What is autism?
Welcome to the Autism Community and thank you for taking the time to find out about our magnificent population.
Autism should be known as a social and sensory different-ability, as that’s where the majority of our population’s challenges become evident.
Autism is a spectrum of different orders and can reliably be diagnosed by the age of 3. Some children are being diagnosed as early as 18 months. Parents are the first detectors of what’s different with their child and are the first to suspect that “something is not quite right.” Some doctors may dismiss parent’s concerns or symptoms of ASD thinking a child will “catch up” and may advise parents to take a “wait and see” approach. Some doctors are advising parents that diagnosing a child around the age of 2.5 years old is still too early. We disagree. Getting a diagnosis early on is beneficial in that it helps the parents make sense of what they are living with. Getting an early diagnosis is also a good indication for parents to know where to look for help with their child.
Research is now showing what parents have always known – if parents suspect something they are usually correct. If you have concerns about your child’s development, persist until someone listens to you and always listen to your intuition. Speak to your doctor. Find out about getting your child screened for autism. Don’t wait.
Once diagnosed, early intervention is the next step. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier the interventions and therapies can begin. Effective programs focus on the development of sensory, social, cognitive and communication skills.
We are often asked by newly-diagnosed parents or others just “what is autism.”
Autism is a lifelong, neurological and developmental disability which affects patterns of development, NOT the ability to learn. Autism affects a person’s ability to communicate, understand language, play and socially interact with others. (Dr. Liso, Johns Hopkins University, Clinical Consultant to Autism Action South Africa.)
Our children are visual concrete learners. That means that they process information in a visual manner. Think of their brains as being a hard drive where all sorts of images are stored. For example, when you show a child with autism the picture of an apple and ask them what it is, if they’ve seen it before, this is how they process the information. When you say “apple” to a child with autism, the computer (their brain) goes and retrieves a picture of the word “apple” instead of the word “apple.” Then the image registers, the brain translates the word from picture to letters and the child then says “apple” or, if nonverbal, the child points to the picture of another apple. Therefore, there will be a delay in answering any question. Our children are not slow. They process information retrieval and expression differently. Slow does not mean stupid. Allow for this processing of information before putting too many demands on a child with autism when waiting for an answer.
If the child with autism does not know what an apple is, then allow for some time for the brain to “write” this image into the child’s memory and for the processing of the information.
When this processing delay presents, parents and teachers often ask or assume that the child acts as if he/she is deaf or wonder why the child takes so long to answer, and it may also seem as if the child is not paying attention. Always be cognizant of the processing time needed for any request and prepare to be amazed at their retention. Most of our kids have near photographic memories!
Therefore our children need visual aids when learning. Their visual concrete skills are much stronger than their auditory abstract skills and when they seem a bit slower to process information, remember, their hard drive is retrieving the image they’re processing. That’s why it often appears as if our children are not listening to us and in the classroom or at home. Given the above, one can appreciate how this can present as a barrier to learning in the child with autism when compared to the way a non-ASD or neurotypical (NT) child learns.
Children with autism have a host of sensory challenges. One child may be bothered by the smells in a room, another child may be bothered by the sounds in the room, another child may be bothered by artificial light. Another child doesn’t like the texture of the foods in their mouth. Another child may not like hugs, tickles, or to be touched in any unexpected manner. Another child may hate the sound of the dishwasher, the vacuum cleaner and the hair dryer. Another child may be horribly bothered by the texture of certain clothing and shoes they have to wear. The seams in their socks may be such a distraction that until that child’s socks are off their feet they just cannot pay attention to anything else. And yet another child may be bothered by all of the above in one morning! I have read that certain noises can be as horrible to a child with autism as it is for us to have a dentist’s drill hit a nerve!
Social skills are another area where our children are extremely challenged. Nonverbal expressions such as shaking one’s head, shrugging shoulders, giving a look of disapproval or even a friendly smile may be extremely difficult for a child with autism to decipher. Turn taking, sharing, expressing a desire to join in, knowing the “playground rules” and what constitutes acceptable social behaviour in any situation are a HUGE challenge for a child with autism. I’ve been told that trying to figure out the social rules, boundaries and norms are as difficult to a person with autism as one of us trying to solve a Rubric’s cube with our eyes closed. Try it and see what we mean!
