Living With Autism

AUTISM comes from a Greek word meaning ‘inward-looking’ or ‘self-observing’. Having a child diagnosed as autistic can be...

AUTISM comes from a Greek word meaning ‘inward-looking’ or ‘self-observing’. Having a child diagnosed as autistic can be a traumatic experience for parents, but doctors say behavioural therapies by trained people can help, whatever be the degree of autism. However, the core feature of autism will remain lifelong.

What is autism?
In lay terms, autism is a neurological disorder that affects the way a child reacts to people and environment, learns language and communicates needs. The WHO puts the occurrence of autism at one out of 10,000. The disorder is four times more common in boys than in girls. Autism runs in families, but we still don’t know why one child of a family can be more severely autistic than others.

How early can autism be diagnosed?
The characteristics of autism are generally apparent by the time a child is nine or 10 months old, but they can be clinically diagnosed only by the age of two or three.

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What are the signs of autism?
Merry Barua, director of Action for Autism, an NGO, has the following guidelines for parents. An autistic child

• is unwilling to make eye contact or respond to names
• is difficult to soothe
• does not point out things by the age of 15-18 months
• has a problem interacting with peers and adults
• shows a distinct preference for repetitive behaviour
• faces sleep and eating problems
• is poor at pretend-play and lacks imagination
• is unable to express pain or hurt
• is deficient in language and communication skills.

How can parents help an autistic child?
‘‘In the first place, they need to know what autism is. Parents can be trained to deal with an autistic child. Their needs are different and so are their capabilities and learning styles,’’ says Barua.

What does an autistic child need?
Dr Ish Anand, neurologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, says that an autistic child needs:

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• A universally understood communication system
• A sound behaviour management plan
• A structured daily life routine
• A trained person who knows the child’s functions
Consistency in the manner caregivers talk
• Interaction with children without autism

But autistic children are not stupid, are they?
‘‘About 15 per cent of autistic children have normal IQ, while 70 per cent could have low IQ,’’ says Dr Anand. If defined by an educator, autism would be termed a learning disability. Autistic children are visual rather than auditory learners. They have good rote memory, and can remember places, people and objects. They are very methodical and organised with mechanical things.

What is the treatment for autism?
More than medicinal treatment, autistics need behavioural therapy. Some of the several schools of thought:

Option Method: The philosophy of this school is that one needs to accept the child with his autism, rather than change him. It suggests that the child be given options.

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Higashi Method: This school regards autism as a motor disorder and recommends intense physical exercise for the child. Instead of individualised educational programming, a group is responsible for modifying behaviour.

Sensory Integration Therapy: This is based on the premise that the brain is a ‘self-organising system’. Treatment is based on purposeful movement that causes the individual to respond adaptively and requires a response that is more mature than the previous one.

EXCLUSIVE: EC brings in feature to check misuse of identity to seek voter list deletions

Political Pulse2 hr ago

The Election Commission has launched a new 'e-sign' feature on its portal and app to prevent fraud. This comes after allegations of misuse of online voter deletion forms in Karnataka. The feature requires voters to verify their identity using their Aadhaar-linked phone numbers, reducing the possibility of fraud.

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