Managing Autism - A Personal View

Autism is steadily increasing as a reality for more and more families, with growing numbers of children being diagnosed with the disorder all the time.  The current figure being around one in every 150 children.

Autism covers a spectrum of conditions (hence the term Autism Spectrum Disorder).  Classic autism is often easy to pick and therefore diagnosed very early, but other types of autism might be harder to pinpoint.  However there are some basic signs that parents can look for during the early years of life if they suspect something might be different with their child.

• The child may display difficulties with behaviors such as eye-to-eye contact, facial expression, body postures, and other gestures required for social interaction.  They may fail to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level and there may be a lack of seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.  The child may also prefer to be alone or may not respond to others emotionally.
• The child may be delayed, or totally lacking in the development of spoken language.  Children who develop adequate speech, may struggle to initiate or sustain a conversation with others.  They may use stereotyped and repetitive language or odd language.  The child may find varied, spontaneous make-believe play difficult (or it may be non-existant) or their social play may be inappropriate to developmental level.
• The child may be totally preoccupied with one or more restricted pattern of interest - the interest would be abnormally intense or focussed.  They may lack interest in the typical things that children their age would likely be involved or interested in.
• The child may have specific routines or rituals and be very inflexible to change (change often resulting in tantrums).
• The child may display repetitive motor mannerisms such as hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements.  They may also display patterned manipulation of toys, or perhaps preoccupation with parts of objects.
• The child may react unusually to stimulus. The reaction could be either overly severe or there may be no reaction at all.
• The older child will generally have a short attention span, and is often uninterested in pleasing the teacher at school.

The degree to which children display the signs outlined vary significantly.  And regardless of when parents notice that a child has some of the signs, it is important to seek help from a medical professional qualified to give a diagnosis.

There are many programs and treatments available that can help autistic children overcome some of the difficulties they face, and the earlier this is noticed and diagnosed the better.  Early diagnosis and treatment will often lead to a happier and healthier lifestyle for all.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 10:46 am and is filed under Autism Spectrum Disorder, Signs of Autism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.