: Imagine for a minute if we told you about a certain group of people whose culture did not practice eye contact when communicating. We informed you on their cultures norms and practices when communicating with them. Of course we would make every attempt to find out how to communicate with this culture because we did not want to be offensive or appear ignorant. This is what we are asking you to do when individuals with autism choose not to make eye contact. It is their choice. They know what their sensory needs are and what they can and cannot handle. Respect their culture. Respect their boundaries. Respect their intelligence. Respect their needs. Learn to communicate with them on their terms, not on the need to fulfill our individual ideas of what acceptable social contact should “look like.” (READ MORE)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) is the official manual used by physicians and mental health professionals for diagnosing children on the Autism Spectrum.
The DSM-IV-TR lists these five subcategories of diagnosis:
- Autistic Disorder
- Aspergers Disorder
- Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
- Rett’s Disorder
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
1. Autistic Disorder:
Also known as “Kanner’s Syndrome” or “Infantile Autism”, or “Classic Autism”, mostly referred to as just “autism”. (READ MORE)
2. Asperger’s Syndrome:
Named after Hans Asperger, the Viennese physician who, the in the 1940s, studied a group of children similar to the group that Leo Kanner had described as autistic.
Asperger’s (AS) is a relatively new diagnosis and was not added to the DSM-IV until its 1994 revision. (READ MORE)
3. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
CDD was first described in 1908 by Theodore Heller and is still sometimes referred to as Heller’s Syndrome. CDD occurs more often in boys than in girls. CDD is very rare and it is estimated to be at 100 times less common than autism. CDD usually presents between three and five years of age. (READ MORE)
4. Rett’s Disorder
Rett’s Disorder was named after Dr. Andreas Rett who described the condition in 1966. Rett’s is a very rare genetic disorder that occurs in 1:10,000 to 1:23,000 female births worldwide. Unlike most other autism diagnoses, Rett’s is almost exclusively seen in girls. (READ MORE)
5. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Not Otherwise Specified) PDD-NOS
PDD-NOS is also referred to as atypical autism or atypical PDD.
A diagnosis of PDD-NOS means that a chld shows some, but not all, of the criteria for Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s or Childood Disintegrative Disorder. (READ MORE)
WHAT ELSE TO CONSIDER:
KNOWING YOUR CHILD’S SENSORY PROFILE:
Autism is often referred to as the “triad of impairments” namely, delayed language, repetitive behaviours and unusual playing skills. We also believe that Sensory Integration should be included on the list of impairments.
What is the sensory connection to Autism? (READ MORE)
INDIVIDUAL PRIORITIES:
Any successful program that addresses autism should take into account each family’s individual priorities and goals for their situation. Parents need to be very wary of a “one size fits all” approach when treating autism. (READ MORE)
THE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN:
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) must be drawn up for each child before starting on any program. Very briefly, an IEP is the “roadmap” of goals and priorities that the child’s therapy team and the parents agree to when beginning any program of instruction for a child with autism. The parents of a child with autism should always be consulted before any IEP is drawn up. (READ MORE)
THE BIOMEDICAL APPROACH
Many parents have asked us about the biomedical approach to autism. Our advice is first to get their child tested to see if there is a wheat, dairy or any other food intolerance before embarking on any specialized diet. (READ MORE)
Autism is not devastating as some people would like you to believe. Children with who have been diagnosed with autism need to be celebrated and appreciated for their uniqueness and their different-ability. After the diagnosis has been made, the child’s parents have to decide how they are going to view and embrace their child’s different-ability. Parents who maintain a positive attitude and outlook regarding autism are able to weather the challenges that autism presents better than those who have a negative image of autism. Raising a child with autism requires super parenting skills. Our children come with many gifts and talents which makes them so totally unique. Parental involvement in every step of everything our children do will yield fascinating and very gratifying results. Watch the magic unfold and stay positive! |
