Autism
in Baton Rouge, LA
Children with autism often face unique challenges with communication and behavior. At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, our expert pediatric therapists understand these challenges and work together to help children thrive. If your child is struggling with sensory sensitivities, repetitive behavior, communication delays, or other symptoms of autism, we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn more about this condition and find out how pediatric therapy can give your child the support they need to reach their fullest potential.
What Is Autism?
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction. It is called a “spectrum” disorder because it affects each person differently. Some children with autism experience only mild symptoms and need less support to manage their condition, while others can have symptoms that affect their daily lives more significantly and require extra support to help them build their developmental skills.
What Causes Autism?
There is no known cause of autism in children. However, current scientific research points to a combination of genetic and environmental factors that may increase a child’s risk of developing this condition.
Signs and Symptoms of Autism
Because autism is a spectrum, it can impact each child differently.
Some common signs and symptoms of autism in children include but are not limited to:
- Challenges with social interactions, such as making eye contact, holding conversations, or understanding nonverbal cues
- Repetitive behaviors, such as repeating words or phrases, flapping their hands, or rocking their body back and forth
- Intense or unusual focus on specific interests or subjects
- Delayed speech development or in some cases, being nonverbal
- Trouble with sensory sensitivities, such as lights, sounds, textures, or smells
- Difficulty with transitions or changes in routine
- Unusual sleeping or eating habits
- Challenges understanding humor or sarcasm
How We Address Autism
At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, we take a holistic approach to pediatric therapy. Rather than simply teaching children how to compensate for the skills they struggle with, we take a bottom-up approach by focusing on remediation first. By evaluating the foundational areas of your child’s development, we can identify and address specific areas in need of extra support to help them achieve their milestones.
Think of it this way: you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run. It’s not that you can’t learn how to run, but if you never learned how to walk first, you’ll be missing the basics that you need to support learning how to run. By prioritizing skill remediation over compensation, we empower children to build a strong foundation for future growth and development.
Schedule an Evaluation Today
If your child has autism and needs extra support to achieve their developmental goals, our team at Dynamic Therapy Specialists will go above and beyond to help. Call us at (225) 767-5032 to schedule an evaluation, and let’s work together to improve your child’s quality of life.