Facts About Autism

Symptoms of Autism usually present during the first year and a half of a child's life.

Early diagnosis of autism can make a dramatic difference with the outcome of the child's success. Although Autism does not typically show up until at least 14 months of age there are some earlier warning signs that can act as red flags to watch for.

All of these signs and symptoms may be indicative of several disorders so it is important to get your child properly evaluated by a healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

The head growth in children with Autism seems to increase exponentially in the first twelve months. When you have your baby evaluated at their clinic appointments, if they do not do so, ask them to measure the circumference of the child's head and have it plotted on the growth chart so that you can see exactly where your child is in proportion with other children's expected growth.

If your baby is still having trouble sitting up at 10-12 months and has a tendency to tip or not put their hands out to catch themselves as they fall forward then you may want to mention that at your Doctors visit.

Autistic children generally develop otherwise just like other children, then somewhere between 14 months and 3 years they start to regress.

Autistic children usually have problems in the following areas:

Communication

A number of children with Autism lose any speech that they have already developed since birth. Others speech becomes repetitive and rather than have an actual conversation, as much as a child will, they will repeat things they have heard or repeat the same words over and over again. They may also develop echolalia which basically means that the last thing that you say is what they will answer. For example if you ask if they want a hamburger or a hot dog they will say hot dog and if it was the hamburger that they really wanted they will become upset that you misunderstood them. They also have difficulty with non-verbal communication as in reading facial expressions and have difficulty understanding humor or sarcasm.

Social Interaction

Usually Autistic children withdraw. They have difficulty making or maintaining friendships. They lose eye contact. They are happier keeping to themselves and appear uncomfortable in large settings of people. They are unwilling to be touched or held and will pull away when you try.

Unusual Way Of Playing

The Autistic child sees play objects in a different way and will use them differently than another child. They may like cars but will spin the wheels over and over again for hours. They have a tendency to organize objects and will spend hours lining them up and placing them in an order known just to them. Sometimes it is obvious to the casual observer but oftentimes not.

The child with Autism plays solitarily unless they are needing another person to use as an object e.g. they will sit on your lap at the table if they know that they need to be higher up on the chair to reach it. At these times they will simply back up and climb as they would an object.

Autistic children may engage in repetitive movements such as flapping of their hands or wriggling their fingers in front of their eyes.

They like a routine and will get upset if something is moved or if there is a change in the way things are usually done.

Note well, however, that these are just warning signs and a proper evaluation by a physician or psychologist is important to determine if it is truly Autism or another disorder.

It is also well to note that Autism is a Spectrum Disorder meaning that there can be a very large scale difference between one Autistic child and another.

Early intervention is important when dealing with this spectrum, the success of the child depends on it.

Autism is on the rise. This is an undisputed fact. If 1 in 150 children are currently developing Autism annually, then that is 1 too many. It is, quite frankly, a horrible debilitating condition. Not just for the Autistic child, but devastating for the entire family. It requires adjustment from all members of the family as all aspects of everyone's lives will undergo a massive upheaval.

The cost of raising a child with Autism is astronomical. ABA treatments average around 100,000 dollars per annum. The major insurance companies baulk at paying to help recover the Autistic child so parents are looking at being out of pocket at about 50,000 dollars. Even in a well paid two income family, this is still high. And notice I said major insurance companies. Some families with Autistic children are having to fight to obtain simple coverage for their impaired child, never mind attempting to get the insurance companies to pay for recognised treatments.

In a lot of families, it is impossible to have two parents working. One may have to give up their position to stay at home and look after the child. Autistic children require a lot of time and attention. Safety is a big issue and their homes may have to be reorganised to accomodate the different Autistic behaviours that the child may exhibit.

If the family chooses to go the Alternative Medicine route, all of this will have to be paid out of pocket as if it is not recognized by the Medical world, then it is not an accepted practice. Currently, you would be hard pressed to find a physician to acknowledge that there are any treatments for Autism that don't involve medicating to control Autistic behaviours.

Other siblings may need to adjust to the amount of time required to care for the Autistic child and the fact that sometimes they are unable to do things or go on outings due to the fact that their Autistic brother or sister would not be able to handle it can lead to a bit of resentment. Also due to some Autistic behaviours, unfortunately despite parents best attempts to prevent it, some articles precious to the unaffected child may get destroyed or ruined.

