While there is no cure for Asperger’s Syndrome, there are therapies that can be used to improve the symptoms of Asperger’s. These therapies often focus on allowing the person with Asperger’s Syndrome to better regulate their emotions and impulses. Other therapeutic approaches aid the person with Asperger’s Syndrome to gain and hone strategies to better engage with their peers and avoid social isolation. In recent years, a growing awareness of environmental triggers has led to the development of trigger avoidance therapeutic approaches, designed to ideally proactively alleviate symptoms before onset.
There is no medication approved to treat Asperger’s Syndrome at this time. However, certain psychiatric drugs can aid in controlling the secondary symptoms of Asperger’s. Anxiety, hyperactivity, and depression are examples of secondary symptoms that may be managed by psychiatric intervention. Antipsychotics, stimulants, and antidepressants may be a vital part of a person with Asperger’s symptom alleviation regimen. Beyond the addition of psychiatric medication, the elimination of environmental triggers, including Mercury, pesticides, gluten and casein, and organic pollutants may lead to better symptom management.
Along with psychiatric medications and eliminating environmental triggers to manage secondary symptoms, there are a variety of other treatment options for a person with Asperger’s Syndrome. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) can be used to help a person with Asperger’s syndrome to better regulate their emotions and impulses in the moment. CBT encourages individuals to evaluate their own perceptions and alter specific behaviors.
Another method of alleviating the symptoms of Asperger’s is social skills training and sensory integration. Therapists use social skills training to help individuals to learn to interact with peers. Most people with Asperger’s do not have problems with verbal communication, rather they may not be able to express their thoughts and feelings appropriately, or recognize the thoughts and feelings of others. Social skills training can help people with Asperger’s recognize their own emotional cues, as well as decode the gestures and figures of speech other use to express their emotions. In addition to social skills training, sensory integration can aid people with Asperger’s to stabilize their senses. They may work with occupational therapy to improve balance, hand-eye coordination, and response to sounds of touch. If a person with Asperger’s is better able to control their senses, they will be better able to regulate their movements and emotional reactions toward them.