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What
is Autism?
Autism
is a biological disorder that impairs communication and social skills.
It encompasses a broad spectrum of disorders that may range from
mild to severe. Autistics have been described as being in their
"own world". There may be serious sensory challenges that
accompany autism that must be understood to fully comprehend the
disorder. Some of the markers are as follows:
Absence
or delay of speech and language:
-
Repetition
of words (echolalia) in place of a normal verbal communication.
-
Hand
leading to communicate in place of verbal requests.
-
Absence
of verbal communication.
Difficulty
relating to other children and adults:
-
Absence
of eye contact. (When directly in front of the child, they may
look in every direction, except at the individual in from of
them).
-
Apparent
aloofness.
-
Lack
of interest in other children and what the other children are
doing.
-
Lack
of response to verbal requests.
-
No
response when name is called.
-
Avoidance
of physical contact (even with parents and siblings).
-
Indifference
to others in distress or pain.
Atypical
behaviors:
-
Self-stimulation,
spinning, rocking, hand flapping, etc..
-
Inappropriate
laughter or tantrums for no apparent reason.
-
Inappropriate
attachment to objects.
-
Obsessive-compulsive
behaviors i.e. lining up objects.
-
Repetitive
odd play for extended periods of time. Example: stacking blocks
for a half-hour at a time.
-
Insistence
on routine and sameness. Difficulty dealing with interruption
of routine schedule and change.
-
Possible
self-injurious behavior or aggressive behavior toward others.
Sensory
Challenges:
-
Hyper
(over) or Hypo (under) sensitivity of the five senses (See the
discussion below)
-
Abnormal
responses to the senses.
-
A
lack of response to pain or an over-reaction to something seemingly
minor such as a door closing
There
is Hope!
If
you are the parent of a newly diagnosed child or a doctor, therapist,
educator learning about autism for the first time, please continue.
Autism is a spectrum disorder. On one side of the spectrum there
are individuals who are mildly effected, who hold jobs and have
families. There are Ph.D.s and college graduates. There are probably
that individuals you work or go to school with that are autistic
and you don’t even know it. In between, there is a broad range
of people.
Today, there are many more treatments and therapies available than
there were ten years ago. Keep in mind, that while all of these
therapies work for some people, none of them work for everyone.
Many individuals have progressed far enough to be considered "mainstream".
There are many dedicated parents, doctors, researchers and educators
working hard every day with the common goal to find a cause and
cure. Work hard yourself and demand others work hard on behalf of
your loved one. There is hope. The hard work and energy will pay
off with tangible progress. All progress is worthwhile and important.
If you were in your child’s shoes, you would certainly want
everyone working hard on your behalf!
Believe in your child
Expect Success
Educate Yourself
Never! Never! Never give up!
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