Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
What is autism?
Autism is a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication. Symptoms usually start before age three and can cause delays or problems in many different skills that develop from infancy to adulthood.
Social skills
The way in which a person with an ASD interacts with another individual is quite different. If the symptoms are not severe, the person with ASD may seem socially clumsy, sometimes offensive in their comments, or out of synch with everyone else. If the symptoms are more severe, the person may seem not to be interested in other people at all.
People with autism/ASD make very little eye contact. n many cases, if the symptoms are not severe, the person can be taught that eye contact is important for most people and they remember to look people in the eye.
A person with autism may often miss the cues we give each other when we want to catch somebody's attention. To put it more simply, they lack the necessary playing and talking skills.
“Empathy” - Understanding the feelings of others
A person with autism will find it much harder to understand the feelings of other people. Their ability to instinctively empathize with others is very weak -as a result of frequent practice - empathy does improve, and some of it becomes natural rather than intellectual. Even so, empathy never comes as naturally for a person with autism as it does to others.
Having a conversation with a person with autism may feel very much like a one-way trip. The person with ASD might give the impression that he is talking “at” people, rather than with or to them.
The person with autism will usually talk about himself/herself more than other people
Physical contact
A number of children with an ASD do not like cuddling or being touched like other children do. It is wrong to say that all children with autism are like that. Often it is a question of practice and anticipating that physical contact is going to happen.
Loud noises, some smells, and lights
A person with autism usually finds sudden loud noises unpleasant and quite shocking. The same can happen with some smells and sudden changes in the intensity of lighting and ambient temperature. Many believe it is not so much the actual noise, smell or light, but rather the surprise, and not being able to prepare for it - similar to the response to surprising physical contact.
Speech
The higher the severity of the autism, the more affected are a person's speaking skills. Many children with an ASD do not speak at all. People with autism will often repeat words or phrases they hear - an event called echolalia.
The speech of a person with ASD may sound much more formal and woody, compared to other can sometimes sound like young professors. Their intonation may sound flat.
A child with autism develops differently
for a child with autism. His/her cognitive skills may develop fast, while their social and language skills trail behind. On the other hand, his/her language skills may develop rapidly while their motor skills don't. They may not be able to catch a ball as well as the other children, but could have a much larger vocabulary.
Learning may be unpredictable
How quickly a child with autism learns things can be unpredictable. They may learn something much faster than other children, such as how to read long words, only to forget them completely later on. They may learn how to do something the hard way before they learn how to do it the easy way.
Repetitive behaviors
A person with autism likes predictability. Routine is his/her best friend. Going through the motions again and again is very much part of his/her life.
People without autism are much more adaptable to changes in procedure.For a child with autism a change could completely put him/her out, and they may become very upset.
Physical tics and stimming
It is not uncommon for people with autism to have tics. These are usually physical movements that can be jerky. Some tics can be quite complicated and can go on for a very long time.
Obsessions
People with autism often have obsessions.
What are the treatments for autism?
There is no cure for autism, nor is there one single treatment for autism spectrum disorders. But there are ways to help minimize the symptoms of autism and to maximize learning.
- Behavioral therapy and other therapeutic options
- Behavior management therapy helps to reinforce wanted behaviors, and reduce unwanted behaviors. It is often based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
- Speech-language therapists can help people with autism improve their ability to communicate and interact with others.
- Occupational therapists can help people find ways to adjust tasks to match their needs and abilities.
- Physical therapists design activities and exercise to build motor control and improve posture and balance.
- Educational and/or school-based options
- Public schools are required to provide free, appropriate public education from age 3 through high school or age 21, whichever comes first.
- Typically, a team of people, including the parents, teachers, caregivers, school psychologists, and other child development specialists work together to design an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help guide the child’s school experiences.
- Medication options
- Currently there are no medications that can cure autism spectrum disorders or all of the symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any medications specifically for the treatment of autism, but in many cases medication can treat some of the symptoms associated with autism.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclics, psychoactive/anti-psychotics, stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs are among the medications that a health care provider might use to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorders.
- Secretin—a hormone that helps digestion—is not recommended as a treatment for autism.
