Coping With Autistic Children

Autism, a rare and distressing mental disability mostly affecting children, was discovered in the 1940s independently by two physicians - American psychiatrist Leo Kanner and Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger.

Autistic children do not show any physical signs of handicap. Their language skills are limited and they react poorly to any kind of change in their environment or daily routine. However, they are almost always wearing a dreamy expression and not responding to others. Hence the term autism derived from the Greek word autos, meaning "self." A name that befits the most prominent feature of the disorder namely children withdrawing themselves from social interaction.

Spotting autism

Parents need to be very observant of the development of their children. Autism usually becomes apparent before the age of two and a half with behaviors such as the child never looking in the eye but past the shoulder of whoever is speaking to them. As the toddler grows up, they will find that he is unable to participate in any normal social behaviors, often failing to respond at all. They are likely to throw tantrums and screaming fits more than even the most violent normal toddler or banging their head against the wall when being talked to.

Autistic children can also exhibit strange fears for harmless objects such as a box or plate but do not feel anything in time of real danger like in a fire broke-out. There is no refuge from their fears in their imaginations. They may spend long periods of time rooted to the spot, staring at a piece of furniture or they may fiddle endlessly with any object.

One of the strangest manifestations of autism are the ritualistic movements which affected children engage in – grimacing, hopping from one foot to the other or making complex hand movements. Hand-flapping is a common habit, and one that is a reliable indicator of autism; the child holds one or both hands a few inches in front of his face and flaps them vigorously, all the while looking on with rapt concentration.

Children usually begin to have some speech by the age of two but not autistic children. While half of them may never speak, some do develop a particular type of speech pattern known as “echolalia”. This is a situation where the child repeats – usually in a monotone – something he has heard someone else say. Though it seems frustrating for others, this is a stage in learning speech for autistic children, in connecting words and sentences with things and ideas. A similar repeating phenomenon can be observed where the child talks about himself in the third person or by name. As he learns to communicate, an autistic child is unlikely to say very much at all or sometimes come out with inappropriate words and expressions.

How to cope?

Though most autistic children remain handicapped for life, there are at least 20 percent who grow up to lead independent lives. Yet, their socialization efforts are likely to stay awkward. Constructive approach and special education are the best means to support them.

Some countries provide special schools specifically for autistic children and young adults, where they learn social and communication skills as well as taking conventional lessons. Autistic children are not easy to teach, language problem being the main obstacle in their development. Individual learning programmes with emphasis on language better suit them. All those involved in the teaching of an autistic child have to speak simple words, using short sentences, and talk about things rather than abstract ideas. It is also good to remember that they are set in their routines and upsetting them will only limit their concentration.

It is primordial for parents to equally involve themselves closely in the work and techniques of the school. As autistic children are unable to transfer the training they have received in one environment to another, parents should be familiar with the methods used in school; otherwise, their child would not get the full benefit of their special education. Though autistic children have severe perceptual problems, many associated with language, they can, however, show average or better abilities at non-linguistic skills like drawing or playing a musical instrument.

What causes autism?

The exact cause of autism is still being researched. There appears to be some hereditary factor. Research with identical and fraternal twins has confirmed the existence of a genetic factor. Another strong possibility is that autistic children suffer from brain damage. Brain scans have shown that parts of the cerebellum tend to be underdeveloped in many autistic children. The mental retardation that often accompanies autism is also characteristic of some kind of malfunction in the brain.

Further evidence suggests that women who have rubella (German measles) early in pregnancy are ten times more likely to have an autistic child. Early theories suggested that it also resulted from having cold, unfeeling parents but these have been totally discredited nowadays.

Linus Orakles

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