It leads to little time off for the parent of an Autistic child. Their caregivers need to be specialized and a lot of times very familiar with the child to understand their non verbal cues. Approximately 40-50% of Autistic children will never speak. This leads to a great deal of frustration in a child with Autism. A caregiver or parent who is tuned into the child is able to alleviate this by having more of an idea what it is the child is asking for when they indicate. This means that in a two parent family, the parents often take turns in staying with the child thereby leaving little time for them as a couple.

In a home where there is only one parent it is both exhausting and socially isolating. Sometimes it is next to impossible for the child with Autism to go out. They don't respond to a change in routine, loud noises or a lot of people can set off an Autistic behaviour such as screaming and/or flapping. Also, although the public awareness of Autism has been increasing of late, there are still people who will look at you in the store and tell you to "control your child" when they are absolutely having a lay down on the floor, kicking, screaming and flailing meltdown because the lights in the store are too bright. Good luck there.

A lot of changes do have to be made. Some actually for the better. It can make the family unit stronger. It can enable you to raise siblings of Autistic children to be compassionate, kinder, more well-rounded individuals. It can introduce you to the other side of the coin and you can become more patient and tolerant of people and families with disabilities.

It may also make you as a person more vocal to advocate for families with Autistic children so they do recieve some kind of financial aid and the medical world does start to recognize more Alternative forms of healing for the child with Autism thereby making insurance companies responsible, at least in part for payment.

A lot of changes are going to have to be made not just to the family with the Autistic child, but, to the community and the world at large. If the rate of Autism is at 1 in 150 children currently, who knows what it will have risen to next year

Oftentimes it is true that the child that makes the most noise, gets the most attention. This is true in a lot of families and moreso in families with children with Autism. Autistic children also require a lot more time and attention. In a family with more than one autistic child, it is doubly so. This could lead to a greater risk of sibling rivalry. Not for the challenges usually associated with these words but for attention. With the care that Autistic children need, it would be easy for the unaffected child in the family to get a little lost in the shuffle.

Over time, this could lead to the unaffected child feeling resentful of their Autistic siblings and to begin a little attention getting of their own or behaviors.

In time, the stress involved with this internal family conflict could lead to a rift that may take a lifetime to heal. There are several methods to deal with this potential problem before it gets out of hand.

Each Autistic child is different and each regular child is different and therefore the way that you would handle each child is going to depend on their age and personality.

Time needs to be set aside for the sibling of an Autistic child.

Their "alone" time with their parents.

You may need to hire a caregiver or find a friend or family member to watch over the Autistic child during this time.

The unaffected sibling needs assurance that although their brother or sister gets most of the attention, that they are going to get a share.

It important that you keep your appointment with the child.

The outing doesn't have to be anything spectacular, just something that the two of you can share. It can be done with one parent at a time or with both.

It is by doing this that you are demonstrating that no matter how busy or hectic things are at home, that he or she is just as important to you.

Another simple way of reassuring the child is to tell them that you love them. Three little words that mean a lot, but that children need to hear.

A special touch or hug that the two of you can share to let them know that you do think about them.

The occasional note under their pillow or in their lunchbox to assure them that even when they are not with you, they are in your thoughts.

These things take but a moment of your time but could mean the world to a child who already feels that they have so little of your time.

Another thing that you can do if your children are of school age is to ensure that the work that they bring home from school is not destroyed by their Autistic sibling.

Unfortunately, due to the behaviours that some children with Autism have, some artwork especially is attractive to them and it may get ruined.

Make sure that you do have a special place that it can be put where it is out of harms reach.

The other thing that you can do is obviously talk to them about Autism in an age appropriate manner. Explain as best you can why their brother or sister does the things that they do. Encourage them to be open about their feelings.

It is okay to dislike something that the Autistic child does, but that doesn't mean that they have to dislike the Autistic child.

Encourage participation in the fun things that the family can do as a unit. If the child with Autism is unable to handle outings, have a picnic complete with cloth and picnic basket on the lawn in the backyard.

Be creative.

By showing the sibling of a child with Autism that the family is important and by having them understand that their status in the family unit is by no means undermined by the fact that you need to spend more time with their siblings, the stronger and more secure the child will become. And the less resentful.

This is extremely important. The sibling of a child with Autism will quite possibly become the decision maker for that Autistic child at some stage in the future.

Donna Mason has been a Registered Nurse for the past 16 years. She is the mother of 6 children, 3 of whom have varying degrees of Autism. For more information on Autism signs and symptoms, and to learn more about this mother's battle in the fight against this misunderstood condition, visit us on the web at: http://www.autisticadventures.blogspot.com/