What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong neurobiological difference, which means it’s a difference in the way the child’s brain works. Autism is not an intellectual disability. The causes of autism are unclear. The most recent research suggests that it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Autism is often described as a spectrum which means that it affects different children in different ways. It’s important to note that some children diagnosed with Autism also have an additional diagnosis such as an intellectual disability, global developmental delay, or anxiety. Whilst every child with autism is different, there are some key characteristics that many children with autism may experience:
Difficulties with social interactions
Children with autism can find social interactions very challenging which means that things like making eye contact, understanding facial expressions and the ‘give and take’ of social interactions can be hard.
Differences in communication skills
Many children with autism have differences in their communication skills; some children with autism may be non-verbal or delayed in their speech.
Restricted interests
Restricted and repetitive interests and Behaviours are also common in children with autism. Children with Autism may show very strong interest for example in trains, the color yellow, or fans. In Australia 1 in 70 people have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and for every female, with Autism there are four males. In the videos below you will meet three children with Autism across the spectrum, and learn a little about their journey and their experience.
Video: From examples in this video, you can see why Autism is referred to as a spectrum
Having a child that is diagnosed with autism? You have landed on the right page.
As much as it is an unwelcome addition to your stress, it also means that there are costs to be faced, both direct and indirect, so it is better to have a clear picture of what exactly we are talking about to give your child the proper support without wasting time and money. It may also give you a chance to prepare and even look at areas wherein you may save. Just like substituting a few hours of ABA therapy with a professional and doing it yourself at home, with the help of the proper tools, such as what Special Learning offers. Remember, each diagnosed child’s needs are different, your child may or may not need all of the therapies or interventions listed below.
Remember- these therapies can help people with autism improve their abilities and reduce their symptoms but not cure (Starting therapy early — during preschool or before — improves the chances for your child’s success, but it’s never too late for treatment).
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy (To be most effective, speech therapists need to work closely with parents and teachers to practice these skills in daily life).
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
There are different types of ABA. They include:
- Discrete Trial Training (DTT). This breaks the desired behavior into the simplest steps.
- Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI). This form of ABA is designed for young children, usually under the age of five.
- Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). The focus here is on important areas of a child’s development, like self-management and taking charge in social situations.
- Verbal Behavior Intervention (VBI). Improving a child’s verbal skills is the goal.
Autism! Is it curable??
The most straightforward answer to save you from fraudulent cures and incompetent people is No. We understand you need hope but in fact, most professionals believe that there is no cure for ASD.
The reaction from parents when they first hear of their child’s diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is nearly universal: their first question is whether or not there is a cure for the disease.
Everyone needs hope and no one likes to deliver disappointing news. but in fact, most professionals believe that there is no cure for ASD.
Some experimental studies show promise, but such research is only exploratory and not definitive. Results take time and for millions of current ASD patients, such exotic treatment will never be an option even if they are proven to be effective.
Some scientists believe that there will never be a single cure for autism, based on the more modern understanding that the disorder represents a constellation of underlying causes, no single one of which is necessarily a definitive cause. Without one cause, there can be no single cure. But the search continues.
The Search for a Cure When people are desperate for answers, someone will always come along to tell them what they want to hear. Unfortunately, those answers usually aren’t the right ones. A cursory search of the internet today will turn up any number of fraudulent cures for autism that make wild, unscientific, and frequently dangerous claims; things like adopting a gluten-free diet… killing off “toxic” gut bacteria… increasing zinc intake… going to entirely organic foods… applying magnets to particular places on the head…NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) … prayer… and even spanking.
There is hope, however, but it comes from aspects of the disorder that remain mysterious and fundamentally outside our control.
Recently, research has been piling up that some autistic children effectively grow out of the disorder as they age. A study of 569 (Bronx, New York) found that approximately 7 percent of those whose symptoms were resolved to a point where an ASD diagnosis was no longer appropriate. Of course, some of the explanation for these apparent phenomena is simply the difficulty of diagnosing autism in very young children in the first place. Some percentage of those diagnoses will be false positives, indicating that otherwise neurotypical kids are autistic simply because their behavior is a little unusual.
It’s not all smooth sailing even for this tiny group whose ASD symptoms self-resolve, however. The original issues they experience with communication and social disability can leave them with cognitive and behavioral problems that last well beyond the course of the disorder. Of the 38 patients in the Bronx study who lost their ASD diagnosis, only 3 were found to no longer have any symptoms; 92 percent had residual learning or behavioral problems from delayed development.
Search for a cure may Overshadow Genuine Treatment It’s possible that the search for a cure also overlooks good news on the treatment front that is nonetheless short of a full resolution. Long-term studies suggest that about ten percent of children with autism show dramatic improvement in their symptoms during their teens.
Role of inclusive schooling Although still formally diagnosed with ASD, they are able to improve their verbal and daily living skills considerably. So far, no particular patterns have emerged that might show a particular demographic range or treatment technique leading to resolution but among the population that improves, there is at least some suggestion that in addition to the therapies for related, comorbid conditions easing those with ASD into social interactions in such a way that it eliminates the stressors often associated with social contact – meeting new people represents a break in the pattern and routine and often requires the kind of social sensitivity that those with ASD struggle with. By gradually introducing social skills slowly and in settings where the patient is comfortable, can eventually reverse adverse behaviors.
Although inclusive education or specialized schools is not, in and of itself, a cure for autism but at least a valuable step along the path to a cure for at least some ASD patients. For the rest, it can at least lead to improvements in quality of life and individual skills while the search for a real cure continues.
Early interventions for autism increase major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills.