ASD and brain plasticity: why neurobiological treatment can make a difference

Beyond the behavioural approach: the brain in ASD

For decades, the most widely used interventions in autism spectrum disorder have been based on modifying observable behaviour: reducing problem behaviours, teaching social skills through reinforcement, structuring the environment to reduce sensory overload. These approaches have helped many people, but they have a limit: they work on the symptoms without directly addressing the neurobiological basis that produces them.

The neurobiological approach starts from a different premise: if ASD originates in differences in brain connectivity —in the way the various regions of the brain communicate with each other— then working directly on that connectivity, by stimulating neural plasticity, can change the functional manifestations of ASD in ways that behavioural approaches alone do not reach.

What do we know about the brain in ASD?

Neuroscience research into ASD has advanced enormously over the past twenty years. Some of the most relevant findings are:

• Altered functional connectivity: people with ASD show atypical patterns of connection between brain regions. In some cases there is local hyperconnectivity (excessive connections within a single region) and long-range hypoconnectivity (insufficient connections between distant regions).
• Differences in sensory processing: the sensory integration areas process information differently, which explains hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to sensory stimuli.
• Changes in the mirror neuron systems: involved in imitation, empathy and understanding the intentions of others.
• Imbalances in neuronal excitability: in some subtypes of ASD there is an imbalance between the neuronal excitation and inhibition systems, which affects how information is processed.

These findings do not describe a «broken» brain but a brain organised differently. And brain plasticity —the brain's capacity to reorganise itself— remains functional in people with ASD, which opens the door to interventions that work directly on that organisation.

What is neurobiological treatment for ASD?

Neurobiological treatment for ASD is an approach that combines interventions on the nervous system with functional therapies, with the aim of improving brain connectivity and translating that improvement into concrete functional gains in communication, independence and emotional regulation.

The main components can include:

• Neurostimulation: techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which act on the excitability of specific brain regions. Studies published in journals such as Brain Stimulation and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders have shown promising results in improving communication and reducing repetitive behaviours.
• Multisensory stimulation: interventions that work on sensory integration from a neurobiological basis, not just adapting the environment but training the brain's sensory processing.
• Neurological speech therapy: focused not only on functional speech but on the brain mechanisms of language processing.
• Neurologically based occupational therapy: working on independence from an understanding of how the nervous system regulates movement, attention and motor planning.
• Work on emotional regulation: from a model that understands the emotional difficulties of ASD as an expression of atypical neurobiological regulation, not merely as learned behaviour.

Who can this approach help?

Neurobiological treatment for ASD can be particularly relevant in cases where:

• Behavioural or educational therapies have been applied for years without producing the expected progress.
• Functional difficulties are significant in areas such as communication, independence or emotional regulation, and do not respond adequately to conventional treatment.
• There is a particular neurological profile (associated epilepsy, altered muscle tone, motor difficulties) suggesting a more complex neurobiological basis.
• The family is looking for an approach that complements the usual therapies with a more brain-centred perspective.

It is not a suitable approach for every ASD profile, nor does it replace the educational and behavioural interventions that remain essential. It is a complement that can make the difference in specific cases.

ASD treatment at Foltra

At Centro Sanitario Foltra we take a neurobiological approach to treating ASD, combining neurostimulation with functional therapies (speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychomotor therapy) in a plan tailored to each person. We treat children, adolescents and young adults, at every point on the spectrum.

If you want to know whether this approach might suit your case, you can look at our section on ASD treatment at Foltra, or request an initial assessment.