Understanding Autism & Education - Part 2
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What is Autism?
Since April is Autism Awareness month, I’d like to continue this series by telling you about autism, what it is and some of the signs and symptoms. Later in the series, I’ll be bringing you the latest research on some of the possible causes, and, importantly, how to combat autism.
Autism is a neurological disorder that seems to emphasize deficiencies in THREE MAJOR AREAS:
- FIRST: Even though children with autism usually have perfect hearing, they don’t seem to understand common words, or communicate effectively. In other words, there is good hearing but poor understanding and communication.
For example, an autistic child may repeat words over and over (echoing) but have no concept of their meaning. There is NO attempt to communicate with language. - SECOND: Social skills are delayed in autistic children and, sometimes, are never developed. Unlike the typical non-autistic child, they seem uninterested in other children, may have very limited eye contact with anyone, and often don’t utilize imitative play skills.
One example is of a toddler who does not play peek-a-boo when you go through the actions.
One interesting clue is when a child doesn’t point to objects of interest and cannot follow another’s point. - THIRD: There are several unusual behaviors that are associated with autism:
- Continuous repetitive play
- hand flapping
- body rocking
- finger posturing
- toe walking
- lining up or repetitively stacking toys or objects
- sniffing or mouthing objects
- aversion to certain textures e.g. sand
- repetitive nonfunctional routines or behavior patterns that are firmly entrenched
The American Psychiatric Association suggest that some form of this group, or ‘constellation’ of behaviors is present by age 3. Sometimes the child will have started to develop along normal lines and then a regression of words and behaviors seems to occur. The child may stop saying “mama” when looking at their mother, or waving “bye bye” when someone leaves. It’s as if the skills are LOST.
While autism is tricky to diagnose, it is generally the parents and family who first suspect that something is wrong. And, the most reassuring thing about autism is that intervention is helpful.
TOMORROW: Assessing for Autism
Brennan
Filed under: Education News
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