in Vancouver, at the Waldorf school in North Vancouver. I have had several conversations with them about art therapy and children with autism and other social problems children  might be facing at school or at home. They would spend a few hours per week drawing and painting with the children. After, they would analyze a series of drawings done by the child and try to find patterns and meanings within the pictures.

They spent a few months with these children and they found that they were successful. The children with autism were more focused in class and at home and they interacted much more often with their peers. These findings suggest the art therapy does in fact have a strong relationship between calming and making a child feel comfortable in their own skin through artistic expression.

In this video, a woman introduces us to her five year-old daughter who suffers from autism. The girl has a number of drawings and uses art to express herself; it even helps her to verbalize, as we can see by the way she names the drawings her mother points to.

This video clip introduces Arthur Simo, a young boy with ASD who uses art to help him. Though his verbal skills are weak, he seems comfortable talking about his art. Notice how proud he is!

The word “Autism” refers to the restriction of free social interaction and an inability to recognize non-verbal methods of communication. A child with “Low Functioning” autism generally is inclined to epilepsy, mental-retardation and severely limited language skills, both expressively and receptively. However, often, people with low functioning Autism can exhibit extraordinary talents, in which case they are less hindered by the symptoms of autism and are more afflicted instead by mental retardation or epilepsy.

A child diagnosed with “High Functioning” autism is more likely to lead a relatively “normal” life, provided they are kept in environments that have a low requirement for social interaction. High Functioning autistics often have IQ’s of around 85, have good self help abilities and are adept at taking care of themselves. Although their grasp of language is not impaired, generally a person with “High Functioning” autism will take words at their literal value but can communicate in a normal fashion, however they are easily frustrated, especially in highly social environments.

A child is diagnosed as High or Low functioning depending on the severity of their symptoms (i.e. over- and under-sensitivity to stimuli, impaired expressive and receptive language development and poor coordination etc…) and often, the diagnosis is also based on an IQ test. There is some criticism in regards to placing an autistic child on the spectrum through the use of IQ tests, and IQ tests in general have been under fire for the past 20 years for having a narrow scope and the tendency to stereotype.

The IQ range for autistic people is as follows.

• Educable (IQ 55 – 70)
• Trainable (IQ 40 – 55)
• Severe (IQ 25 – 40)
• Profound (IQ below 25)

These results can often be unfavorable and lead to stereotyping and perhaps treatment methods that don’t properly address the individual as it is based on an intelligence test score. Therefore, it is important to tailor the treatment of the disease to the individual and their place on the spectrum.

To learn more about low functioning autism visit this site:

http://www.brighttots.com/Autism/Low_Functioning_Autism.html

To learn more about high functioning autism visit this site:

http://www.autisminfoguide.com/autism/16

Some facts on Autism

• Over 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder
• Each day, approximately 50 families in the United States will find out that their child has autism.

There are many different areas that art therapy can address when treating autism, and they can be categorized into six areas to help art therapists  distinguish the problem at hand. These areas are: Imagination and abstract thinking deficits, sensory regulation and integration, emotions and self-expression, developmental growth, recreation and leisure skills and visual-spatial deficits. Art therapy is a somewhat soothing and calming practice that helps people with autism to regulate their own ideas and artistic expression.

I found that North Vancouver has established an Autism Awareness Day which is April 2 each year. Another organization that is worth taking a look at is “The Autism Society of British Columbia.” It was founded in 1975 by concerned parents and people suffering from autism. The website gives you information on their programs, self-help and a general overview of autism specifically in Vancouver. www.autismbc.ca

www.art-therapy.us/autism

www.arttherapyandautism.com

This article talks about the case of Tony Meredith, 18-year-old boy with autism.  The author explains about typical behavior of autism through the behavior of Tony and his artworks.  She focuses on an apparent interest of individuals with autism in mechanical object and its reason.  Also, how Tony is benefited from art therapy is explained.