Saturday, April 2, 2011

Question 6-Last posting: What are 4 key take home treatment strategies that SLPs and OTs can apply given the literature and discussion you provided on your blog? What is the rationale for each of these take home strategies?

1) Being educated. We need to arm ourselves with knowledge. Often a parent may be reluctant to discuss CAMs with their doctor but more inclined to ask their therapist since therapy is a non-invasive approach. Be aware of the many choices that are out there but do not recommend any particular one. Some CAMs do have serious side effects and parents need to make their own decision.  CAMs have not been scientifically proven. So if parent chose to use a particular CAM they should be aware of the risks. Encourage them to research the CAM’s for themselves.
2) Know the side effects. Especially if you plan to recommend a particular CAM to a family, know the side effects. It is also important to know side effects so you can recognize them in a child that you are working with and report the side effect back to the team and the parents.
3) Communication. Without communication with families, we are working in a vacuum. I have found that a child may exhibit a side effect in one therapy but does not exhibit the same side effect in the classroom or with another therapy. It could be something that is happening in that particular setting and not an actual side effect. Also, a child spends so much of their day in school and away from parents that they need to know exactly what is going on so that they can determine if a CAM is working or needs some modifications or needs to be discontinued.
4) Know the CAMs in your area. It’s one thing to tell someone about CAMs and it another if you point them in a direction. In my area of NJ, the best place to send someone with autism is the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center.

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4 comments:

  1. Ann K.April 3, 2011 at 2:07 PM

    Thanks for all the great posts Diane! It is important to embrace and be knowlegeable of different alternative medicines if families are taking those routes.

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  2. Deepali Y.April 3, 2011 at 3:13 PM

    Diane,
    I could not agree more on your point about situations contributing to certain effect/behavior, rather than it being direct side effect of the CAM. A child in a focused one to one setting may react differently to the TLP (therapeutic listening program) along with added aromatherapy as the CAM, while the behavior may be very different at home, when the dog keeps coming too close to smell the aroma, knocking over the TLP C.D.
    We all must look at the whole picture, before dismissing the CAM itself as ineffective, or lable it having side effects.
    With CAMs its probably best to let the parents feel it out and see if it fits with thier family style.
    Great post Diane.
    - Deepali

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  3. CatherineApril 3, 2011 at 7:16 PM

    Diane,
    Great information. I agree with you about how important it is that parents communicate what alternative therapies they are using. When parents experiment with herbs, minerals, vitamins and diet is it possible that they could interact adversely with each other?
    It is good that so many gluten and casein free foods are now available in regular supermarkets but they still must be a huge added expense for the parents already faced with high medical costs. But if I put myself in their shoes I would do it all too.
    Catherine

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  4. ElaineApril 3, 2011 at 7:27 PM

    I agree! Communication is definetly the key on so many levels! The team need to know that a new CAM is being used so we can gage results. I see this in the schools all the time with things even as basic as a seat cushion. Teachers are ready to dismiss the use after a day and immediatly try something else instead of giving it time to really see if one change at a time can make a difference. Elaine

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