Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia

Intensive Therapy Reverses Autism in Six Year Old

by Julia Samuel on Mar 9 2015 6:02 PM

Intensive Therapy Reverses Autism in Six Year Old
Hussain Ahmad Sultan, a six year old, was diagnosed with moderate autism at the age of two. His parents enrolled him for therapy and it had positive improvements in his behaviours. //
The therapy was based on the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a teaching method that is effective in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), combined with speech and occupational therapy.

The young boy is following instructions, maintaining eye contact and displaying numerical, spatial and verbal skills of children his age, he has been fully included in school in Saudi Arabia where he has returned with his family.

Mohammad Ahmad Al Sultan, father of Hussain recalled that his son was perfectly normal at birth. After he came down with influenza when he was one and a half years old. He recovered but stopped talking or even listening, which prompted his parents to get his ears checked.

He stopped maintaining eye contact with his parents and would run outdoors so much that they had to lock the doors and windows and also put a bracelet on his wrist with his name, contact address, phone numbers and other information since there was always a chance he would wander off.

After he was diagnosed with autism, he was enrolled in ‘Stepping stones’ that deals with the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) at the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).

Hiba Bahsoun, director of special education and inclusion at Stepping Stones, said, “Early intervention is a key to reversal of symptoms in autism. Hussain came to us at the age of three and, after screening that involved diagnostic, behavioral, speech and language, functional and occupational tools, we were able to diagnose him with moderate autism. His parents were hands-on and within 4-5 months of 3-4 hours of intense ABA, speech and occupational therapy, the little boy started making eye contact, displayed compliance by following instructions, picked up language skills and was able to enrol in the Greenwood International school’s inclusion programme that is run by us in Dubai.”

Advertisement
Source-Medindia


Advertisement