Do you have someone in your family or your community who has to deal with autism? April is Autism Awareness month but what do we really know about autism?
ASD is thought to have a genetic component that results in atypical neurological development and functioning. A lot of research is being done to try and find the cause of autism but, as yet, there are no definite answers.
There is agreement that autism is no one’s fault, however, and certainly not a parent’s fault. It is not a psychological or emotional disorder. It is not the result of bad parenting and children with ASD do not choose to misbehave. Misbehaviour is often a reaction to the environment and an expression of the difficulties people with ASD experience.
Red flags for ASD
* Little awareness of others.
* Imaginative play may be poor; for example, cannot play with a wooden block as if it is a car.
* The development of speech and language may be atypical, absent or delayed.
* Minimal reaction to verbal input and sometimes acts as though deaf.
* Changes in routine or the environment may cause distress.
* Pursues activities repetitively and cannot be influenced by suggestions of change.
* Inappropriate attachment to objects.
* Displays of extreme distress and or tantrums for no apparent reason.
* Difficulty in interacting with others and little or no eye contact.
* No real fear of danger.
* Prefers to play alone.
* Self-injurious behaviour for example head-banging, scratching or biting.
* Unusual habits like rocking, hand flapping, spinning of objects etc.
* Indifference to, or dislike of, being touched or cuddled.
* Sense of touch, taste, sight, hearing or smell may be heightened or lowered.
* Sudden laughing or crying for no apparent reason.
* Uneven gross/fine motor skills.
* Abnormal sleeping patterns.
Facts about ASD:
* Developmental disabilities like ASD are brain-based, neurological conditions that have more to do with biology than with psychology.
* Not one person with ASD is affected in the same way.
* ASD is usually diagnosed by the time a child is three years old.
* ASD is found in every country, every ethnic group and every socio-economic class.
* Autism is diagnosed four times as often in boys than in girls.
* Children who are diagnosed with ASD need intervention as soon as possible.
If you need information, please contact Autism SA on 011 484 9909 or send an email to info@autismsouthafrica.org (Info in this article with recognition of Autism SA).
