Many parents struggle to understand what it means to have a child with Autism and cope with the diagnosis. Autism is a developmental disorder that impacts young children, specifically when engaging in social settings. There are different ranges of the condition ranging from mild to severe. It can be a challenge to recognize mild cases of Autism and incorrectly assume that the child lacks disinterested or is being problematic or merely a slow starter.
Many individuals with ASD struggle to develop communication skills, engage with others, and demonstrate proper emotional responses and control. The symptoms experienced by individuals fraught with ASD are persistent and impede them from engaging with others and learning in a regular classroom setting, especially if they struggle with emotional responses. Here are some of the symptoms:
- When it comes to social settings such as school or outside the home, individuals struggle to engage in emotional reciprocity that is typical. For instance, if a child is playing with others, there may be a struggle to have mimic proper social responses, such as laughing or joy. Instead, they may appear disconnected and emotionally separate.
- There is a tendency to lack nonverbal communication skills; This means that there is no proper eye contact or body language that reveals engagement. For instance, if a person is involved in a conversation with a group of friends, the person with autism spectrum may appear disinterested and almost like they are not part of the group due to their body language
- There is an inability to develop healthy and mutual relationships with others. There is a certain level of disconnect in their relationships due to a lack of emotional reciprocity, which gives others the impression they are not interested in being friends or being bothered
- Individuals with ASD often display repetitive patterns and behaviors; for instance, they may insist on keeping a particular order to things, things lined up or not altered; otherwise, they will react with intensity if the order is disturbed.
- There is a lot of focus on repetitive motor movements, which means they may engage in behaviors in which they may do the same thing repeatedly. They can repetitively flap their arms, walk on their toes or suddenly freeze in place; movements range from subtle to extreme.
- They prefer familiar things rather than surprises and have fixated ideas that tend to be intense
- Hypersensitive to sensory input or odd reactions to sensory experiences.
Many of the symptoms may show up periodically, depending upon what triggers them. A sudden change, someone new, or a disruption in their sequence of things can set them off. They can be high functioning in areas they find enjoyable, such as numbers, symbols, and science topics. Usually, when they like a topic, they tend to become obsessed with learning all there is to know concerning the specific subject.
The first signs of ASD can appear in infants as young as 18 months, who may have gone through development stages normally yet suddenly started displaying changes; For instance, a typically engaging toddler becomes quiet, withdrawn, and non-responsive to social overtures.
Though a diagnosis during the early years, clinicians rely on specific behavior patterns before determining if a child has ASD. Typically for a diagnosis to be made, there have to be symptoms in communication skills, social engagement, or patterns of restrictive behaviors, usually around the age of 3.
Treatment
Treatment involves early intervention, which addresses the deficits in learning, attention, improving the language, and adjustment skills. Parents are encouraged to work closely with a specialist in identifying the specific areas impacting the child since the severity ranges from case to case. Many of the types of therapies focus on managing behavior and improving communication and social skills and physical therapy when applicable. Medication is given mostly for severe cases, and when there are secondary issues.
Family and the ASD family member
Life with an ASD person can be challenging, specifically if the parents have no idea what is going on. It is essential that parents who suspect or know about their young’s potential status seek proper support and become informed on all available areas. For caretakers of children with special needs, they need all the assistance and guidance available for themselves and their child.
Note: Regardless of how many articles or blogs you have read, please seek professional help for additional guidance. I know many individuals do not want professionals to medicate their kids, so they usually fear what will happen, which I understand. However, behavioral techniques are the primary goal of working with children who have ASD, while the medication is secondary
Copyright© 2021 R. Castro
Reference
https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-diagnosis-criteria-dsm-5
Aspergers Syndrome: https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome#1
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html
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