Autism

Description:

Autism is a developmental disability that affects a child’s inability to relate to other people.

In general, children with Autism have problems in three crucial areas of development — social skills, language and behavior. Autism exists on a spectrum, which means that abilities and behaviors of individual children with Autism may widely vary. The most severe (often called profound) range of Autism is marked by a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people.

Because the symptoms of Autism are so varied, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have very different skills.

If a child has Autism, he or she may develop normally for the first few months — or years — of life and then later stop responding to familiar people and places.

The following are examples of common behavioral characteristics of children with Autism:

Little or limited use of eye contact
Use of pointing to people or objects rather than calling them by name
Inability to play with other children when appropriate to their age
Seeing adults as “tools” to getting the thing that they desire rather
failure to develop relationships and play with peers, preferring to play alone, and using peers/adults as “tools” which means only using them to get the object they desire (for example, placing an adult’s hand on a door knob to open the door)
Delay or lack of using words and sentences to communicate
Repeating phrases again and again
Strong need for consistent routines-very inflexible with changes to a daily schedule
Overly preoccupied with a single object or part of an object (for example, wheels on a toy car or every fire hydrant they see outdoors)
Repetitive body movements such flapping their arms or jumping up and down over and over or chewing on a string
Inability to use their imagination
Increased sensitivity to lights, noise, and touch and often may refuse to be touched or hugged

Cause:

Autism has no single cause. The disorder seems to be related to abnormalities in several regions of the brain but much more research is still needed to determine more concrete causes.

Researchers have identified a number of gene defects associated with Autism. Some people believe autism is caused by vaccines — particularly the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR), as well as vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative that contains a very small amount of mercury. It is important to note that no studies have shown a link between vaccines and Autism.

In February, 2007, the Center for Disease Control said that 1 in 150 children are born on the Autism Spectrum. This number is significantly higher than the previous statistic of 1 in 166 children, and research is constantly being conducted to determine why that number is increasing. One thought is that Autism is not more prevalent than it ever was before but that there is much more awareness of the disorder and therefore more children’s behaviors are being considered on the Autism Spectrum. Autism is not believed to be the result of anything the mother did before or during pregnancy.

Treatment:

There is no known cure for Autism. If you believe your child displays similar behaviors to the ones listed above, you should insist that your child have a total evaluation.

The earlier a child with Autism is identified, the better it is for the child to learn ways to communicate and socialize with other children and adults. There is some research that certain diets, vitamins, and other medications may reduce the symptoms, but a complete cure is not known.

A schedule of a child’s day will help he/she become less frustrated when there is a change in routine. For example, you can have pictures on a board of what the child is to do during the day, and always remind them when they are moving to the next part. Warnings and reminders will help the child with Autism in tremendous ways. Also, it is important to find a way that children with Austim can communicate. It may be through pictures. You could perhaps make a board with pictures (communicating yes, no, I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m hurt, etc.), and the child could point to the picture to tell you what they wanted/needed. If the child is unable to point, the adult can take the child’s hand and point it to the picture. This will hopefully begin to teach them the skills of basic communication. You can also “talk” for the child and say “I am hungry”, and then give them something to eat. This can also begin to teach them to “speak” of their wants/needs. You can also teach the child how to appropriately act in social situations.

Treatment will be varied according to each child with Autism, because no two children/symptoms are the same. A child won't "outgrow" Autism. But he or she can learn to function within the confines of the disorder, especially if treatment begins early. Preschool (before the age of 5) children who receive intensive, individualized behavioral interventions show good progress.

Prevention:

There is no known method of prevention.

Children with Autism CAN:

Have something in their daily routine that brings them joy and happiness and they can also bring joy and happiness into the lives of others!


	About Kupenda Children Ways to Contribute Photo Gallery News & Events Disabilities Schools Children in need of sponsorship Success Stories Clubfoot Microcephalus Hydrocephalus Epilepsy Autism Down syndrome Visual Impairment Effects of Polio Spina Bifida Deformed or Missing Limbs Deafness Cerebral Palsy Hip dysplasia Autism Description: Autism is a developmental disability that affects a child’s inability to relate to other people. In general, children with Autism have problems in three crucial areas of development — social skills, language and behavior. Autism exists on a spectrum, which means that abilities and behaviors of individual children with Autism may widely vary. The most severe (often called profound) range of Autism is marked by a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people. Because the symptoms of Autism are so varied, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have very different skills. If a child has Autism, he or she may develop normally for the first few months — or years — of life and then later stop responding to familiar people and places. The following are examples of common behavioral characteristics of children with Autism: Little or limited use of eye contact Use of pointing to people or objects rather than calling them by name Inability to play with other children when appropriate to their age Seeing adults as “tools” to getting the thing that they desire rather failure to develop relationships and play with peers, preferring to play alone, and using peers/adults as “tools” which means only using them to get the object they desire (for example, placing an adult’s hand on a door knob to open the door) Delay or lack of using words and sentences to communicate Repeating phrases again and again Strong need for consistent routines-very inflexible with changes to a daily schedule Overly preoccupied with a single object or part of an object (for example, wheels on a toy car or every fire hydrant they see outdoors) Repetitive body movements such flapping their arms or jumping up and down over and over or chewing on a string Inability to use their imagination Increased sensitivity to lights, noise, and touch and often may refuse to be touched or hugged Cause: Autism has no single cause. The disorder seems to be related to abnormalities in several regions of the brain but much more research is still needed to determine more concrete causes. Researchers have identified a number of gene defects associated with Autism. Some people believe autism is caused by vaccines — particularly the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR), as well as vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative that contains a very small amount of mercury. It is important to note that no studies have shown a link between vaccines and Autism. In February, 2007, the Center for Disease Control said that 1 in 150 children are born on the Autism Spectrum. This number is significantly higher than the previous statistic of 1 in 166 children, and research is constantly being conducted to determine why that number is increasing. One thought is that Autism is not more prevalent than it ever was before but that there is much more awareness of the disorder and therefore more children’s behaviors are being considered on the Autism Spectrum. Autism is not believed to be the result of anything the mother did before or during pregnancy. Treatment: There is no known cure for Autism. If you believe your child displays similar behaviors to the ones listed above, you should insist that your child have a total evaluation. The earlier a child with Autism is identified, the better it is for the child to learn ways to communicate and socialize with other children and adults. There is some research that certain diets, vitamins, and other medications may reduce the symptoms, but a complete cure is not known. A schedule of a child’s day will help he/she become less frustrated when there is a change in routine. For example, you can have pictures on a board of what the child is to do during the day, and always remind them when they are moving to the next part. Warnings and reminders will help the child with Autism in tremendous ways. Also, it is important to find a way that children with Austim can communicate. It may be through pictures. You could perhaps make a board with pictures (communicating yes, no, I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m hurt, etc.), and the child could point to the picture to tell you what they wanted/needed. If the child is unable to point, the adult can take the child’s hand and point it to the picture. This will hopefully begin to teach them the skills of basic communication. You can also “talk” for the child and say “I am hungry”, and then give them something to eat. This can also begin to teach them to “speak” of their wants/needs. You can also teach the child how to appropriately act in social situations. Treatment will be varied according to each child with Autism, because no two children/symptoms are the same. A child won't "outgrow" Autism. But he or she can learn to function within the confines of the disorder, especially if treatment begins early. Preschool (before the age of 5) children who receive intensive, individualized behavioral interventions show good progress. Prevention: There is no known method of prevention. Children with Autism CAN: Have something in their daily routine that brings them joy and happiness and they can also bring joy and happiness into the lives of others!