Do you know what Autism is?

April is Autism Awareness Month. 

My son has autism; he is on the spectrum and also has a diagnosis of hyperactivity. He is what is considered a high functioning child; whatever that means to you, it probably means something else to another person.  For most people, their ideas about autism are based on the movie “Rain Man” – this was a movie staring Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant and his brother played by Tom Cruise.  The movie was loosely based on a man by the name of Kim Parks who was a true savant. I urge you to click on Kim’s name to see who he really is.

What is a Savant? Autistic savant: A person with autism who is exceptionally gifted in a specialized field. That field may, for example, be mathematics. The autistic savant may be able to do rapid, complex mental calculations. Or the field may be music. The autistic savant may be able to perform an entire piece of music after hearing it only once. It is said that only 10% of people with Autism will be a Savant.

Autism is known as a Spectrum Disorder for a reason, as there is a wide range of what it means to have Autism. The definition of autism is as follows: Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).   Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.  Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS).  Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism.  Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

What are some common signs of autism? There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism.    Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.  These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction.  Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child.  As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time.  A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.  Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people.  They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don’t watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior.  They lack empathy. 
Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging.  They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.”  Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children.  Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.  Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation.  These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.    Children with autism appear to have a higher than normal risk for certain co-existing conditions, including fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis (in which tumors grow on the brain), epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder.  For reasons that are still unclear, about 20 to 30 percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.  While people with schizophrenia may show some autistic-like behavior, their symptoms usually do not appear until the late teens or early adulthood.  Most people with schizophrenia also have hallucinations and delusions, which are not found in autism”

As I mentioned in the first part of this article, people have a very definite idea of what a child with autism looks like, how they behave, even how they interact with other people.  Autism is a complex neurological disorder and no two children are alike, although all these children tend to share certain communalities.  Whenever it is said “he/she doesn’t look like they have autism” you have to ask the question “exactly what does autism look like?” Some children do resist all and any interaction with other people, other’s (see Kim Parks) enjoy interactions with other humans, they may not interact with the same social awareness or cues that a neuro-typical person does, but its often a misnomer to believe there is no communication or a desire to communicate. The internet is full of information on Autism, some great sites to visit are Autism Speaks, National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Autism Association.  Autism is affecting millions of children, be informed, become an advocate, help understand the challenges and abilities of these children.

Make an adjustment, stay healthy ~ be happy: Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at 303.674.1500 to schedule a consultation or email office@fontanachiro.com

Feedback